Honor Blackman Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (born 22 August 1925) is an English actress, widely known for the roles of Cathy Gale in "The Avengers" (1962–64), Bond girl Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger" (1964), Julia Daggett in "Shalako" (1968) and Hera in "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963). She is also notable for her role as Laura West in the ITV sitcom "The Upper Hand" (1990–1996). Blackman was born in Plaistow. Her father, Frederick Blackman, was a civil service statistician. She attended North Ealing Primary School and Ealing County Grammar School for Girls. For her 15th birthday, her parents gave her acting lessons and
Bond girl year instead. French actress Claudine Auger was ultimately cast in the role. "Thunderball" launched Auger into a successful European film career but did little for her in the United States. At one time it was said that appearing as a Bond girl would damage an actress's career. Lois Chiles is often cited as a case in point, even though her career did not suffer because of her portrayal of Holly Goodhead, but rather because, after she lost her younger brother to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, she decided to take a three-year break from acting, from which her career never recovered. Casting for