Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet)
|
|
Datastreem
Actress: Carole Bouquet
Character: Melina Havelock
Movie: For Your Eyes Only
Date of Birth: 18th August 1957
Place of Birth: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Trivia: Owns a restaurant
Pleased To Meet You
Bond runs in to
Melina Havelock on a mission in Corfu.
Here 007 is surveying the payoff of a free-lance hit man, Hector
Gonzales. Before the transaction can be completed 007 is
taken prisoner and is only able to escape after Melina perforates
Gonzales with her crossbow. The pair make a not-so-hasty escape
in her clunky little Citroen
2CV.
Caught In The Act
Whilst Bond and Melina are quickly allied in the fight against her father's
killer (he was searching for the missing ATAC defence system), this lovely
damsel in distress does not cave into Bond's advances
until her revenge is sought. With the world put to rights, 007 and Miss Havelock
spend a passionate night aboard the Havelock family launch, far away from
Bond's bosses in London. |
Profile
Passionate and strong-willed, Melina Havelock has a spark of Greek in her blood and a lust for revenge after the death of her family. When she runs into 007 it becomes more than a simple matter of assassination for Melina, who needs the villainous Kristatos alive for questioning. Miss Havelock is bold and handy in a fight, when she finally agrees to play the game Bond's way. Melina proves and willing ally on the "For Your Eyes Only" mission and helps Bond to track down the ATAC.
Memorable Quotes
Bond: The Chinese have a saying: "before you set
out on revenge, you first dig two graves".
Melina: I don't expect you to understand, you're English,
but I'm half Greek. And Greek women like Elektra always avenge
their loved ones!
Colombo: But we are only five men...
Melina: And one woman!
Melina: For your eyes only, darling...
Melina: It was my parents they killed. Not yours.
|
|
 |
Biography
Born in 1957 as an only child, Bouquet grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine
under the guidance of her father and strict stepmother. In her
late teens Carole began to frequent the movies and found a passion
for acting. After high-school, Bouquet enrolled in the Superior
Conservatory of Dramatic Arts whose campus was in central Paris.
She had initially considered studying philosophy but here underlying
calling to the dramatic arts won over.
 |
|
In 1977 and still in drama
school, Carole won her first onscreen role in Luis Buñuel
Portoles' picture "Cet obscur objet du désir" ("The
obscure object of desire"). The famed French filmmaker
took a shine to Bouquet and with his support began her
career on screen from an early age.
Her beauty won her many roles, but as
she explained in later interviews, she was so shy that
until
her mid-twenties Bouquet relied on others to help her find
work.
In the late 1970s she caught the attention
of director Lewis
Gilbert who considered casting her in his upcoming "Moonraker" - however
this was not to be. It was in the following Bond picture, "For
Your Eyes Only" directed by John Glen in 1981, that
this lovely French star was introduced to Hollywood. She
rose to fame both in France and the English speaking nations
thanks to her role as Melina Havelock.
After her Bond adventure, Carole returned
to her homeland and appeared in a run of mildly successful
films before landing a role opposite Gérard Depardieu. |
The film was the internationally acclaimed "Trop
belle pour toi" ("Too Beautiful for You", 1985)
and she took the part of Florence, the wife of well-to-do car
dealer as played by Depardieu. For this role, Bouquet won the
Best Actress
award at the 1990 César awards.
"I
was never taught what femininity was. I learnt it - or
rather I invented it - on my own. " |
Early in her career, Carole Bouquet was married
to the director Jean-Pierre Rassam with whom she had a son,
Dimitri. Rassam passed away in 1985 but Bouquet
continued a prominent career in the French film industry. She
appeared in a biopic of the Swiss leader Jörg Jenatsch and
1989's "New York Stories" as directed by Woody Allen.
In 1997, Bouquet was romantically linked to
her frequent co-star, Depardieu. The relationship lasted until
2004,
and the pair were briefly engaged to be married prior to the
breakup. Today she still maintains a selective yet active career
on the screen. She is lined up to lead the cast of "Protéger
et servir", scheduled for release in late 2009.
