Honor Blackman, James Bond's Pussy Galore and Jason and the Argonauts' Hera, dies at 94

Honor Blackman, actress in Goldfinger, Jason and the Argonauts, and Doctor Who, has died at 94.

Blackman stole scenes throughout her eight-decade career, but few were as impressive as her turn as pilot turncoat Pussy Galore in the James Bond adventure Goldfinger. One of 007's greatest romances — and the one that perhaps gives Sean Connery's version of the secret agent the hardest time — Galore was a fan favorite of the franchise that was just one of over a hundred performances in Blackman's prolific filmography.

The news of her death comes from The Guardian, which reports that Blackman died of natural causes.

"It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94," her family wrote in a statement. "She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family."

While Blackman was predominantly known for her spycraft — appearing not only in the Bond film, but leading the '60s espionage series The Avengers as the groundbreakingly liberated (and style icon) Cathy Gale — she also appeared in films like Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion wonder Jason and the Argonauts and classic genre TV like Doctor Who. The latter role saw her recur in the '80s as Professor Lasky during Colin Baker's run as the Sixth Doctor. She returned to the franchise with The Children of Seth, the 2011 Doctor Who audio drama.

Her later career was primarily focused on the stage, where she performed everything from My Fair Lady to her own one-woman show, though she still found time to lend her unique charm to oddball genre films like 2012's Cockneys vs Zombies.

According to her family's statement, she "will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby."