D'Abo made her screen debut in the low-budget science fiction horror film
Xtro (1982), playing Analise Mercier, a French
au pair, who becomes a human incubator for an alien. She appeared in the film
Until September (1984) and had small roles in television mini-series based on
Sidney Sheldon's novels
Master of the Game (1984) and
If Tomorrow Comes. She also appeared in Oscar winner
Taylor Hackford's film
White Nights (1985) and in an uncredited role as a woman pouring champagne to
Klaus Maria Brandauer at a hunting party in the Oscar winning
Out of Africa (1985), directed by Oscar winner
Sydney Pollack. Other credits include
Arthur the King (1985). She worked on the French stage in
Lyon playing Varinia in
Spartacus directed by
Jacques Weber in 1981, played Roxane in
Cyrano de Bergerac at the Grenier de Toulouse in 1982, then worked in a 1987 French TV movie,
Les Idiots (The Idiots), written by
Gérard Brach, with
Jean Carmet and
Jean-Pierre Marielle. D'Abo had a starring role in
The Living Daylights (1987) as
Kara Milovy, the sweet and vulnerable Czechoslovak cellist and would-be
sniper who falls for
James Bond. As a tie-in with the film, she also appeared in a Bond-themed
Playboy cover and multi-page pictorial in
the September 1987 issue, but later said in an interview with
People magazine that "I wouldn't do those pictures now... I've learned a lot since then". She played the mother of Lara (played by
Keira Knightley) in the television miniseries version of
Doctor Zhivago (2002), and she was
Queen Hecuba in the
Emmy-nominated miniseries
Helen of Troy (2003). She had a small role in the French film ''
L'Enfer (Hell'', 2005), directed by Danis Tanovic whose stars included fellow
Bond Girl Carole Bouquet. D'Abo and
John Cork wrote the book
Bond Girls Are Forever, published in 2002, which is a tribute to the women who have played the role of a
Bond girl. It was inspired by the documentary
Bond Girls Are Forever, which she produced with Planetgrande, featuring d'Abo and other Bond girls, including
Ursula Andress,
Honor Blackman,
Jill St. John,
Maud Adams,
Lois Chiles,
Judi Dench,
Rosamund Pike,
Eva Green,
Halle Berry, and
Carey Lowell. The documentary appeared on the American
AMC network in 2002, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of
Die Another Day. It was later included as a gift with the purchase of
Die Another Day on DVD by some retailers. In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with cast from
Casino Royale (2006) was again aired on the AMC network and later released as a bonus feature on the March 2007
Blu-ray disc and DVD release of
Casino Royale. In 2004 she wrote and, with Cabin Creek Films, co-produced the documentary film
Bearing Witness, about five female war reporters featuring
Marie Colvin and
Janine di Giovanni, which
Barbara Kopple and Marijana Wotton directed for
A&E. The feature documentary premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival. In 2007, she had surgery for a
brain hemorrhage; after recovering, she was inspired to meet other people who had similar experiences. She then worked on and produced a 2009 documentary on the topic. In 2009, she had a supporting role in the British period fantasy-thriller
Dorian Gray. She appeared in the 2014 Indian film
Tigers directed by Danis Tanovic, and will make her return to the horror genre in 2025 with the British film
The Baby in the Basket. D'Abo is signed to Models 1. In 2015, she modelled for fashion retailer JD Williams' AW 15 collection that includes clothing for women in their 50s. ==Personal life==