Biography
Shirley Eaton is a former English actress best known for her iconic, poster-worthy role of Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond classic, "Goldfinger." The blond bombshell's first role came in 1951, at the young age of 14, on the BBC comedy "Parent-Craft," but her relatively brief career was dominated by film work. Eaton appeared in several comedies during the mid-'50s, including a co-starring role in 1956's "Panic in the Parlor." In the late '50s and in 1960, she starred in three "Carry On" comedies directed by Gerald Davis. In 1963, Eaton co-starred with Mickey Spillane in the Mike Hammer crime mystery "The Girl Hunters," and then in 1964, she took her brief but incredibly memorable turn as Masterson, a spy for arch-villain Auric Goldfinger. After succumbing to Bond's charms (as played by Sean Connery), Masterson was creatively assassinated by being painted in gold leaf from head to toe, leading apparently to death by asphyxiation--from there, a cult star was born. Eaton continued her screen career for just five more years, choosing to bow out in order to devote her life to family and being a mother. Her late parts included starring roles as Ann Clyde in the mystery "Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians'" and a spot as the character "Sumuru" in two action adventure films, the last and final of her career in 1969's "Rio 70."
