The 10 Best James Bond 'Girls' Ranked

For as long as there has been James Bond, there has been the James Bond "girl." And for as long as there has been the James Bond "girl," there have been people rightfully noting that this descriptor is a bit demeaning. After all, these character are women and should be treated accordingly. 

And the James Bond "woman" has run the gamut over the years. People have rightfully called out the franchise over the decades for its often shallow, childish sexism, teaming up Agent 007 with bimbos bearing ridiculous names. The laziest films in the series reduce the female co-stars to shallow eye candy, existing to be impressed by Bond and to be rescued in the climax. But we can't ignore the movies that get it right. For every film that gets the Bond woman wrong, there's one that gets it right — characters with complex motivations, intriguing backstories, wry senses of humor, and skills that get James himself out of dangerous jams. And as the franchise sprinted into the 21st century, the women of the James Bond series became more consistent, and more consistently interesting. 

When /Film's James Bond braintrust sat down to create this list of the greatest women in the franchise, we had only a few rules. The character had to be an ally, not a villain (let's save those characters for a future list). And while the dynamic between the character and Bond didn't have to be romantic, it had to suggest a real connection of some kind (one scene love interests not allowed!). From there, it became a simple question of quality. Which characters stood out to us? Which ones linger in our minds? 

And while there was plenty of discussion, we'll say this much: The vote for the number one choice was unanimous. 

The problem with Halle Berry's Jinx is that she's the bright spot in an otherwise terrible, rotten, no-good movie. You'll find very few James Bond fans willing to defend "Die Another Day," one of the low points in the franchise, but Berry understands the assignment in a way that virtually everyone else in the movie does not. Scripted to be Bond's equal in virtually every way, she's tough, feisty, in firm control of her sexuality, and wryly funny, sinking her teeth into every ridiculous line of dialogue the script puts in her mouth. If Jinx was in a better movie, her inclusion on this list wouldn't be a controversial choice. If Halle Berry had been given a better screenplay, she would've worked greater wonders.

But for now, she gets to sit here on the edge of the list, a reminder that even bad movies can have memorable characters. The 007 producers planned a Jinx spin-off film before the critical reaction to "Die Another Day" put it on ice. And that's shame. Halle Berry, and Jinx, are innocent of the film's crimes. Both deserved better. (Jacob Hall)

The James Bond franchise was way ahead of the curve on the whole Michelle Yeoh thing. Decades before she would take home the Academy Award for Best Actress for her stunning work in "Everything Everywhere All At Once," Yeoh was only known to aficionados of Hong Kong action films, where she was a leading badass in a small but impressive pond. But that was apparently enough to put her in the co-pilot seat on "Tomorrow Never Dies," one of the more underrated Pierce Brosnan 007 adventures, and a film that makes excellent use of her skills. Her slick, dynamic ass-kicking complements Brosnan's tech-driven take on Bond well and she is consistently presented as his equal in every way that matters. Their attraction is less inherently romantic, and more about two consummate professionals who respect and admire each other for being exceptionally good at their line of work.

These days, everyone loves Michelle Yeoh. Because someone this talented, this cool, was always bound to gain international accolades. But in 1997? Before the mainstream world had caught on? All power to Wai Lin, and to Yeoh, who seized the moment and delivered the goods. (Jacob Hall)

Appearing in 1964's "Goldfinger," the late Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore was, unfortunately, the first Bond woman to have an outright ridiculous name. Honey Ryder from "Dr. No" might have conveyed a certain sexuality, but it wasn't anywhere near as on the nose as "Pussy Galore." Which is a shame because Blackman's character was anything but a novelty.

One of the first of Bond's female companions who could truly match 007's intellect, confidence, and mettle, Blackman's pilot and all-round badass remains legendary for representing a fully-empowered woman at a time when the Bond franchise wasn't exactly known for that sort of thing. Not only does Ms. Galore get the best of Bond when she catches him spying on Goldfinger, she also leads a whole brigade of female pilots in their (fake) chemical attack, and remains entirely unphased by Bond's charms — up until that uncomfortable barn scene, that is. Even when she does succumb to Sean Connery's spy, she never loses her sense of self-confidence.

Though she wasn't the first Bond woman, Pussy Galore was among the first to demonstrate that female characters in the 007 franchise could be more than "disposable pleasures," to quote Eva Green's Vesper Lynd from "Casino Royale." In fact, Connery's Bond couldn't have saved the day without her. (Joe Roberts)

"Skyfall" is an utterly fascinating entry within the canon of the James Bond franchise. Not only is it the highest-grossing entry in a series of films that has been around for more than 60 years, but it's also one that offers major twists on many archetypes that have been associated with Bond for years. There is no traditional, main Bond woman in the film, as Moneypenny never quite crosses that line (despite showcasing strong chemistry with our main guy), and Severine sadly doesn't live long enough to steal the whole show. In an odd yet very satisfying way, it is Judi Dench's M who actually serves functionally as the main Bond woman in Daniel Craig's third outing as the legendary MI6 spy.

More than any of the other Bond actors, Craig's tenure in the role was heavily serialized. By the time we got to "Skyfall," there was an idea that M and Bond had been through the wringer together for years. She fought for him as one of her most trusted men, and he fought for her because he respected her as a leader. There is no overt romance between them, but M and Bond undeniably feel romantic about one another in a certain way. There is a specific kind of romance to their scenes in the film, such as when M is reciting a poem by Tennyson while Bond runs through the streets of London to save her.

M serves every function of a Bond woman in this film, only she never reduces herself to sleeping with him. The meaningful connection they share, which concludes in tragedy, allows this relationship to rise above the typical one shared by Bond and most of the women he's had the pleasure of being with over the years. Setting any semantics aside, it's hard to argue against the impact of this relationship. (Ryan Scott)

The moment Eva Green's Vesper Lynd meets Daniel Craig's Bond, "Casino Royale" goes from good to great. Sure, the pair's train rendezvous is helped greatly by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis' sharp writing (and this from two of the guys who brought us "Die Another Day"), but Green's performance and her chemistry with Craig makes this one of the most quietly electric scenes in Bond history.

Vesper's appraisal of Bond as a "former SAS type" with an "easy smile" and "expensive watch" is brilliant. But it's the line about how Bond wears his tailored attire with "such disdain" that immediately establishes Vesper as the sharpest, most formidable woman 007 has ever encountered. Bond has faced confident women before, and you'll often hear that a certain female character is "every bit Bond's equal," but until Vesper arrives and systematically dismantles Craig's tortured spy, he'd never truly met his match.

Not only does this make it all the more believable when 007 eventually falls in love with Vesper, it so perfectly propels the central conceit of the movie, i.e. deconstructing Bond and putting him back together again for a new age of the franchise. Vesper might well betray her new love by the film's end, but none of their prior interactions are any less affecting or believable as a result. Never has a James Bond film featured such an emotionally resonant relationship, and Green's character, performance, and her chemistry with Craig was the key. (Joe Roberts)