For Your Ears Only

by Nikki Van Der Zyl

Almost everyone remembers the iconic scene in the first Bond film, Dr. No, where actress Ursula Andress emerges from the sea as Honey Ryder singing 'Underneath the Mango Tree'. But very few people realise that the character's sexy voice – heard throughout the film – was actually that of Nikki van der Zyl. Apart from Lois Maxwell who played Miss Moneypenny, Nikki was involved in more Bond films than any other actress.For Your Ears Only is the remarkable story of a multi-talented actress who never received the acclaim she deserved. As a child, Nikki fled Nazi Germany to start a new life in England. This was the start of many twists and turns in Nikki's personal life, including several traumatic years in the High Court, fighting to stop her children being taken from her; assisting the High Court Judge as a barrister in the famous Baader-Meinhof terrorist case, and having regular access to 10 Downing Street as a lobby correspondent.In this fascinating autobiography, Nikki spills the beans on one of the best-kept secrets in the film industry and tells how she provided the female voices in numerous films from Bond to One Million Years BC.

300 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real disappointment

Up till about one third of the way through this is a marvellous book.Then it just goes rapidly downhill.
We are given all the details of her divorce and custody hearings.Training to be a barrister,then a journalist.It is all so very boring.
The title of this book gives the impression that this is about her film work,when by and large it is not.
I read the last one third of the book when I had nothing better to do.So now I can go into a rather more interesting book.