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MI6 Confidential James Bond magazine - Timothy Dalton

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Tiffany Case (Jill St. John)

Datastream
Actress: Jill St. John
Character: Tiffany Case
Movie: Diamonds Are Forever
Date of Birth: 19th August 1940
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, USA
Trivia: Went to school with Nancy Sinatra

Pleased To Meet You
Posing as Peter Franks, a link in a diamond smuggling ring, 007 meets with a shock when he arrives to collect the gems from Tiffany's apartment. She greets him, dressed in skimpy lingerie and a thin gown and knowing appearances are deceiving, skillfully collects Franks' fingerprints to compare with her records.

Caught In The Act
Once 007's cover is blown, he and Ms. Case join forces to collect the jewels and trace the smuggling ring back to its source - the deal is brokered after a night on the Casino floor and of course, a slip between the sheets.

"I was born there [Tiffany's], on the first floor while my mother was looking for a wedding ring."

Profile
A strong, solo woman with a no-nonsense attitude to the masculine species, Tiffany is a key link within Blofeld's diamond smuggling ring from Holland to the US. Although she is naive as to the final destination of the loot - at first she appears to be an unscrupulous con artist ready to make a pretty penny. However, when she is preyed on by Blofeld's quirky killers, Wint and Kidd, Tiffany turns to Peter Franks to protect her from the goons. Another strong-willed and capable woman, Case initially dismisses 007's advances but manages to charm her way in and out of many sticky situations.

Memorable Quotes
Tiffany: Listen, you can drop me off at the next corner. This whole thing is getting a little out of hand. No regrets, but when you start stealing moon machines from Willard Whyte, GOOD bye and GOOD Luck!

Tiffany: [sarcastically] Relax, you've got a friend named Felix who can fix anything.
Bond: Unfortunately, so can Willard Whyte.

Tiffany: Oh, James.
Bond: Oh, yes. What were you about to ask me?
Tiffany: James, how the hell do we get those diamonds down again?

Tiffany: My God! You just killed James Bond

Tiffany: I'm co-operating Mr. Leiter, really I am.
Bond: Oh, I can vouch for that.

"Hi there, Mr. Q. Are you having any luck?"

Biography
Born as Jill Arlyn Oppenheim, St. John began acting on stage at the young age of five. With a keen "stage-mother" and growing up in Hollywood Jill landed a variety of radio and stage roles. She first appeared on screen in the 1940's soap opera "One Man's Family" and after the success of this series, changed her name to from Oppenheim to St. John. Throughout schooling Jill St. John exhibited an enormous intelligence and an IQ measuring 162. When she was merely 14 she was admitted to the University of California to study.

In 1958 she was signed to a 20th Century Fox contract and made a run of nondescript heroine roles such as "Summer Love" (1958) or 1959's "Holiday for Lovers". While many of the roles may seem banal, St. John was a clever and careful selector of roles and rose quickly to stardom remembered as a playful icon of the cinema.

By the 1960's her roles were growing in numbers and Jill frequently appeared on a variety TV hits alongside Bob Hope in "Eight on the Lam" and even Frank Sinatra in "Come Blow Your Horn". In 1968 St. John landed a popular regular role in Anthony Franciosa's "The Name of the Game".

In 1971 "Diamonds Are Forever" hit the big screen and saw Jill St. John as 007's sexy sidekick and diamond smuggler, Tiffany Case. By all accounts, Sean Connery's co-star spent more than two thirds of the picture in a variety of skimpy bikinis.

Jill St. John has been married four times since the '50s - her current husband is Detroit actor Robert Wagner. The pair have been together since 1990.

Beyond Bond, St. John appeared as the lead in 1976's TV series "Brenda Starr" and a host of popular American series' including, "Magnum PI" and "The Love Boat".

While her career slowed in the '80s and '90s Jill St. John takes occasional roles in American cinema and TV - her most recent picture was with husband Robert Wagner in the drama "The Calling" (2002).