In Memoriam of Goldfinger girl Tania Mallet (1941-2019)

By: Mark Cerulli

Published:
2019-04-01

Unfortunately, yet another member of the classic Bond family has left us – FSWL mourns the passing of lovely Tania Mallet, aged 77, who we first met in 2005. A former fashion model, she was spotted by Cubby Broccoli, who cast her as Jill Masterson’s vengeful sister in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger giving her some memorable scenes inside the iconic Aston Martin car with Sean Connery, as well as one of the series’ most haunting deaths – at the hands of Oddjob.

Mallet was a first cousin of Oscar-winning star, Dame Helen Mirren, who said in her 2007 memoir In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures that Mallet was a “loyal and generous person” who helped pay for for her brothers’ education with her income as a model. (Mallet was related to Dame Helen through her mother, whose younger brother was Dame Helen's father.)

Goldfinger wasn’t her only brush with Bond, Mallet also had auditioned for the female lead in From Russia with Love (1963), a part that ultimately went to Daniela Bianchi. Mallet’s only other appearance as an actress was an uncredited role in 1976’s TV reboot, The New Avengers. She continued her modeling career, saying that it was a more comfortable world for her.

In later years, she was frequently spotted at autograph shows where she was kind to her many fans. We send our condolences to her family.

FSWL supporter & Academy Award winner Norman Wanstall remember Tania Mallet

“I'm really saddened by the news about Tania. I was so pleased to meet her at various signings and as you see we 'bonded' very well. I always told her that I was so struck by the sound of her name when working on Goldfinger that when my daughter was born in 1966 we called her Tania.
So it was a nice reunion for both of us when we were invited to Zurich to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Goldfinger in 2014. She was very popular, everyone loved her, and I can imagine a lot of Bond fans are saddened by her passing.”

Norman Wanstall & Tania Mallet in Andermatt, Switzerland where Goldfinger was shot in 1964. Copyright Norman Wanstall.

Fellow Goldfinger girl Caron Gardner sent us the following message

“How sad, I always thought of her as a very elegant and charming lady but also fun to talk to.
I had not seen her for a while, last time at the NEC in Birmingham 2012 where there was a large Bond gathering to celebrate 50 years of Bond.
Too young to leave us. RIP Tania”

Obituaries in the press about Tania Mallet

>BBC News
>Daily Mail
>Deadline
>Mirror
>The Guardian
>Variety

For some photos from Tania Mallet's modelling career, check out this Tatler article.

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In Memoriam of Goldfinger girl Tania Mallet (1941-2019)

FSWL supporter & Academy Award winner Norman Wanstall remember Tania Mallet

Fellow Goldfinger girl Caron Gardner sent us the following message

Obituaries in the press about Tania Mallet

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