Mie Hama
(Kissy Suzuki)

Name: Mie Hama
Character: Kissy Suzuki
Movie: You Only Live Twice
Date of Birth: 20/11/43
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan

Kissy is the first girl who Bond marries, albeit as a cover, in You Only Live Twice. A Japanese Ama girl who makes her living diving for shells, she also works for the secret service and assists 007 in his search for SPECTRE's hidden rocket launching base.

Most memorable quote:
Bond: We're supposed to be on honeymoon..
Kissy: Think again, please. This is business.

Biography

Mie Hama began her professional life as a 16-year-old bus-fare collector on Tokyo buses. When touring Toho Studios with other bus line employees, a top producer spotted Hama and offered her a screentest and later a contract. Hama's popularity in a series of sexy (but tame by Western standards) modern romance films, launched her modeling career. She appeared on over 25 magazine covers a year in the mid-sixties. Her first film released in the West was What's up Tiger Lilly where Hama was hilariously dubbed along with her co-star, Akiko Wakabayashi. By 1967, Hama had appeared in over 65 films. Both she and Wakabayashi were chosen to appear as Bond girls in You Only Live Twice, however, the pair switched roles before filming began and Hama played Kissy Suzuki (whose name is never actually mentioned in the film) - the first girl Bond married. Hama learned English during the production, hoping to secure a chance to appear in more international films. When Mie Hama became ill during shooting, director Lewis Gilbert faced a dilemma: he desperately needed her for a sequence in which she dives into the water while posing as pearl diver, however, Hama was suffering from stomach cramps and was too unwell to swim. An unorthodox solution was arrived at: Sean Connery's wife, actress Diane Cilento, donned a black wig and bikini and doubled for Hama in the long shot of the sequence. This marks the only time to date a Bond actor and his wife have appeared in a 007 film. A limited number of Kissy Suzuki dolls were produced in 1967. Today, the elusive collectible sells for over $1500. Mie Hama has gone on to appear in numerous Japanese films and to later host television shows.