Eunice Gayson played the role of the very first Bond girl in the first James Bond 007 Film, “ Dr No.” Gayson played Sylvia Trench, Bond’s love interest, in the 1962 film. She passed away on 8 June at the age of 90.

Gayson was also the only Bond girl to star in two films with Sir Sean Connery, as she was also featured as Trench in “From Russia with Love.”

Bond girl voiceover

Back in the 60s and 70s, none of the Bond girls actually spoke in the films. Gayson’s lines were recorded by a voiceover artist, Nikki van der Zyl. Original casting placed Gayson as Miss Moneypenny, however, that role eventually went to Lois Maxwell.

The character of Trench was originally supposed to be a recurring role in several films, but Guy Hamilton, the director of “Goldfinger” dropped the idea. There were multiple Bond girls in the resulting 007 films.

Gayson was born in 1928 in Surrey, England and had several more screen roles, including starring in the 1958 Hammer Horror film “The Revenge of Frankenstein” and "The Sound of Music." As noted by the Independent, she also starred in the “The Avengers” and “The Saint” TV programmes.

Origin of ‘Bond, James Bond’

The actress is well known for bringing forth one of the most famous Bond catchphrases, which has continued in all the 007 films.

In “Dr No,” at the Le Cercle Club casino, she was playing a game of cards when Bond asked her what her name was. She replied, “Trench, Sylvia Trench,” and after admiring Bond’s luck, she asked his name. Connery replied, “Bond, James Bond.” Readers can watch that particular scene from “Dr No” below and there is also an interesting tale about that scene further down.

Social media mourns the loss of Eunice Gayson

A post on Gayson’s official Twitter feed on 8 June gave the news that she had died. The post described Gayson as an “amazing lady,” saying she had left a lasting impression on all that she met and that she would be missed.

Michael G.

Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond franchise, also paid tribute to the actress on the official James Bond Twitter page.

The daughter and stepson of Albert R. Broccoli, the original Bond producer, posted a message with a photo of Gayson in her role as Trench. The message sent their sincere thoughts to her family in their loss.

Eunice Gayson calmed Sean Connery’s nerves in ‘Dr No’

The Guardian reports that Gayson was interviewed in 2012 about her role in the film. She recalled calming Connery’s nerves. She said she took him for a drink to help him deliver his line correctly in the film. While it’s difficult to imagine 007 being anything but a tough guy, Gayson said she had known Connery for years but had never seen him as nervous as on that day. There had apparently been a lot of delays and when he tried to deliver the famous and well-known line, she said he came out with all sorts of permutations including “Sean Bond” or “James Connery.” She said the director repeatedly said “Cut! Cut!”

Terence Young, the film director, asked her to take Connery for a drink, despite the fact that he was supposed to be “on the wagon” at that stage. She said that after he had one or two drinks and arrived back on the set, he came out with the line, “Bond, James Bond” perfectly. From that moment he was relaxed and all was wonderful.