Bond Girl and Former Miss France, Claudine Auger, Dead at Age 78
Claudine Auger, the French-born actress cast as “Bond Girl” Dominique “Domino” Derval in the 1965 movie “Thunderball,” has died. She was 78.
Auger died in Paris on Wednesday following a lengthy period of illness, BBC News reported, citing her agency, Time Art.
Auger had a prominent and lengthy acting career, primarily in French and Italian film, thanks to her international rise in fame after her role in “Thunderball” opposite Sean Connery, who played James Bond.
Auger started out modeling and competing in beauty pageants, was crowned the winner of the Miss France beauty contest and came in second place in the 1958 Miss World pageant.
In 1960, Auger, then still in school, appeared in the film “Testament of Orpheus,” which starred and was directed by Jean Cocteau, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She then appeared in “The Iron Mask” in 1962 and “Games of Desire” in 1964 before starring as the first French “Bond Girl” in 1965.
Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Claudine Auger. @Variety remembers her here: https://t.co/47ngmBnXe0
— TCM (@tcm) December 20, 2019
According to BBC News, the role of Domino was originally intended to be played by an Italian actress but was revised into a French character specifically for Auger.
With her striking features and talent for acting, Auger went on to star in numerous films, primarily in the ’60s and ’70s.
But she acted all the way through 1997, according to her IMDb page.
French actor Claudine Auger, who starred opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond film “Thunderball,” has died aged 78 https://t.co/cvQcwwnK07
— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) December 20, 2019
Auger’s other prominent films include “Our Man in Marrakesh” (1966) starring George Hamilton, “Triple Cross” (1966) with Christopher Plummer and Yul Brynner, and “The Killing Game” (1967).
In 1971, Auger starred in the horror flick “Black Belly of the Tarantula,” alongside two other Bond girls, Barbara Bach and Barbara Bouchet.
She appeared in a second horror film, “Bay of Blood,” that same year.
Auger is survived by her daughter, Jessica Claudine Brent, who was born in 1991 when Auger was 49 years old.
Auger’s second husband and Jessica’s father, Peter Brent, died in 2008.
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