Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver)

 

Datastream
Actress: Gloria Hendry
Character: Rosie Carver
Movie: Live And Let Die
Date of Birth: 3rd March 1949
Place of Birth: Winter Haven, Florida, USA
Trivia: Worked with actor Fred Williamson 5 times between 1973-2009

"You're only my second mission - my first was Baines, the agent who was killed."

Pleased To Meet You
James Bond discovers Rosie in his hotel room, checked in under the name Mrs. Bond. Suspicious from the off, 007 takes evasive action when, after a snake has infiltrated his bathroom, Rosie sneaks into his bedroom.

Caught In The Act
After the damsel discovers a voodoo warning on her bed, she insists that James Bond keep her company overnight. 007 willingly obliges, yet the next day, their romantic breakfast is cut short by a clue to Rosie's true alliances.

Profile
A CIA agent posted to the lonely isle of San Monique, Carver is of a nervous disposition and one of 007's least experienced allies. She is his willing guide of the island nation's hidden treasures and leads Bond to the location of Secret Service agent Baines' death, albeit secretively. In reality, Rosie Carver is in pay of the nation's ambassador, Dr. Kananga (who doubles as the Harlem gangster Mr Big) and intends a quick and neat death for James Bond. Carver is tasked with trapping Bond and brining him to Kananga's voodoo isle. She meets a nasty end when she refuses to tell Bond about the villain; Carver is shot by one of Kananga's voodoo dolls-cum-surveillance posts.

Memorable quotes
Rosie: It's down there.
Bond: I thought you said Baines was killed up in the hills, darling.
Rosie: Yes, up in the hills, down there.

Rosie: I know where we could rustle up a car.
Bond: Beautiful, brave, and now resourceful.

Rosie: There's a snake!
Bond: Oh yes, you must never go in there without a mongoose.

Rosie: You don't know what finding you has meant to me.
Bond: I can imagine. And you've no idea what finding this has meant to me. [Showing Rosie the Tarot card] Do know what the Queen of Cups means in an upside-down position? A deceitful, perverse woman. A liar, a cheat. And I'd like some answers now.
Rosie: You don't understand, Sir. They'll kill me if I do.
Bond: And I'll kill you if you don't.
Rosie: But you couldn't. You wouldn't. Not after what we've just done.
Bond: I certainly wouldn't have killed you before.

 

Bond: As I was saying Quarrel, a lousy agent but the compensations speak for themselves. Rosie Carver, meet the man who shares my hairbrush, Quarrel Jr.
Rosie: I'm really sorry. I could have shot you.
Quarrel Jr: You might have even killed me if you had taken off the safety catch.

Biography
Born in Florida in 1949, Gloria Hendry is the eldest of two girls and spent her childhood in New Jersey. As a teen she learned various clerical duties and applied to attend college, hoping to become a Legal Clerk. Her family has roots in various cultures and nationalities, including: Seminole Indian, Chinese, Creek Indian, Irish and African. She earned herself a job as the secretary to the New York office of the NAACP who constantly campaigned for legal rights, representation and acceptance of coloured peoples in the USA.

Before entering the acting trade Hendry, found work as a model, even for a spell at the Playboy Club. She appeared in her first film in the late 1960s, aged 19, alongside Sidney Poitier in "For Love of Ivy". She played a very minor role but on the back of this experience won roles in films of the early 1970s, including "The Landlord".

She earned a starring role in "Black Caesar" (1973) as Helen, before being picked up for the James Bond film, "Live and Let Die". She would play Rosie Carver, James Bond's first African-American love interest, somewhat radical for the times. After a successful audition the producers asked Gloria to report to Guy Hamilton in Jamaica almost immediately. Within a week of her visit to the tropics, Hendry got the call and was flown back to the set. Regrettably, in some nations, her love-scene with 007 is cut for dubious political reasons.

On the back of "Live And Let Die", Hendry won several roles in 1970s films and television, notably "Hell Up in Harlem" - a Fred Williamson drama - and Gloria took a lead role in "Savage Sisters" (1974), playing Lynn Jackson.

Today she takes selective roles in cinema, most recently seen in "Absolute Evil" (2009). She also makes regular appearances at fan conventions and autograph events, such as the 2008 Big Apple Comic Con.