Nadezda "Nadja" Poderegin, a multilingual actress, is best known for her appearances in two early James Bond films, playing different characters in each. Born in Kraljevo, a town in present-day Serbia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, Nadja's life took a dramatic turn when her father, a Ukrainian-born scientist and lecturer, was killed during World War II when she was just nine years old.
Nadja's mother and sister relocated to Yugoslavia's capital, Belgrade, where Nadja later enrolled in the Academy of Dramatic Arts, eventually graduating with a Bachelor's degree. She initially pursued a career in journalism but soon turned her attention to acting, appearing in a few locally made films.
Her breakthrough role came in the 1954 German-Yugoslav co-production "Das Haus an der Küste," filmed in picturesque Dubrovnik, which gained international recognition through distribution by the Rank Organisation. This led to more substantial film offers in Germany, where Nadja became a staple in romantic dramas and comedies opposite well-established German and Austrian stars.
After marrying a Polish war veteran, Nadja moved to Britain, where she quickly acquired English and expanded her linguistic repertoire. Although she acknowledged that her accent limited her to "either sexy parts or as a spy," Nadja's natural aptitude for languages allowed her to excel in her roles.
Her favorite film role was in the 1959 wartime comedy "Don't Panic Chaps," where she played the romantic lead alongside Dennis Price and George Cole. Nadja's other notable roles include guest appearances in "Danger Man" and "The Saint" opposite Patrick McGoohan and Roger Moore, respectively.
In 1963, Nadja landed a small role as the girlfriend of MI 6 station chief Kerim Be in "From Russia with Love." However, her most iconic role was as the double-crossing belly-dancer Bonita in "Goldfinger" (1964),where she delivered a memorable performance as James Bond (played by Sean Connery) catches her reflection in her eyes and uses her as a shield.
Nadja eventually retired from acting in the 1970s, transitioning to work behind the cameras as a script reader and consultant for Rank and Hammer studios. In the 1980s, she co-founded a publishing company, Honeyglen Publishing Ltd, with her sister, and later published her own e-book novel "The Victims and the Fools" under the name Nadja Poderegin.
