Bond girl Tania Mallet has died aged 77.
The British actress was best known for her role as Tilly Masterson opposite Sean Connery in 1964 007 classic Goldfinger.
The sad news was confirmed by James Bond bosses, who released a statement via Twitter: "We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in GOLDFINGER has passed away.
"Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.'
Fan sites including Bondstars.com also posted tributes, writing: "Unfortunately we must share the very sad news that our dear friend Tania Mallet has sadly passed away.
"She was a very classy and beautiful lady inside and out.:"
Mallet, who is the cousin of fellow actress Dame Helen Mirren, started her career as a teenage model and went on to become one of the most famous faces of the 1950s and '60s.
During her modelling career, a picture of her in bikini was sent to James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli, who brought her in to screen test for the role of Tatiana Romanova in 1957's From Russia With Love.
She missed out on the part, which went to Italian beauty Daniela Bianchi.
However, she got another shot at Bond when several years later when she scored the role of Tilly Masterson in the third 007 outing, Goldfinger.
Tilly did not make it to the end of the film as she was killed off by henchman Oddjob.
Goldfinger went on to be a huge success, shotting Mallet to international stardom, but she decided to step out of the spotlight and never made another film.
She later insisted she hated her lack of freedom when under contract making a movie, and admitted the money was "dreadful".
Mallet was said to have started on £50 a day on the film, but managed to negotiate up to £150 – amost equally her pay as a model.
Her cousin Mirrren wrote about Mallet in her 2007 memoir, revealing the model spent all the modey she earned from her showbiz career on her family.
She was devoted to helping her mother and even paid for her brothers' education.
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