Akiko Wakabayashi
Through the ‘50s and ‘60s, actress Akiko Wakabayashi was relatively unknown in Japan, but she got her breakthrough in the 1962 movie King Kong vs. Godzilla. She then landed a minor role in You Only Live Twice. However, producers were surprised that her acting skills were better than they had anticipated and offered her a larger role. Wakabayashi became the first Bond girl who is non-European. She played Aki, a successful role, but the actress retired after her big role.
Akiko Wakabayashi
Diana Rigg
The James Bond series has another connection with the original TV version of The Avengers – Diana Rigg. She played one of the leads, Emma Peel, from the years 1965 to 1968. Aside from that role, Rigg’s career in film before her James Bond role was wildly successful. In 1969, she played Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, James Bond’s wife, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. If you are wondering what keeps her busy these days, she is still acting and she was recently on the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, where she played Olenna Tyrell.
Diana Rigg
