(May 19, 1948–     ; birth name: Beverly Grace Jones): Jamaican American actress, singer, composer, and model who portrayed May Day, bodyguard/assassin/lover to Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) in A View to a Kill. Jones won the part after her strong appearance as Zula the fierce Amazonian warrior woman in Conan the Destroyer (1984).

As is the case in many 007 adventures, henchwoman May Day steals the scene from the main villain, her superior, Zorin. Quick as a cat and super strong, she ranks high among the rogues’ gallery of Bond film henchwomen. Jones conceived of the character’s unique look herself, explaining that she was initially worried that director John Glen would think her makeup and costumes too outrageous. To her delight, Glen embraced her stylistic vision for May Day, encouraging her to add even more color, especially reds to her face. Jones also performed some of her own stunts, which included keeping a right hand on the reins of a spooked thoroughbred and climbing up the broken structural supports of a ruined mine shaft—with a long drop to the stage floor where it was filmed.

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and raised in Syracuse, New York, Jones made her feature film debut as Mary in actor/director Ossie Davis’s crime adventure Gordon’s War (1973).