1964 Margaret Nolan, ‘Goldfinger’ Model and Actress in ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ Dies at 76
Actress and artist Margaret Nolan, known as the gold-painted model in the title sequence of the 1964 James Bond film "Goldfinger", confirmed the diversity of her son Oscar Deeks on 5 October. She was 76 years old.
with her son Oscar Deeks confirming the sad news.
Filmmaker Edgar Wright had also addressed Nolan’s death, who he had recently worked with, while remembering her on Twitter. He wrote in a series of tweets: ‘It’s my sad duty to report that actress and artist, the magnificent Margaret Nolan has passed away.
Director Edgar Wright first announced the news of Nolan’s death on Twitter. In a touching tribute, Wright wrote: “She was the middle of Venn diagram of everything cool in the 60’s; having appeared with the Beatles, been beyond iconic in Bond and been part of the ‘Carry On’ cast too.”
Nolan was born in Somerset, England on October 29, 1943 and grew up in London. She began her career in art as a glamor model named Vicky Kennedy in the early 60s, but changed her birth name once she began acting. She appeared in the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" in July of 1964, and in the same year played Bond's smash dink in "Goldfinger".
Although her small acting role in "Goldfinger" was memorable, Nolan appeared in "Goldfinger" title sequences, posters, records and books, portraying gold from head to toe and sporting a gold bikini. Shirley Eaton played the gold-painted Bond girl in the movie Sean Connery.
She turned down the chance to travel the world for two years as the Goldfinger model in order to pursue her acting career.
The “Goldfinger” campaign led to a photoshoot with Playboy magazine as well as roles in Gerry and the Pacemakers’ film “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and Marcel Carné’s “Three Rooms in Manhattan” in 1965.
She also appeared onstage doing fringe theater and political drama with her ex-husband, actor Tom Kempinski.
That same year, Nolan was cast as Miss Jones in “Carry On Cowboy,” her first appearance in the “Carry On” franchise. She would go on to portray a “Buxom Lass” in “Carry on Henry VIII” and Popsy in “Carry On at Your Convenience” in 1971, as well as “Carry On Matron” in 1972. She starred in 1973’s “Carry On Girls” as Dawn Brakes, and 1974’s “Carry On Dick” as Lady Daley. She also made several appearances on Spike Milligan’s “Q” series and appeared in TV shows including “Steptoe and Son.”
Her cause of death is not yet known. Nolan was famed for starring alongside Sean Connery’s James Bond in 1964 movie Goldfinger, in which she played Dink, and fans will know her as the iconic gold-painted model who is seen dancing in the movie’s end credits. Her appearance in the film led to her posing for Playboy magazine and giving her first interview on appearing as the Goldfinger model years later in 2012.
Nolan took a break from acting after the mid-’80s, returning only in 2011 as Dame Margaret in Yvonne Deutschman’s “The Power of Three.” She moved to Spain to focus on permaculture, and then turned her attention to creating photo montages, often using manipulated photos of her vintage photos, that were exhibited in galleries throughout London.
“That’s why I made some of them quite grotesque, really…the idea that I was there as this passive woman, being looked at, but behind it all, behind my eyes, of course I knew what was going on,” she told the Den of Geek in 2007.
In 2019, Wright cast her in a small role in his upcoming film “Last Night in Soho.”
Nolan is survived by her two sons, Oscar Deeks, a cinematographer, and Luke O’Sullivan.
Nolan’s last TV credit saw her appear as herself in ITV3 show Carry On Forever that aired in 2015. She married Tom Kempinski, an English playwright, in 1967. They had two sons and divorced five years later in 1972. Nolan is survived by her sons Oscar Deeks and Luke O’Sullivan.
