In 1962, a Swiss actress in a white bikini walked out of the Caribbean Sea holding two seashells. In seconds, Ursula Andress became a legend.

Born on March 19, 1936, near Bern, Switzerland, she worked odd jobs in Rome before a chance screen test led to small Italian film roles and a Hollywood contract. Years passed with almost no work, until Dr. No made her the first Bond girl and won her a Golden Globe in 1964.

Hollywood followed. She starred opposite Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco and beside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas. She then played the title role in She, appeared in What’s New, Pussycat? and Casino Royale, and became Aphrodite in Clash of the Titans. Her last screen role to date came in 2005.

Her love life was just as famous. After her marriage to John Derek ended, she lived with French star Jean-Paul Belmondo, whom she has called the love of her life. Her son, Dimitri, was born in 1980 to actor Harry Hamlin. In recent decades she has lived quietly between a home near Rome and a house in Gstaad.

In 2026, she turned 90, but her birthday was overshadowed by shocking news. She told the Swiss newspaper Blick that she had been defrauded of about 18 million Swiss francs over eight years by her longtime wealth manager, who has since died. She said she was “still in shock.”

On March 26, Italian police seized about 20 million euros in property, land, and artworks near Florence, allegedly bought with the stolen money. The seized assets have not been returned to her, and the Swiss and Italian investigations are still ongoing.

Even now, the woman from that famous beach scene remains one of cinema’s most iconic figures.