Mie Hama: Bond Girl Kissy Suzuki, Then And Now

By | October 8, 2019

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Sean Connery and Mie Hama in 'You Only Live Twice' (1967). Source: IMDB

In 1967's You Only Live Twice, Mie Hama played Kissy Suzuki, one of the attractions awaiting  Sean Connery's James Bond in Japan. Along with Akiko Wakabayashi, who played Aki in the same film, Hama was a barrier-breaking screen vixen at a time when Asian actresses weren't seen in many western films, much less cast as sex symbols. And while the track record for life after Bond has proven a mixed bag for the lovely ladies seduced by 007, Mie Hama did something rarely seen in Hollywood, voluntarily leaving the limelight for a normal life.

A Trailblazing Beauty Not To Be Forgotten

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Mie Hama holds a mad scientist at gunpoint in a scene from the film 'King Kong Escapes', 1967. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)

Mie Hama, who played the sultry Kissy Suzuki, opened many eyes in her sexy bikini which undoubtedly rocked the world of many young male moviegoers. Prior to You Only Live Twice, Asian actresses weren’t receiving much mainstream attention in America.

However, once Mie Hama hit the big screen in her sensuous white bikini, you could almost hear producers scrambling to find her information. In a way, “the Brigitte Bardot of Japan,” as Playboy dubbed her, helped pave the way for Asian actresses in Tinseltown.