Bibi Dahl: Ice Skating Protégé to Wannabe Bond Girl
Bibi Dahl is a captivating character who glides her way into the world of James Bond in the 1981 film, For Your Eyes Only. Played by the talented American ice-skater and actress, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Bibi Dahl’s mesmerizing ice-skating prowess and innocent and intriguing personality made her one of the key figures in the film.
Bibi Dahl
Bibi Dahl is training rigorously for the forthcoming Olympics, where she aspires to win the gold medal. Following a stringent training schedule devised by her coach, Jacoba Brink, Bibi finds her freedom limited when it comes to socializing. Unbeknownst to her, Aris Kristatos, who is investing money in her career, uses her as a front for his criminal activities, allowing him to maintain a respectable facade.
James Bond meets Bibi at an ice rink in Cortina during a meeting with Kristatos. As she showcases her exceptional Olympic-worthy skills, Kristatos pretends to be a devoted sponsor, assuring Bond of her naivety.
Bibi immediately feels drawn to Bond. Initially hesitant as she’s only 16, Bond eventually agrees to accompany her to the biathlon later that day, telling her that he is staying at the Miramonte Hotel.
Following a confrontation with assassins targeting Melina Havelock, Bond returns to his hotel room, only to find Bibi waiting for him in his bed. She explains that the porter, a fan of hers, let her in. Bond tactfully deflects her advances.
As they ski flirtatiously together, Bibi brings Bond to watch East German biathlon champion Erich Kriegler, who coldly dismisses her greeting. Bibi is unaware that Kriegler is actually an assassin working for Kristatos. She continues to cheer him on but is repeatedly snubbed.
When Bond tells her of an appointment, she asks him to come and see at the practice rink later that evening, as he will soon be leaving for Greece. Surviving multiple assassination attempts on the Cortina slopes led by Kriegler, Bond visits Bibi at the practice rink that evening, hoping to glean more information about Kriegler.
Innocently, Bibi shares details about Kriegler’s personality and his defection. Overhearing their conversation, Coach Brink instructs Bibi to leave with her, so she has to bid Bond farewell, hoping it’s not a final goodbye.
Persisting with her training at Kristatos’ retreat in the Greek mountains, Bibi grows weary of her sponsor’s indifference towards her Olympic ambitions. After learning about Kristatos’ plans to relocate to Cuba, she confronts him, asserting he is too old for her and that she wants to part ways in search of a new sponsor.
Soon after, Bibi resolves to leave the retreat. As she packs her belongings, Brink assures her that she will always be by her side. When Brink later allies with Bond, an oblivious Bibi assumes Kristatos has taken her captive. When she confronts Kristatos, he strikes her after she defiantly tells him to go to hell.
Soon after, Bond crashes through the window and battles Kriegler, Bibi tries to help by attacking the German henchman but is hit in the face again.
After witnessing Bond’s victory over Kriegler, she joins Bond, Melina, and Milos Columbo to confront Kristatos one last time. Observing Columbo kill Kristatos, Bibi tends to his injuries. Meanwhile, Columbo hands her a wad of cash, hinting that she has found a new sponsor in him.
Lynn-Holly Johnson
Lynn-Holly Johnson, born on December 13, 1958, is an American actress and former figure skater. She won a silver medal at the 1974 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and later joined the Ice Capades.
Johnson transitioned into acting, debuting in the 1978 film Ice Castles, and later appeared in The Watcher in the Woods and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. She retired from acting in 1996 but returned to community theater in 2007.
