Honor Blackman passed away yestreday at the age of 94. Tributes have poured in for the actress, who was fondly remembered for her role as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger alongside Sean Connery.
In a statement to the Guardian, her family said: “It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman, aged 94. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.
“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent; with an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times.”
RIP, ultimate Bond Girl and original Avenger, Honor Blackman. pic.twitter.com/D1IXN0KLIw
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 6, 2020
Just heard the very sad news that dear Honor has died.
What a woman she was- fiercely bright, superbly funny and a wonderful actress on screen and onstage. I loved every day of working with her and I loved and respected her with all my heart
RIP pic.twitter.com/AeTA1EmbQc— Joe McGann (@JosephMcGann) April 6, 2020
Before her role as a “Bond girl”, a term she believed to be outdated in the 21st century, Blackman rose to fame in the UK after starring as the character Cathy Gale in the popular 1960s TV series The Avengers.
Her character original synopsis states:
Pussy Galore was an original Ian Fleming character from the novel who ran a flying circus of female pilots. Later hired by Auric Goldfinger to fly over Fort Knox and gas the soldiers, so that Goldfinger could break in to the gold vault.
Blackman once said her character was a feminist, and not the average Bond girl.
“In so many of the films, the girls just looked at James and fell flat on their backs,” Blackman told the magazine TV Times in 2014.
“Yet Pussy Galore was a career woman — a pilot who had her own airforce, which was very impressive. She was never a bimbo.”
