Lois Chiles

A former top model who went on to utilize her smoldering sensuality as Bond girl Holly Goodhead in 1979's Moonraker, actress Lois Chiles crafted a successful onscreen career with roles in such acclaimed indies as Diary of a Hit Man (1991) and Curdled (1996). A native of Alice, TX, who graduated from the University of Texas in 1969, Chiles was discovered by a Glamour magazine photographer while attending Finch College and soon found herself whisked into the world of high fashion. After conquering catwalks and haute couture, the model made her cinematic debut in the racially charged drama Together for Days (1972). She subsequently landed high-profile roles in The Way We Were (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), and Coma (1978), but it was her role of the suggestively named NASA scientist (and, of course, James Bond love interest) in Moonraker that truly got the attention of audiences. Although Chiles had originally been offered a role in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, she had turned it down while taking some time off from the silver screen. Following a chance meeting with The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker director Lewis Gilbert on a plane, Chiles was convinced to return to the screen for another opportunity. That was only the beginning of her lucrative film career, and following a healthy run on the popular television drama Dallas, Chiles returned to film work with supporting roles in Creepshow 2 and Broadcast News (both 1987). Although she never attained leading-lady status, Chiles remained a successful fixture of independent film throughout the 1990s, even appearing in such A-list releases as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Speed 2: Cruise Control (both 1997). Chiles remained active onscreen in the early 2000s, and was frequently seen in numerous made-for-TV movies, including Warning: Parental Advisory and Sudden Fear (both 2002).