Making history as the first ever Bond Girl, Ursula Andress's iconic portrayal of Honey Ryder in 1962 skyrocketed her to fame, and as she turns 90 years old, her life looks a little different from what it once was before the 2000s.
Emerging from the water in her now-famous white bikini, the Swiss actress starred opposite the late Eunice Gayson in the 1960s James Bond film, Dr. No.
Following her onscreen breakthrough, the Loaded Guns star won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year for her contribution to the action-packed franchise. She rejoined the Bond family in 1967 when she played Vesper Lynd in the parody film, Casino Royale.
Despite finding mega fame in her early years, as she celebrated her birthday on 19 March, the intricacies of Ursula's life away from the spotlight in Rome were laid bare.
The mother-of-one shared her heartbreaking battle with financial loss with a German publication and explained how she lost millions of pounds to her former manager, the late Eric Freymond.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesA reclusive life in Rome, Italy
In the early 1950s, the star relocated to Rome from Switzerland to pursue a modelling career in her late teens. Nowadays, she splits her time between an apartment in the Italian capital and Gstaad, to be closer to her sisters.
Boasting a star-studded dating history and one child with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rina's husband, Harry Hamlin, Ursula has spent the last three decades living a reclusive life far from the hills of Hollywood.
In a rare 2001 interview, she said of her Bond years: "That bikini made me into a success. It gave me freedom, money, power."
She added: "I was never really seen. They only saw the body. Sometimes I would arrive on set and I knew - this wasn’t about making a film. It was about taking my clothes off."
Ursula enjoyed relationships with Dennis Hopper and James Dean before engaging in an affair with actor and director John Derek, whom she later married in 1957.
Separating in 1964 and divorcing two years later, she went on to date a string of men including actors John Richardson and Marcello Mastroianni.
However, little is known about her later years as she retreated from the spotlight and lived as a virtual recluse in Europe.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyA 'devastating' blow that cost her millions
Ursula recently reemerged into the limelight to share details of a criminal complaint she filed against her late ex-manager in January, which included charges of embezzlement.
The star's former manager allegedly lost £16 million of her fortune, with her total net worth estimated to be £18 million, by purchasing artwork on her behalf and investing in stocks.
She told Swiss-German publication Blick: "For eight years, I was courted and wooed. They lied to me ruthlessly and exploited my goodwill and trust in a perfidious, even criminal, way to take everything from me. And they were counting on my age. I'm so devastated."
© Getty ImagesRevealing she was struggling to manage her anxiety and her ability to sleep, Ursula added: "This feeling of helplessness is unbearable – it's killing me."
A statement from her management to Blick read: "As part of a fraud scheme of exceptional scale and complexity, involving numerous actors and structures, she was deprived of a large portion of her assets, resulting in significant damage.
"Out of consideration for the ongoing proceedings, Ms Andress does not wish to make any further comments at this time. The Vaud cantonal judicial authorities have been tasked with fully investigating the manipulations and clarifying criminal and civil liability."
