Andress was at a party when she met a film producer who offered her a screen test for a role in an Italian film. She was successful and was cast in walk-on parts in
An American in Rome (1954) (starring
Alberto Sordi),
Sins of Casanova (1955) (starring later Bond ally
Gabriele Ferzetti), and ''La catena dell'odio'' (1955). Andress arrived in Hollywood in late 1955. That spring she was signed to a seven-year contract with
Paramount Pictures, starting at $287 a week. The contract brought no acting roles, owing to her reluctance to learn English. "I spent most of my time watching old
Marlene Dietrich movies", she said. Andress received some publicity for dating
James Dean shortly before the actor's death. She bought herself out of her contract and in 1956 signed with
Columbia Pictures. She made no films for them either. She stayed in Hollywood when she married
John Derek in 1957. In 1959, it was announced she and Derek would star in a film,
High Variety, but no film resulted. Andress returned to acting in 1962 in an episode of
Thriller, "La Strega" (1962), with
Alejandro Rey. She became internationally famous as
Honey Ryder, a shell diver and
James Bond's object of desire in
Dr. No (1962), the first Bond film, even though her dialogue had to be dubbed by
Nikki van der Zyl. In what became an iconic moment in cinematic and fashion history, she rose out of the
Caribbean Sea in a
white bikini sporting a large diving knife on her hip. The
calypso singing her character did in that scene was dubbed by
Diana Coupland. The scene made Andress a "quintessential"
Bond girl. Andress later said that she owed her career to that white bikini: "This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring in
Dr. No as the first
Bond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent". The bikini she wore in the film sold at auction in 2001 for
£41,125. In 2003, in a UK Survey by
Channel 4, her entrance in
Dr. No was voted #1 in "the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments". Andress won the
Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year in 1964 for her appearance in the film. Andress followed it playing the female lead in an
Elvis Presley musical,
Fun in Acapulco (1963). She was billed after
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, and
Anita Ekberg in
4 for Texas (1963); her casting in the latter led to the title being changed from
Two for Texas. In 1965, nude photographs of her from
Nightmare in the Sun were published in
Playboy; it was the first of seven times she was pictured in the magazine over the next fifteen years. When asked why she had agreed to do the
Playboy shoot, Andress replied coolly, "Because I'm beautiful". Andress was cast in the title role of
She (1965), playing an immortal queen, for
Hammer Films and
Seven Arts Productions, shot in England and Israel. Andress agreed to make it as part of a two-picture deal with
Seven Arts; it was a financial success at the box office. Andress did not appear in the sequel,
The Vengeance of She, as her contract expired before the film was produced. Andress had a supporting role in the comedy ''
What's New Pussycat?'' (1965) for producer
Charles K. Feldman which was a huge hit. She went to France to play
Jean-Paul Belmondo's love interest in
Up to His Ears (1965), which was popular in France; she and Belmondo became romantically involved, leading to her and Derek divorcing (although they had already been separated for a year). Andress moved to Paris to live with Belmondo and it was her home for the next seven years. Andress made her second film for Seven Arts: another with Derek, who again starred and directed,
Once Before I Die (1966), shot in the Philippines. More widely seen was the
Bond satire Casino Royale (1967), also produced by Feldman, where Andress played
Vesper Lynd, an occasional spy who persuades
Evelyn Tremble, played by
Peter Sellers, to carry out a mission. It was a big box office hit. Her fee was a reported £200,000. In Italy, she appeared alongside fellow former Bond girl
Claudine Auger in
Anyone Can Play (1967) for director
Luigi Zampa. She then went to Africa to make
The Southern Star (1969) with
George Segal, which was a hit in England. She appeared nude or semi-nude in nearly all of her film roles between 1969 and 1979, earning her the nickname "Ursula Undress". '' (1975) Andress went to England to appear in
Perfect Friday (1970), a heist film starring
Stanley Baker and
David Warner. In Spain, she appeared in
Red Sun (1971), a Western with an international cast including
Charles Bronson,
Toshiro Mifune, and
Alain Delon. In a 1972 interview, she said "I think my image, especially to Americans, is that of a femme fatale, a man-eating woman. I'm not empty-headed or calculating and cool. But maybe my looks give that impression. I'm disciplined in my doings and undisciplined in my emotions. I can't control the things I feel or hide my feelings". Andress did some action films,
Stateline Motel (1973),
Loaded Guns (1975), and
Africa Express (1975). She played the title role in
The Sensuous Nurse (1975) and did a comedy with another former Bond girl,
Barbara Bouchet,
Spogliamoci così, senza pudor... (1976). , 1977 Andress played
Joséphine de Beauharnais in the swashbuckling spoof
The Loves and Times of Scaramouche (1976) with
Michael Sarrazin. She made a sequel to
Africa Express,
Safari Express (1976), then did another with Mastroianni,
Double Murder (1978). Andress was in the cult favorite
Slave of the Cannibal God (1978) with
Stacy Keach; the anthology sex comedy
Tigers in Lipstick (1979) for
Luigi Zampa; and the swashbuckler period piece
The Fifth Musketeer (1979), playing
Louise de La Vallière opposite
Beau Bridges. She played
Aphrodite in 1981's
Clash of the Titans, alongside
Laurence Olivier. During the making of the film, Andress started a romantic relationship with leading man
Harry Hamlin, with whom she had a son. In 1982, she portrayed
Mabel Dodge in the adventure-drama film
Red Bells and guest starred on shows like
Manimal and
The Love Boat. In France. she was in
Liberté, égalité, choucroute (1985). On television, she participated in the 1986
Emmy-winning miniseries
Peter the Great, and joined the cast of the primetime soap opera
Falcon Crest for a three-episode arc in 1988 as an exotic foreigner who assists
David Selby in retrieving
Dana Sparks from a white slave ring. Andress was also in
Big Man – The Diva (1988) with
Bud Spencer and
Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders (1989). Since the beginning of the 1990s, her acting appearances have been rare. She was in
Klassäzämekunft (1990) (English title:
Broken Silence),
The Cave of the Golden Rose 3 (1993),
The Cave of the Golden Rose 4 (1994) and
Cremaster 5 (1995). In 1995, Andress was chosen by
Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in film history". Her last role to date was playing "Madonna" in the low-budget 2005 Swiss feature
Die Vogelpredigt oder Das Schreien der Mönche (English title:
The Bird Preachers). She appeared in the documentary
Masterpiece or Forgery? The Story of Elmyr De Hory (2008). == Personal life ==