Ursula Andress was born in
Ostermundigen, Berne, Switzerland, to a
Swiss-Italian mother and a
German father. Her father, Rolf Andress, was a German
diplomat. He disappeared during World War II. Andress has four sisters and one brother. She is fluent in English, French, Italian, and German.
Andress started her career as an art model in Rome, which led to her first roles in the active Italian movie industry.
She became famous as
Honey Ryder, a shell diver and
James Bond's object of desire in
Dr. No (1962), the first Bond movie.
Ursula Andress' voice in
Dr. No was provided by
Nikki van der Zyl while the famous calypso song was sung by
Diana Coupland.
Ursula Andress has the singular distinction among Bond Girls of having actually appeared in the narrative of a Fleming novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, written after Fleming was present during filming of Dr. No. She is pointed out to Bond by Irma Bunt while they are dining at Piz Gloria.
In 1963, she won a
Golden Globe for Best Promising Newcomer (Female).
Andress co-starred with the king of rock 'n' roll
Elvis Presley in the 1963 film,
Fun in Acapulco , with
Frank Sinatra in
4 for Texas (1963) and opposite
Marcello Mastroianni in
The 10th Victim (1965). She also appeared in the Bond
satire Casino Royale (1967) as
Vesper Lynd, an occasional
spy who persuades
Evelyn Tremble, as played by
Peter Sellers to carry out a mission. Her heavy accent was dubbed over in
Dr. No, but she used her own voice in
Casino Royale.
In 1965, she posed nude for a picture for
Playboy.
In 1981's
Clash of the Titans, she starred opposite legendary English actor
Laurence Olivier
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