There were many young women who played the witty and flirtatious character of Miss Moneypenny throughout the time span of the 007 films, but Lois Maxwell is the woman who defined the role.

Throughout her Bond career, she appeared in 14 of the spy thriller movies. She played the part of Miss Moneypenny from the first bond film, Dr. No through A View to Kill. That’s more Bond movies than any of the other actors have appeared in, even Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The only other person to pass this record is Desmond Llewelyn, who played gadget man Q 17 times before his death in 1999.

Actress Lois Maxwell passed away in an Australian hospital Saturday, September 29, 2007 at age 80. The cause of death is unknown but it is said that she was battling cancer.

In honor of her memory, here are some interesting facts about the life of Lois, the woman behind Miss Moneypenny.

• Although her character is officially named Jane Moneypenny, she is mostly referred to as a derivative of her last name, "Penny."
• She became close friends with Roger Moore, even before they began working on Bond films together. They met each other while attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
• Although she played the part of Miss Moneypenny for 23 years, she was only on screen for less than an hour.
• She was born Lois Hooker and moved to Britain as a teenager with the Canadian Army Show.
• She changed her last name to Maxwell in the ‘40s and moved to Hollywood where she won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer female for her role in the Shirley Temple movie, “That Hagen Girl.”
• At the time of her death, it is said that she was working on her autobiography entitled, “Born a Hooker.”