Claudine Auger

Claudine Auger
Auger in The Head of the Family (1967)
Born
Claudine Oger

(1941-04-26)26 April 1941
Paris, France
Died18 December 2019(2019-12-18) (aged 78)
Paris, France
OccupationActress
Years active1958–1995
Spouses
(m. 1959; div. 1969)
    Peter Brent
    (m. 1984; died 2008)
    Children1

    Claudine Auger (born Claudine Oger; 26 April 1941 – 18 December 2019) was a French actress best known for her role as a Bond girl, Dominique "Domino" Derval, in the James Bond film Thunderball (1965). She earned the title of Miss France Monde 1958 (the French representative to the Miss World beauty pageant) and went on to finish as the first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest.

    Career

    Born in Paris, France, Auger began her career as a model and earned the title of Miss France Monde 1958 (the French representative to the Miss World beauty pageant) and went on to finish as the first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest.[1][2] Jean Cocteau cast Auger in an uncredited role as a tall ballerina in Testament of Orpheus (1960). When she was 18, she married the 43-year-old writer-director Pierre Gaspard-Huit, and he cast her in several films, including Le Masque de fer (1962) and Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance (1963).[3]

    In 1965 she was cast in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, directed by Terence Young. Thunderball launched Auger into a successful European movie career, but did little for her otherwise in the United States.[4] Though she performed in the movie, her French accent was considered too strong and her voice was dubbed by another actress.[2] She did, however, star in a Danny Thomas special called The Road to Lebanon with Bing Crosby, which was shown on NBC on 20 April 1966.[5]

    In 1966 she co-starred in the World War II drama Triple Cross with Yul Brynner and Christopher Plummer, that reunited her with her James Bond director Terence Young.[6] Auger co-starred with another Bond girl, Ursula Andress, in the Italian comedy Anyone Can Play (1968). She starred with two future Bond girls, Barbara Bouchet and Barbara Bach, in Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971), a giallo mystery. She had major roles in films such as The Killing Game in 1967,[7] Flic Story in 1972,[2] and filmed scenes for The Eiger Sanction (1975), only to have her entire performance cut from the movie.[4]

    On television, she made an appearance in 1972 on the CBS series Medical Center. In the 1980s Auger starred The Man Who Married a French Wife which was broadcast on the BBC and shown as part of the "Great Performances" series that was broadcast on PBS in the United States. She also appeared in the 1994 British television series The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.[2]

    Personal life and death

    In 1959, she married film director and screenwriter Pierre Gaspard-Huit. They later divorced in 1969.[2] She married British businessman Peter Brent[8] in 1984. He died in 2008. They had one child.[2]

    Auger died in Paris on 18 December 2019 following a lengthy illness.[1][9][10][11]

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1958 Christine Uncredited
    1960 Testament of Orpheus Minerva
    Terrain vague the salesgirl
    1961 Les Moutons de Panurge Monique Uncredited
    1962 The Seven Deadly Sins the new waitress (segment "Envie, L'"), Uncredited
    Le Masque de fer Isabelle de Saint-Marc
    1963 In the French Style Clio Andropolous
    Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance Amrita
    The Mystery of the Indian Temple Mario Camerini
    1964 Games of Desire Elektra Tzanou
    1965 Yo Yo Isolina
    The Reckless Uncredited
    Thunderball Dominique Derval ("Domino")
    1966 That Man George Lila
    Treasure of San Gennaro Concettina
    Triple Cross Paulette
    The Devil in Love Maddalena de' Medici
    1967 The Killing Game Jacqueline Meyrand
    The Head of the Family Adriana
    1968 Anyone Can Play Esmeralda
    Escalation Carla Maria Manini
    Adriatic Sea of Fire Mirjana
    Listen, Let's Make Love Ida Bernasconi
    The Cats Barbara
    1969 Love Birds Marina
    Come ti chiami, amore mio?
    1971 Equinozio
    Black Belly of the Tarantula Laura
    A Bay of Blood Renata Donati
    Un peu de soleil dans l'eau froide Nathalie Silvener
    1972 Gli ordini sono ordini Giorgia's friend
    The Summertime Killer Michèle
    1974 Borsalino & Co. Une passagère sur le paquebot Uncredited
    La dynamite est bonne à boire Consuelo
    1975 L'Intrépide Sophie
    Flic Story Catherine
    1976 Il colpaccio
    Cuando los maridos se iban a la guerra Sol
    1977 Pane, burro e marmellata Betty
    1978 The Bermuda Triangle Sybill
    Butterfly on the Shoulder The coat's Woman
    1979 Lovers and Liars Elisa Massacesi
    Lobster for Breakfast Carla Spinosi
    The Associate Agnès Pardot
    1980 Fantastica Johanna MacPherson
    Prestami tua moglie Diana
    1981 Black Jack (a.k.a. Asalto al casino) Jill Stradford
    1984 Secret Places Sophie Meister
    1985 The Repenter Rosa Ragusa
    1986 Exploits of a Young Don Juan the mother
    1988 Un amore di donna Gabriella's mother
    The Sparrow's Fluttering Dino's widow
    1991 La bocca Countess Veronica Rospigliosi
    1992 Salt on Our Skin Mrs. McEwan
    1994 L'ombra della sera La mère d'Eva Television Film
    1995 Los hombres siempre mienten Isabelle
    1995 Un orage immobile Artémise d'Aubec Television Film
    1997 Le rouge et le noir Madame de Fervaques

    References

    1. ^ a b "Claudine Auger: French actress known for James Bond role dies aged 78". BBC News. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
    2. ^ a b c d e f "James Bond's first French love interest played Domino in Thunderball". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
    3. ^ Lisanti, Tom; Paul, Louis (2002). Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962–1973. McFarland and Company. p. 46.
    4. ^ a b Mann, Roderick (29 November 1986). "Bond Was No Boost For Auger". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
    5. ^ Pairpoint, Lionel. "The Chronological Bing Crosby on Television". BING magazine. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
    6. ^ "Triple Cross". RogerEbert.com. 11 July 1967. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
    7. ^ Erickson, Hal (2012). "Claudine Auger". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012.
    8. ^ Riedel, Michael (12 November 1995). "Kiss of Death". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
    9. ^ "Thunderball actress Claudine Auger has died aged 78". RTE. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
    10. ^ Milkelbank, Peter (19 December 2019). "Claudine Auger, First French Actress to Star as a Bond Girl, Dies at 78". People. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
    11. ^ "Claudine Auger, Bond Girl in 'Thunderball,' Dies at 78". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2019.