Ursula Andress

Ursula Andress Actress -

Born March 19, 1936 in Ostermundigen, Bern, Switzerland

Nickname Urs

Height 5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Bio (2) The quintessential jet-set Euro starlet, Ursula Andress was born in the Swiss canton of Berne on March 19, 1936, one of six children in a strict German Protestant family. Although often seeming icily aloof, a restless streak early demonstrated itself in her personality, and she had an impetuous desire to explore the world outside Switzerland. (For instance, she was tracked down by Interpol for running away from boarding school at 17 years old.) The stunning young woman found work as an art model in Rome and did walk-on parts in three quickie Italian pictures before coming to Hollywood in 1955 and getting nowhere professionally; a four-month fling with rising star James Dean brought her good publicity but not much else. That same year, at 19, she met and had an affair with fading matinée idol John Derek, who left his wife Pati Behrs and two kids for Ursula even though she spoke almost no English at the time. In 1957 they eloped to Las Vegas, and the new bride put her acting aspirations on hold for a few years thereafter.

1962 saw the relatively unknown Swiss beauty back on the set, playing opposite Sean Connery in the first movie version of Ian Fleming's fanciful "James Bond" espionage novels, Dr. No (1962). Andress' role as bikini-clad Honey Ryder was somewhat brief, and her Swiss/German accent so thick that her entire performance had to be dubbed by a voiceover artist. Nevertheless, her striking looks and smoldering screen presence made a strong impression on moviegoers, immediately establishing her as one of the most desired women in the world and as an ornament to put alongside some of the most bankable talent of the era, such as Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco (1963) and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas (1963). In 1965, she was one of several European starlets to co-star in What's New Pussycat (1965) -- a film that perhaps sums up mid-'60s pop culture better than any other -- written by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Peter Sellers, with music by Burt Bacharach, a title song performed by Tom Jones and much on-screen sexual romping.

Andress appeared in many more racy-for-their time movies in both the United States and Europe, including The 10th Victim (1965), in which she wore a famously ballistic bra, and The Blue Max (1966), where she was aptly cast as the sultry, insatiable wife of an aristocratic World War I German general. She was also featured in Casino Royale (1967), a satirical foray into the world of James Bond, and gave a sparkling performance in the T&A-filled crime caper Perfect Friday (1970). Roles as a prostitute kidnapped by outlaws in Red Sun (1971), a stewardess living on the edge in Loaded Guns (1975), and a bombshell nurse hired to titillate a doddering millionaire to death in The Sensuous Nurse (1975) all provided plenty of excuses to throw her clothes to the wind. In Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), she was notoriously stripped and slathered in orange paint by a pair of nubiles. Then she took on the sophisticated role of Louise de la Valliere, slinky, conspiratorial mistress of King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) in The Fifth Musketeer (1979).

As for her personal life, Andress separated from Derek in 1964 and got divorced two years later, after falling in love with French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo on the Malaysian set of Up to His Ears (1965). (Ron Ely, John Richardson and Marcello Mastroianni kept her company during interim.) The relationship with Belmondo hit a wall in 1972, and she was next attached to her leading man from Stateline Motel (1973), Italian heartthrob Fabio Testi. When that didn't work out, Andress jumped into the dating pool, sporadically involved with a host of Lotharios including (but by no means limited to) Dennis Hopper, Franco Nero, John DeLorean and Ryan O'Neal. In 1979, she began what would be a long-term romance with Harry Hamlin, her handsome young co-star from Clash of the Titans (1981) (in which she was cast, predictably, as "Aphrodite"). While subsequently traveling in India, Andress' belly began to swell out of her clothing, and she felt very nauseous. What at first seemed a severe case of "Delhi Belly" turned out to be pregnancy, her first and only, at age 43. Hamlin encouraged her to have the baby -- a life-changing decision for a woman who up until then refused even the responsibility of pets -- and on May 19, 1980, the international sex symbol gave birth to a boy named Dimitri Hamlin amid much hoopla.

After the birth of her son, Andress scaled back her career, which now focused on slight European productions, as she was raising Dimitri in Italy. This meant turning down a big-budget Mel Brooks film in lieu of Mexico in Flames (1982) (starring old flame Nero). Occasional television stints on the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981) and critically lauded miniseries Peter the Great (1986) helped maintain her visibility as an actress. Dumped by Hamlin in 1983, she started seeing Fausto Fagone, a Sicilian student three decades her junior, in 1986. In 1991, she met a new man when things dwindled with Fagone -- karate master Jeff Speakman. Since the breakup of that relationship, her love life has gone undocumented. She last worked on a film in 2005. Ostensibly retired from acting, Ursula makes the rounds of charity events and pops up on foreign talk shows every now and then. She divides her time between family in Switzerland, friends in Virginia and Spain, and her properties in Rome and L.A.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Larry-115 (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

With a father who was a Swiss diplomat she showed an aptitude for art and chemistry at Neue Madchen Schule in Bern where she appeared in many school theatre productions,, Determined to make show business her career. she was In Hollywood at 18 where Marlon Brando encouraged her acting. She made her film debut in The Loves of Casanova in 1954. She became a mother at the age of 44 in 1980.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5

Spouse John Derek (2 February 1957 - 25 April 1966) divorced

Dimitri Hamlin

Parents Rolf Andress

Anna Andress

Shoulder-length blonde hair

Heavy Swiss/German accent

Lived with Harry Hamlin from 1979 to 1983. They have a son, Dimitri Hamlin, born 1980.

Fabio Testi proposed to her in an airplane.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#53).

Lived with Jean-Paul Belmondo from 1965 to 1972. He was, she says, the love of her life.

Is the only actress to appear in a canon Bond movie (Dr. No (1962)), an unofficial Bond film (Casino Royale (1967)) and also appear as a character in a Bond novel ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service").

Is fluent in English, French, German, Italian and Swiss-German.

Her voice was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl in Dr. No (1962) and She (1965) because of her strong accent.

Her younger sister, Kàtey Andress, posed topless for Cavalier magazine in 1966.

Contracts she signed with Paramount and Columbia in the mid-'50s resulted in no acting roles due to her lack of attendance in speech class.

Celebrated her 70th birthday aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in the company of an international crowd of celebrities in Edinburgh, Scotland. [May 2006]

Of French and Italian descent on her mother's side.

Friends with Linda Evans, Amanda Lear, Sally Kellerman, Grace Jones, Britt Ekland, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Turner, Lola Navarro and Bo Derek.

Ex-stepmother of Russell and Sean Catherine Derek.

Born to Rolf Andress, a German diplomat who was temporarily expelled from Switzerland for tax evasion in 1946, and Anna Andress (1912-2008), a landscape gardener turned florist. Ursula and her siblings were brought up by their maternal grandparents.

Linda Evans drove Ursula to the hospital the night she gave birth to hers and Harry Hamlin's son, Dimitri Hamlin. Harry was retrieved from the set of King of the Mountain (1981) by Linda's personal assistant Bunky Young and made it to the delivery room just in time.

Described her wedding to John Derek a nightmare, marrying him in a small Las Vegas chapel with a cab driver as their best man and a ring that did not fit.

Studied painting, sculpture and dance in Paris.

Grew up in Ostermundingen, a city in the district of Berne, like TV host Michelle Hunziker and Lauriane Gilliéron, a former Miss Switzerland, who both attended her 70th birthday party.

On September 30, 1955, James Dean asked Andress to go with him to San Francisco in his Porsche 550 Spyder. But after talking to John Derek, he realized she felt in love with the latter, so Dean left Los Angeles without her.

Developed reputation as a serial homewrecker after being named correspondent for the divorces between John Derek and Pati Behrs, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Elodie Constant, and Ryan O'Neal and Leigh Taylor-Young. (Fellow Bond girl Lana Wood had already invaded the last marriage before Andress came along, but the press blamed her nonetheless.) Even Harry Hamlin had a fiancé when she hooked up with him. Her unapologetic explanation? "When you are in love, you are in love. That's all that matters.".

Was the original choice for the role of Sophie in Sophie's Choice (1982) but Meryl Streep, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.

She worked with Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen and Burt Bacharach on both What's New Pussycat (1965) and Casino Royale (1967).

Besides one marriage (to John Derek) and three high-profile cohabitants (Harry Hamlin, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Fabio Testi), Ursula has been romantically linked with American actors Ron Ely, Dennis Hopper, Ryan O'Neal and Nels Van Patten; Austrian actor Helmut Berger; Argentinian actor and womanizer Espartaco Santoni; Brazilian soccer player Paulo Roberto Falcão; British actor John Richardson; French actor Daniel Gélin; Italian actors Gerardo Amato, Johnny Dorelli, Marcello Mastroianni and Franco Nero; Greek bodybuilder Mario Natokis; Spanish singer Julio Iglesias; manufacturer Paolo Pazzaglia; automobile designer John DeLorean; hairdresser Claudio Belfiore; real estate developer Stan Herman (second ex-husband of Linda Evans); musician Ricci Martin (son of Dean Martin); photographer Giovanni Alfare; antiquarian Lorenzo Ripoli; Benny Silverstein; former Sicilian Regional Assembly member Fausto Fagone (who was a 20-year-old economics student when Andress began a five-year relationship with him in 1986); and martial artist Jeff Speakman (her last boyfriend of record, 1991). She's also bearded for homosexuals on occasion, including now-out-of-the-closet French publicist Homero Machry, Latin singer Miguel Bosé, the late James Dean, and possibly a select few of the aforesaid. Online sources have perpetuated rumors that Ursula dated Marlon Brando, Peter O'Toole, Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Mamas and the Papas band leader John Phillips and fashion designer Oleg Cassini as well, but there was no reporting of this whatsoever during the supposed fact. During the 2000s she attended red carpet events with unidentified escorts, and is often seen in company with publisher Massimo Gargia.

The third of six children. She has a brother, Heinz and four sisters, Erika, Charlotte, Gisela and Kàtey.

Co-starred with fellow Bond girls Claudine Auger in Anyone Can Play (1967), Barbara Bach in Stateline Motel (1973) and Luciana Paluzzi in The Sensuous Nurse (1975).

Runs painting and furniture auctions around the world.

Turned down Raquel Welch's role in One Million Years B.C. (1966).

Was considered for the role of Nova in Planet of the Apes (1968), which went to Linda Harrison.

Turned down the role of Empress Nympho in History of the World: Part I (1981), which went to Madeline Kahn.

Made a fortune investing in the stock market.

An occasional photographer, has shot for Elle and Paris Match.

Former boyfriend Nels Van Patten is the brother-in-law of daytime soap star Eileen Davidson, who appears on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2010) with Lisa Rinna, current wife of Ursula's ex Harry Hamlin.

'Discovered' at a party in Rome. Her first acting gigs were totally inconsequential. Later, she submitted a photo of herself dripping wet in a black T-shirt to producer Albert R. Broccoli and the rest is history.

Sold her house in Beverly Hills to Malgosia Migdal for $2.28 million. Andress bought the place in 1991 for $965,000.

Good friends with Paolo Marcati and Claudio Righetti.

Has osteoporosis.

Turned down title role in The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) that went to Kim Novak.

She and Fabio Testi were in a relationship twice, first from 1973 to 1975 then again from 1976 to 1977. They're still friends and were photographed together as recently as December 2016.

She and Ryan O'Neal were in a relationship twice, first from 1972 to 1973 then again from 1977 to 1978. When Ursula broke her arm in late summer 1978, the official story was she'd been struck by Hurricane Norman while bodysurfing in Malibu, but rumors flew that she actually acquired the injury during a fight with Ryan.

Relentlessly hit on Elvis Presley, but he rejected her advances, because according to author Peter Guralnick, "he could never fall for a girl whose shoulders were broader than his" -- never mind that she was married and he living with (though not yet married to) Priscilla Presley.

She and Jacqueline Bisset have played a love interest for 8 of the same leading men onscreen: Dean Martin as Joe Jarrett opposite Andress's Maxine Richter in 4 for Texas (1963) and as Vernon Demerest opposite Bisset's Gwen Meighen in Airport (1970); Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lempereur opposite Andress's Alexandrine Pinardel in Up to His Ears (1965) and as François Merlin opposite Bisset's Christine in Le Magnifique (1973); Marcello Mastroianni as Poletti opposite Andress's Caroline Meredith in The 10th Victim (1965) and as Salvatore Santamaria opposite Bisset's Anna Carla Dosio in The Sunday Woman (1975); Peter Sellers as Evelyn Tremble opposite both Andress's Vesper Lynd and Bisset's Miss Goodthighs in Casino Royale (1967); Michael Sarrazin as Denny McGuire opposite Bisset's Vickie Cartwright in The Sweet Ride (1968) and as Scaramouche opposite Andress's Joséphine De Beauharnais in The Loves and Times of Scaramouche (1976); George Segal as Dan Rockland opposite Andress's Erica Kramer in The Southern Star (1969) and as Robby Ross opposite Bisset's Natasha O'Brien in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978); Marc Porel as Olivier opposite Bisset's Wendy Sinclair in Secret World (1969) and as Manuel opposite Andress's Nora Green in Loaded Guns (1975); and Charles Bronson as Link Stuart opposite Andress's Cristina in Red Sun (1971) and as Raymond St. Ives opposite Bisset's Janet Whistler in St. Ives (1976).

Was considered for the Sharon Tate role in Valley of the Dolls (1967).

Playboy offered Andress $250,000 to do another pictorial celebrating her 60th birthday in 1996, but after careful consideration she turned it down. "I'm happy to cover up now," she said, "and to keep the old photos going." In 1965 she got a mere $15,000 for her first Playboy spread - actually 5 times what the magazine typically paid for pinups back then.

Lost weight and grew her hair out (at John Derek's behest) before getting into movies.

Mentioned along with many other celebrities in Bette Midler's list song, "Samedi et Vendredi", on her 1976 album, "Songs for the New Depression".

One of her nieces is stockbroker Natasha Geitling, who was once engaged to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Prince of Venice.

Doesn't employ an agent or publicist, and never has, hence the often inaccurate/unflattering narratives about her in the media.

Owns a condo in Palm Beach.

Warehouses her mementos at a friend's place in Berryville, Va. where she found the bikini from Dr. No (1962); it sold at an auction for £41,125 Valentine's Day 2001.

Replaced Ann-Margret who was originally cast in The 10th Victim (1965).

Educated at Neue Madchen Schle in Bern, Switzerland she had an aptitude for art and chemistry, and appeared in many of the school's theatre productions which she enjoyed and made her determined to make show business her career.

I have no problem with nudity. I can look at myself. I like walking around nude. It doesn't bother me. I see other people walking around nude; it doesn't bother me.

Today, there hardly is any good woman's role written for films. If one does come along, it is psychological - about a sick woman.

It's a mystery. All I did was wear this bikini in Dr. No (1962) - not even a small one - and whoosh! Overnight, I made it.

To me, it's much more moral to live with the man you love, without signing a piece of paper, than to live legally in an atmosphere of boredom which can eventually turn to hate.

When I love a man, I live only for him. I become his slave.

What I look for in a man isn't printable! I wouldn't want to shatter my cool Swiss image.

[in People magazine, 12/29/80] I'm nearly having a nervous breakdown. I am Swiss, and I want everything precise, clean, perfect. Everybody is furious with me; I have no time for anybody. I cry every day, I'm so upset. A baby takes 24 hours out of every 24 hours -- I never imagined it would be so time-consuming. Never, never!

[on Jean-Paul Belmondo] I was unfaithful to my husband because of my love for Jean-Paul. He was one of the most passionate, desirable men in the world. He was sensational, incredible, fantastic. With him, I discovered worlds I never knew existed.

Honestly, I feel so lucky I have had such a lucky life. Everything I've ever wanted, I've had. And now I have my own baby.

[on Harry Hamlin] I wanted him, and I knew I could have him, but I had no idea it would last more than a night or two. You can never prejudge a man.

[self-description of her upbringing] Like medieval times. I wasn't allowed to talk at the table unless I was addressed. I was not allowed to see boys or go to dances until I was 17.

I have always been a gypsy, dreaming about curiosity and dreaming about traveling.

[her criteria for choosing a project] It has to be art or else I am not interested. There is no shortage of good actors, there is a shortage of good films because they are very costly, but I did my work, and now I only do things for art.

I did enjoy London in the '60s. Everything was fun, it was a happy town, an English town, but now there are no English there!

The world has become so small today. It is so sad that everything is becoming the same, and different traditions and cultures are all disappearing. I want to see different cultures, and different traditions, and my favorite places are villages which do not have high-rise houses or cement-block flats, but villages that are confined in a wall with their traditions intact. [interview with Rachael Hannan, October 2008]

Coldness and silence from people are terrifying to me. I can't understand it. Cruelty I can understand because that comes from passion. But indifference?

Without love I cannot exist.

I love old people but I don't like getting old.

[about her interest in photography] I've always been scared of opening myself up, trusting a director. But with a camera it's up to me. I don't have to rely on anyone else, and I like that.

I was born too late. The people I'd like to meet are dead -- in the past. Mohandas K. Gandhi or Albert Einstein or Sigmund Freud. I think even 100 years ago, I would have been born too late. I would have liked to have an affair with the Duke of Windsor. He gave up his throne for the woman he loved.

[on the English language] I know what to say, but I don't know how to spell it.

My bed is my world. That's where I spend most of my time; making love, sleeping, eating, writing letters, watching TV, talking to friends on the phone. What am I going to do? Sit alone in the dining room having dinner? Of course not. I take a tray from the kitchen and eat it on my bed.

[on why she didn't marry Fabio Testi] What kind of a marriage could I have with women constantly chasing him all over the place... Women throw themselves at him.

I love all my old boyfriends. I need their friendship. We both gave something to each other, and it stays forever. Once I thought it would be nice to have them all living together in one big house. But now I think that might be difficult.

There is nothing I cannot do just because I am a woman. Going into a bar, perhaps, but I do not want to go into bars. No. Being a woman helps. This is the best time for us. A woman can do just what she wants--plus she has the protection of men. I just hope it stays that way.

[following the death of Sean Connery] He was a great man. Today men like that just don't exist; they are all too narcissistic, too taken with themselves. Today finding someone like Sean is very difficult. [...] The last time I saw him was in Switzerland. Sean had a house near me in Gstaad. We spent many evenings together and he would invite me everywhere: Monte Carlo, London, New York. From when we met until now we always remained friends. Friends, friends. We lived some beautiful moments and I will always have fabulous memories. For me Sean is not dead, he will always be alive, with me forever.

I'm not a feminist. I hate everything about these women who organize and make speeches and carry signs in parades.

Dr. No (1962) $6,000

Casino Royale (1967) £200,000

Ursula Andress (/ˈændrɛs/; born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss film and television actress, former model and sex symbol, who has appeared in American, British and Italian films. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. She later starred as Vesper Lynd in the James Bond film Casino Royale. Her other films include The Southern Star, Fun in Acapulco, She, The 10th Victim, The Blue Max, Perfect Friday, The Sensuous Nurse, The Mountain of the Cannibal God, The Fifth Musketeer and Clash of the Titans.

Personal life Andress has stated that she lost her virginity to married French actor Daniel Gelin in 1953, when she was 17 and he was 32. She dated Dennis Hopper and James Dean after moving to the US in 1955, and that same year began an affair with actor/director John Derek, a married father-of-two who walked out on his wife, Pati Behrs, and their family to be with 19-year-old Andress. Derek and Andress wed in 1957 in Las Vegas but separated in 1964 over her affair with Once Before I Die co-star Ron Ely, officially divorcing in 1966. During the interim, the separated but still married Andress publicly dated John Richardson, her co-star from She, and Marcello Mastroianni, her co-star from The 10th Victim.

From 1965 to 1972, Andress lived with her Up to His Ears co-star Jean-Paul Belmondo. He was, she says, the love of her life. Her next live-in relationship was with another co-star, Stateline Motel's Fabio Testi, from 1973 to 1977 (except for one year when they broke up). She also dated Ryan O'Neal, John Delorean, Helmut Berger, Paolo Pazzaglia, Johnny Dorelli, Franco Nero, with whom she later starred in Red Bells, Nels Van Patten and Ricci Martin.

When Andress broke her arm in late summer 1978, the official story had it that she'd been struck by Hurricane Norman while bodysurfing in Malibu, but rumors flew that she actually suffered the injury during a fight with her on-again/off-again boyfriend O'Neal. O'Neal and Andress were in a relationship twice, first from 1972 to 1973 then again from 1977 to 1978.

Andress was in a relationship with actor Harry Hamlin, who is 15 years her junior, after meeting on the set of Clash of the Titans in 1979. At the age of 44 she gave birth to their son, Dimitri Alexander Hamlin, on 19 May 1980. The night of her delivery, Linda Evans drove Andress to the hospital while Evans' assistant Bunky Young retrieved Hamlin from the set of King of the Mountain. Although she was engaged to Hamlin, the couple never married. In 1983, Hamlin broke up with her.

In the mid-1980s, Andress was romantically involved with Brazilian football player Paulo Roberto Falcão, actor Gerardo Amato, singer Julio Iglesias, real estate developer Stan Herman and Greek bodybuilder Mario Natokis. In 1986 she began dating future Sicilian Regional Assembly member Fausto Fagone, then an economics student at university; he was 20 and she was 50. The relationship, which infuriated Fagone's parents, lasted until 1991. Later that year Andress briefly dated martial arts expert Jeff Speakman but has not been publicly linked with anyone since then.

In 2017, Andress sold her home in Beverly Hills at a considerable profit. As of 2022, Andress splits her time between an apartment in Rome and a house in Gstaad, near to her siblings. Her preferred language is Italian.