Moneypenny
| Miss Moneypenny | |
|---|---|
| James Bond character | |
Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny in You Only Live Twice
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| Created by | Ian Fleming |
| Portrayed by |
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| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Secretary to M Lieutenant RN Former field agent |
| Affiliation | MI6 |
| Nationality | British |
| Classification | Ally |
Miss Moneypenny, later assigned the first names of Eve or Jane, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M, who is Bond's boss and head of the British Secret Service (MI6). Although she has a small part in most of the films, it is always highlighted by the underscored romantic tension between her and Bond (something that is virtually nonexistent in Ian Fleming's novels, though is somewhat more apparent in the Bond novels by John Gardner and Raymond Benson). On that note, she is not always considered to be a Bond girl, having never had anything more than a professional relationship with Bond, to her dismay.
Although not given a first name by Fleming, the character was given the name Jane in the spin-off book series, The Moneypenny Diaries; in the films, she received the first name of Eve in Skyfall (2012), where the character spent time as a field agent before becoming secretary to M. According to the film You Only Live Twice (1967), she holds the rank of second officer in the Women's Royal Naval Service.
In Ian Fleming's first draft of Casino Royale (1953), Moneypenny's name was originally "Miss 'Petty' Pettaval", which was taken from Kathleen Pettigrew, the personal assistant to MI6 director Stewart Menzies. Fleming changed it to be less obvious. Other candidates for Moneypenny's inspiration include Vera Atkins of Special Operations Executive;Paddy Ridsdale, a Naval Intelligence secretary;; Joan Bright Astley, whom Fleming dated during World War II, and who was noted for giving a warm and friendly reception to senior officers who visited her office to view confidential papers, and Joan Howe, Fleming's red-haired secretary at The Times who had typed the manuscript of Casino Royale. The BBC has used the term "Fleming's Miss Moneypenny" when referring to Jean Frampton, who typed out the manuscripts for Fleming's later works and made plot suggestions to him, even though the two never met.
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