'Casino Royale' 1954 Bond girl Linda Christian dies

Known for her celebrity marriage to Tyrone Power and for appearing in a 1949 issue of Vogue, Linda Christian passed away on Friday in Rome, after suffering from colon cancer.

Christian was born Blanca Rosa Welter in 1923 in Mexico to a Hispanic mother and a Dutch father.

As a teenager a chance meeting with idol Errol Flynn purportedly encouraged her to leave her desire to be in the medical professions and to head to Hollywood.

She appeared in Holiday In Mexico (1946), Green Dolphin Street (1947) and Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948).

In 1954, she appeared in the little-recalled James Bond TV special, "Casino Royale", based on Fleming's debut novel but twisted such that the lead was 'Jimmy' Bond and American. Christian played Valerie Mathis, in place of the traditional Vesper Lynd.

Thanks to `007JamesBond` for the alert.

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