Shirley Eaton Biography
Shirley Jean Eaton was an English actress, singer, and author, born on January 12, 1937, in London. As a child, she was a talented performer, and her passion for acting led her to attend the Aida Foster Theatre School, a specialist drama school. Here, she honed her skills and performed in her stage debut, Benjamin Britten’s Let’s Make an Opera!, at a young age.
Throughout the 1950s, Shirley Eaton became a well-known singing star, performing on stage and television, and starring at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London in her solo singing act.
She also appeared in several films, including Doctor in the House (1954), Three Men in a Boat (1956), and Date with Disaster (1957). Eaton’s career took off after she appeared in The Belles of St Trinian’s (1954), two of the Doctor film series, and also in Crazy Gang in Life Is a Circus (1958).
Shirley Eaton achieved her greatest recognition for her performance as Bond girl, Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger. Her character’s death, naked and painted head to toe is one of the iconic scenes from the James Bond series. Her performance was so memorable that she appeared on the cover of Life magazine covered in gold paint, of course.
After Goldfinger, Shirely Eaton made only a few more films before retiring to bring up her family. She came out of retirement in 2001 to star in Everdream as a Talent scout. Eaton was married to Colin Lenton Rowe from 1957 until he passed away in 1994. They had two children.
In addition to her acting and singing career, Eaton was also an author and artist. She published her autobiography, Golden Girl, in 1999, and later published two more books, Golden Girl Shirley Eaton: Her Reflections, a picture book of all her film photos from throughout her career, and Shirley Eaton, Bond’s Golden Girl; her own ART Gallery, a book filled with her paintings and sculptures made over a lifetime, as well as her art and photography.
Get some Shirley Eaton/Jill Masterson Collectibles
These are sponsored links and we may earn commission if you purchase something.
Shirley Easton has an official website, where you can find out much more about the legendary Bond girl.