Britt Ekland (Mary Goodnight)

Datastream Actress: Britt Ekland Character: Mary Goodnight Movie: The Man With The Golden Gun Date of Birth: 6th October 1942 Place of Birth: Stockholm, Sweden Trivia: Was played by Charlize Theron in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" Pleased To Meet You 007 is picked up by Mary Goodnight at the Hong Kong ferry terminal whilst he is in hot pursuit of Andrea Anders, Francisco Scaramanga's ill-kept mistress. The pair do not immediately rekindle their old friendship but are allied in their work. Caught In The Act The delightfully naive Goodnight is initially suspicious of 007's advances - especially after she is trapped in a hotel wardrobe whilst Bond romances Andrea Anders. However, with the villain dispatched Goodnight inevitably gives in to James Bond's charm whilst onboard Scaramanga's luxury Junk.

"Killing a few hours as one of your passing fancies isn't quite my scene..."

Profile A young and inexperienced field agent working out of Hong Kong, Mary Goodnight gets in over her head when James Bond arrives in town on the tail of hit man Scaramanga. Ready to help the debonair secret agent, Goodnight certainly winds up in more trouble than she was expecting. After several dedicated years in the Secret Service, Goodnight was posted to the Southeast Asia branch two years prior to the "Golden Gun" mission. Goodnight finds herself kidnapped by Scaramanga, trapped in the boot of his winged car and bound for Thailand, leaving Bond to chase after the damsel-in-distress. She unwittingly causes Scaramanga's hideout to self-destruct when she plunges his maintenance man in to a vat of liquid helium. Memorable quotes Goodnight: I'll keep the wine properly chilled. Bond: And everything else warm, I trust. Goodnight: [referring to Anders] I saw the 'official business'. Bond: Goodnight, would I do that to you? Goodnight: Yes, you bloody well would!

Bond: Madam, would you be good enough to move this inverted bedpan.
Goodnight: I'm sorry I'm late James but your signal from Macau only just reached the office

Bond: I approve, your uniform. Tight in all the right places, not too many buttons.
Goodnight: Standard uniform for Southeast Asia. The buttons are down the back.

Biography
Britt-Marie Ekland was born as the oldest of four children and the only daughter of a successful retail merchant. She attended a drama school before joining a traveling theatre troupe, as well as posing for various photoshoots. Shortly after turning 20, Ekland met the comic Peter Sellers and engaged in a whirlwind romance - thus throwing her into the spotlight. By 1964 Sellers and Ekland were married and she was famed for being the controversial wife of the eccentric star. She supported Sellers through a run of heart trouble and had a daughter together, Victoria.

Her stunning beauty lead her to a range of on-screen roles in UK film and television during the 1960s. Her early resume from this period includes the espionage-thriller "The Double Man", "Too Many Thieves" and comedy "The Bobo" - in-which she played alongside her husband.

By 1968 the pair were divorced and her film career seemed based firmly on her looks. Despite the messy and over-publicised break up, Ekland appeared in a steady stream of films during the late '60s and early '70s - most notably the Mike Hodges-helmed "Get Carter" (1971), in which she shared the screen with Michael Caine. Her next big blockbuster was 1973's "The Wicker Man" in which Britt portrayed the charming Willow. "Wicker Man" confirmed her star-status and saw her co-star with a host of screen legends including Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward.

"The Man With The Golden Gun" saw Ekland reunited with Lee and fellow Swedish star Maud Adams. Shortly after this period, Ekland was romantically tied to the rocker Rod Stewart and reportedly slowed her career down to focus on the relationship. She published her autobiography "True Britt" in 1980 and appeared in a few token productions during the '80s and '90s.

Ekland was married once more to New York rock star Slim Jim Phantom in 1984, with whom she had a son, TJ. The pair divorced in 1992. In 2002 she returned to acting after 10 years without a single credit, when she appeared in an episode of the sci-fi TV comedy "Lexx".