Ursula Andress, the third of six children, was born on 19 March 1936 inOstermundigen,Canton of Bern, to a Swiss mother, Anna, and Rolf Andress, a German diplomat. Her father was expelled from Switzerland for political reasons and her grandfather, a garden designer, became her guardian.[2] She has a brother, Heinz, and four sisters, Erika, Charlotte, Gisela, and Kàtey.[3]
Andress went to school inBern until she was 16 and learned several languages, including English, French, German, and Italian. She studied art in Paris for a year, then went to Rome, where she worked various jobs including being a children's nanny.[4]
Andress was at a party when she met a film producer who offered her a screen test for a role in an Italian film. She was successful and was cast in walk-on parts inAn American in Rome (1954) (starringAlberto Sordi),Sins of Casanova (1955) (starring later Bond allyGabriele Ferzetti), andLa catena dell'odio (1955).[4] She was seen by a Hollywood executive who persuaded her to try her luck in Hollywood.[5]
Andress arrived in Hollywood in late 1955.[6] That spring she was signed to a seven-year contract withParamount Pictures, starting at $287 a week.[7] The contract brought no acting roles, owing to her reluctance to learn English.[8] "I spent most of my time watching oldMarlene Dietrich movies", she said.[9] Andress received some publicity for datingJames Dean shortly before the actor's death.[10] She bought herself out of her contract[11] and in 1956 signed withColumbia Pictures.[12] She made no films for them either.[13] She stayed in Hollywood when she marriedJohn Derek in 1957. In 1959, it was announced she and Derek would star in a film,High Variety, but no film resulted.[14]
Andress returned to acting in 1962 in an episode ofThriller, "La Strega" (1962), withAlejandro Rey. She became internationally famous asHoney Ryder, a shell diver andJames Bond's object of desire inDr. No (1962), the first Bond film, even though her dialogue had to be dubbed byNikki van der Zyl.[15] In what became an iconic moment in cinematic and fashion history,[16][17][18] she rose out of theCaribbean Sea in awhite bikini sporting a large diving knife on her hip. Thecalypso singing her character did in that scene was dubbed byDiana Coupland.[19] The scene made Andress a "quintessential"Bond girl.[20][21] Andress later said that she owed her career to that white bikini: "This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring inDr. No as the firstBond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent".[16][22] The bikini she wore in the film sold at auction in 2001 for£41,125.[23][24][25] In 2003, in a UK Survey byChannel 4, her entrance inDr. No was voted #1 in "the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments".[26] Andress won theGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year in 1964 for her appearance in the film.[27]
In 1965, nude photographs of her fromNightmare in the Sun were published inPlayboy; it was the first of seven times she was pictured in the magazine over the next fifteen years.[5][29] When asked why she had agreed to do thePlayboy shoot, Andress replied coolly, "Because I'm beautiful".[30][31]
Andress was cast in the title role ofShe (1965), playing an immortal queen, forHammer Films andSeven Arts Productions, shot in England and Israel. Andress agreed to make it as part of a two-picture deal withSeven Arts; it was a financial success at the box office. Andress did not appear in the sequel,The Vengeance of She, as her contract expired before the film was produced.[32]
Andress had a supporting role in the comedyWhat's New Pussycat? (1965) for producerCharles K. Feldman which was a huge hit. She went to France to playJean-Paul Belmondo's love interest inUp to His Ears (1965), which was popular in France; she and Belmondo became romantically involved, leading to her and Derek divorcing (although they had already been separated for a year).[33] Andress moved to Paris to live with Belmondo and it was her home for the next seven years.[11]
Andress made her second film for Seven Arts: another with Derek, who again starred and directed,Once Before I Die (1966), shot in the Philippines. More widely seen was theBond satireCasino Royale (1967), also produced by Feldman, where Andress playedVesper Lynd, an occasional spy who persuadesEvelyn Tremble, played byPeter Sellers, to carry out a mission. It was a big box office hit. Her fee was a reported £200,000.[4]Val Guest directed Andress inCasino Royale and said "I don't think I have ever met someone who was so universally loved by everyone in a studio. They'd all do anything for her and this is really quite something. One day someone is going to get the real Ursula on the screen in a comedy and she's going to astound everybody. The trouble is that she's so tense".[36]
In Italy, she appeared alongside fellow former Bond girlClaudine Auger inAnyone Can Play (1967) for directorLuigi Zampa. She then went to Africa to makeThe Southern Star (1969) withGeorge Segal, which was a hit in England.[37] She appeared nude or semi-nude in nearly all of her film roles between 1969 and 1979, earning her the nickname "Ursula Undress".[38]
Andress went to England to appear inPerfect Friday (1970), a heist film starringStanley Baker andDavid Warner. In Spain, she appeared inRed Sun (1971), a Western with an international cast includingCharles Bronson,Toshiro Mifune, andAlain Delon. In a 1972 interview, she said "I think my image, especially to Americans, is that of a femme fatale, a man-eating woman. I'm not empty-headed or calculating and cool. But maybe my looks give that impression. I'm disciplined in my doings and undisciplined in my emotions. I can't control the things I feel or hide my feelings".[11]
In 1982, she portrayedMabel Dodge in the adventure-drama filmRed Bells and guest starred on shows likeManimal andThe Love Boat. In France. she was inLiberté, égalité, choucroute (1985).
On television, she participated in the 1986Emmy-winning miniseriesPeter the Great, and joined the cast of the primetime soap operaFalcon Crest for a three-episode arc in 1988 as an exotic foreigner who assistsDavid Selby in retrievingDana Sparks from a white slave ring. Andress was also inBig Man – The Diva (1988) withBud Spencer andMan Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders (1989).
Since the beginning of the 1990s, her acting appearances have been rare. She was inKlassäzämekunft (1990) (English title:Broken Silence),The Cave of the Golden Rose 3 (1993),The Cave of the Golden Rose 4 (1994) andCremaster 5 (1995). In 1995, Andress was chosen byEmpire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in film history". Her last role to date was playing "Madonna" in the low-budget 2005 Swiss featureDie Vogelpredigt oder Das Schreien der Mönche (English title:The Bird Preachers). She appeared in the documentaryMasterpiece or Forgery? The Story of Elmyr De Hory (2008).
In 2006, Ursula Andress made headlines in Scotland and around the world when she celebrated her 70th birthday on theRoyal Yacht Britannia
Andress has stated that she lost her virginity to married actorDaniel Gélin in 1953, when she was 17 and he was 32. She datedDennis Hopper andJames Dean after moving to the US in 1955, and that same year began an affair with actor/directorJohn Derek, a married father of two who left his wife,Pati Behrs, and their family to be with 19-year-old Andress.[40] Derek and Andress wed on 2 February 1957, in Las Vegas, but separated in 1964 over her affair withOnce Before I Die co-starRon Ely,[40] officially divorcing in 1966.[41] Prior to the finalization of her divorce, Andress publicly datedJohn Richardson, her co-star fromShe, andMarcello Mastroianni, her co-star fromThe 10th Victim.[42][43]
When Andress broke her arm in 1978, the official story was that she had been struck byHurricane Norman while bodysurfing in Malibu, but it was rumored that she actually suffered the injury during a fight with her on-again/off-again boyfriend O'Neal.[48] O'Neal and Andress were in a relationship twice, first from 1972 to 1973, then again from 1977 to 1978.
Andress lived with actorHarry Hamlin after meeting on the set ofClash of the Titans in 1979.[49] She gave birth to their son, Dimitri Alexander Hamlin, on 19 May 1980.[50] The night of her delivery,Linda Evans drove Andress to the hospital while Evans' assistant Bunky Young retrieved Hamlin from the set ofKing of the Mountain.[51][52] Although she was engaged to Hamlin,[53] the couple never married.[50] Hamlin ended their relationship in 1983.[54]
In the mid-1980s, Andress was romantically involved with soccer playerPaulo Roberto Falcão, actorGerardo Amato, singerJulio Iglesias, real estate developer Stan Herman, and bodybuilder Mario Natokis.[55] In 1986, she began dating futureSicilian Regional Assembly member[56] Fausto Fagone, then a university student; he was 20 and she was 50.[57] The relationship, which infuriated Fagone's parents, lasted until 1991.[41] Later that year, Andress briefly dated martial arts expertJeff Speakman, but has not been publicly linked with anyone since.
In 2017, Andress sold her home in Beverly Hills at a considerable profit.[58] She also has resided in Florida, Virginia, and Spain.[59] As of 2022, Andress splits her time between an apartment in Rome and a house inGstaad, near her siblings. Her preferred language is Italian.[60]
^"Hollywood Mystery 7 Years Then She Learns English".Chicago Tribune. 24 March 1963. p. e11.ProQuest182602468.
^Korman, Seymour (5 February 1956). "JAMES DEAN: Brilliant Young Star Met Tragic End on Eve of His Greatest Success; but Even in Death His Fame Continues to Grow".Chicago Daily Tribune. p. f18.ProQuest179752428.
^abcHaber, J. (30 July 1972). "Ursula andress' private thoughts on living, loving".Los Angeles Times.ProQuest157080235.
^Schallert, E. (17 March 1956). "Drama".Los Angeles Times.ProQuest166947855.
^"Rag doll steals show as trade week starts".Los Angeles Times. 21 May 1956.ProQuest166951200.
^Scott, J. L. (10 September 1959). "Evans will co-star in 'peyton' sequel".Los Angeles Times.ProQuest167506648.
"Happy Birthday Ursula Andress".10vor10. 18 May 2006. Archived fromthe original on 16 December 2013.On the occasion of the inauguration of the Swiss Consulate General in Scotland, Ursula Andress celebrates her 70th birthday on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh
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