Goldfinger' Actress Tania Mallet Dies at 77

"Goldfinger" actress Tania Mallet has died at the age of 70. Her death prompted a slew of messages conveying condolence from James Bond fans on social media.

The cousin of British actress Dame Helen Mirren, Tania Mallet acted as Tilly Masterson alongside Sean Connery's James Bond in the 1964 classic, "Goldfinger. Her death was announced on the official 007 Twitter account on Sunday.

"We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in GOLDFINGER has passed away," the tweet said. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."

Mallet was born in Blackpool to Henry and Olga Mironoff. She went on to work as a model before being cast as Masterson by producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. She later became one of the most famous faces of the 1950s and 60s. However, she chose to return to modeling after her blockbuster film in spite of her success.

In 2003, she revealed to James Bond fan site "MI6" that although filming had been an "interesting" experience but she was "more comfortable" in a small studio with "just a photographer and his assistant".

"The restrictions placed on me for the duration of the filming grated, were dreadful and I could not anticipate living my life like that," she said. Adding, "originally, I was offered £50 per week, which I managed to push up to £150, but even so, I earned more than that in a day modeling.