SUPPLIED BY GETTY • WENN Mie Hama has long retired from acting

Kissy Suzuki was the ‘Bond girl’ starring opposite Sean Connery’s 007 in the action caper, which was a huge success upon its release. She had already starred in around 60 films when the movie came about, after her career launched when she was spotted by producer Tomoyuki Tanaka. Hama’s list of credits was incredibly impressive; even starring in King Kong vs Godzilla in 1962. So why did she decide to pack it all in after 1989’s Kitchen?

GETTY You Only Live Twice made her a star in 1967

WENN She starred alongside Sean Connery

Somewhere beyond my control, others were creating a character named Mie Hama Mie Hama

Speaking just last month, the now 73-year-old told the New York Times: “It was an honour to be a Bond girl, but once was enough. “I didn’t want that image to stick with me. I am actually a subdued and steady person, but I felt that somewhere beyond my control, others were creating a character named ‘Mie Hama.’” She was 40 when she dropped out of filmmaking altogether, after she said she had an epiphany while driving through rural Japan and encountered an old farming village that was being ripped down so a new dam could be built. “Japan was giving up its real self in its rush for economic development,” she explained.

Bond Girls: Then and Now Fri, December 30, 2016 A look back on the iconic Bond girls and where they are now. Play slideshow 1 of 16

PACKSHOT VIA AMAZON She recently released a new book