Eunice Elizabeth Sargaison[1] (17 March 1928 – 8 June 2018), known professionally as Eunice Gayson, was an English actress best known for playing Sylvia Trench, James Bond's love interest in the first two Bond films (Dr. No and From Russia with Love) and is thus considered to have been the first "Bond girl". Appearing in this capacity in two movies, she was unique in this regard until Lea Seydoux (as Madeleine Swann) in Spectre and No Time to Die nearly 60 years later.
Eunice Gayson | |
|---|---|
 Gayson in 1960 | |
| Born | Eunice Elizabeth Sargaison 17 March 1928 Streatham, London, England |
| Died | 8 June 2018 (aged 90) London, England |
| Education | Edinburgh Academy |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1948–2018 |
| Notable credit(s) | Bond girl Sylvia Trench in Dr. No and From Russia with Love |
| Spouses | Leigh Vance
(m. 1953; div. 1959)Brian Jackson
(m. 1968; div. 1977) |
Early life
editGayson and her twin sister Patricia were born in 1928 in Croydon to John and Maria Sargaison (née Gammon). Her father was a civil servant. The family lived in Streatham, London and moved to Purley, Surrey and later Glasgow, before settling in Edinburgh. There she attended the Edinburgh Academy and studied operatic singing.[2]
Career
edit
Gayson played a major role in the Hammer horror film The Revenge of Frankenstein and appeared on television in series such as The Saint (which starred a future James Bond, Roger Moore) and The Avengers.[3] She played the Baroness Elsa Schraeder in the 1962 London stage production of The Sound of Music, during which time she also filmed scenes for the first two Bond films, Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963).[4] She remained a regular in London theatre, appearing in, among other productions, the comedy The Grass Is Greener (1971). In the early 1990s, Gayson appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods in the role of the grandmother.[2]
Bond films
editIn the first two James Bond films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Gayson played James Bond's love interest in London, Sylvia Trench. In early scenes, Bond attempts to set up a liaison with her but gets called away on a mission before anything serious can develop. This was intended to be a running motif in multiple films, but the character was dropped after the second film.[2] The character is responsible for Bond's iconic introductory catchphrase, "Bond, James Bond"; when Trench introduces herself to Bond as "Trench, Sylvia Trench" during a game of chemin de fer in Dr. No, Bond replies in kind, mimicking Trench's own cadence, after she inquires of him "Mister?"[3]
Gayson had initially been cast in Dr. No as Miss Moneypenny, M's secretary, while the actress who played Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell, had been cast as Sylvia Trench. However, Maxwell found the Trench character too immodest, and their roles were switched. Gayson is therefore considered the first "Bond girl."[5][6]
Personal life
editGayson married the writer Leigh Vance in 1953, a marriage that was featured on the American daytime television series Bride and Groom. They divorced in 1959, and in 1968 she married the film and stage actor Brian Jackson. She and Jackson had a daughter before divorcing after ten years of marriage. Their daughter Kate later appeared in the casino scene in the 1995 Bond film GoldenEye.[7] Gayson died on 8 June 2018, aged 90.[2]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | My Brother Jonathan | A Young Girl[8] | |
| It Happened in Soho | Julie | ||
| 1949 | The Huggetts Abroad | Peggy | Uncredited |
| Melody in the Dark | Pat Evans | ||
| 1950 | Dance Hall | Mona | |
| 1951 | To Have and to Hold | Peggy Harding | |
| 1952 | Down Among the Z Men | Officer's Wife | Uncredited |
| Miss Robin Hood | Pam | ||
| 1953 | Street Corner | Janet | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Dance Little Lady | Adele | |
| One Just Man | |||
| 1955 | Out of the Clouds | Penny Henson | |
| 1956 | The Last Man to Hang | Elizabeth Anders | |
| Zarak | Cathy Ingram | ||
| 1957 | Carry On Admiral | Jane Godfrey | |
| Light Fingers | Rose Levenham | ||
| 1958 | The Revenge of Frankenstein | Margaret | |
| Hello London | Herself | Documentary | |
| 1962 | Dr. No | Sylvia Trench | |
| 1963 | From Russia with Love |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Between Ourselves | Television film | |
| Halesapoppin! | Television film | ||
| Lady Luck | Faith | Television film | |
| 1949 | Pink String and Sealing Wax | Emily Strachan | Television film |
| The Director | Katie | Television film | |
| Dick Whittington | Alice | Television film | |
| 1950 | Here Come the Boys | 1 Episode | |
| Treasures in Heaven | Carol Benson | Television film | |
| Mother of Men | Jennie | Television film | |
| 1953 | Guess My Story | Self – Panelist | |
| 1959 | Juke Box Jury | Self – Panelist | 1 episode |
| 1960 | What's My Line? | Self – Guest Panelist | Episode: "George Jessel (2)" |
| 1964 | Danger Man | Louise Bancroft | Episode: "A Man to Be Trusted" |
| 1964–1965 | The Saint | Nora Prescott Christine Graner |
Episode: "The Invisible Millionaire" Episode: "The Saint Bids Diamonds" |
| 1966 | The Avengers | Lucille Banks | Episode: "Quick-Quick slow Death" |
| 1967 | Before the Fringe | 2 episodes | |
| The Dick Emery Show | 1 episode | ||
| Further Adventures of Lucky Jim | Episode: "Jim Cleans Up" | ||
| The Reluctant Romeo | Gina Darletti | Episode: "What's in a Name" | |
| 1968 | The World of Beachcomber | ||
| 1970 | Albert and Victoria | Madame Aix | Episode: "The Gothic Church" Episode: "Lovers' Quarrel" |
| Turkey Time | Louis Stoatt | Television film | |
| 1972 | The Adventurer | Countess Marie | Episode: "Thrust and Counter-Thrust" |
| 2012 | This Morning | Self | 1 episode |
| 2013 | The Playboy Morning Show | Self | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ "Eunice Gayson, 90". Classic Images (518): 45. August 2018.
- ^ a b c d Hadoke, Toby (9 June 2018). "Eunice Gayson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ a b "First Bond girl Eunice Gayson dies aged 90". Sky News. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Nyren, Erin (9 June 2018). "Eunice Gayson, First 'Bond' Girl, Dies at 90". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Masters, Tim (1 October 2012). "James Bond: How Dr No's Eunice Gayson made film history". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Hendry, Steve (16 September 2012). "First Bond girl Eunice Gayson reveals how she helped Sean Connery overcome nerves with stiff drink". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Holson, Laura M. (11 June 2018). "Eunice Gayson, the First Bond Girl, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Eunice Gayson filmography". TV Guide. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
External links
edit
- Eunice Gayson at the British Film Institute
- Eunice Gayson at IMDb