Lois Cleveland Chiles (born April 15, 1947) is an American actress and former fashion model known for her role as Holly Goodhead in the James Bond film Moonraker (1979). Her other screen credits include The Way We Were (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), Broadcast News (1987), and the television role of Holly Harwood on Dallas (1982–1983).
Early and personal life
Chiles was born in Houston, the daughter of Marion Clay Chiles and Barbara Wayne Kirkland Chiles. Her paternal uncle was oil tycoon and Texas Rangers owner Eddie Chiles. She had two brothers: Clay Kirkland Chiles (who died in 1979), and William Edmonds Chiles, president and CEO of Bristow Group, Inc. She was raised in Alice, Texas.
Chiles studied at the University of Texas at Austin and the former Finch College in New York City, where she was discovered by a Glamour editor looking for a young woman to feature on the cover of the magazine's annual college issue. In her New York years, she befriended Tennessee Williams, Andy Warhol, Maureen Stapleton, and models Patty Hanson and Grace Jones. They were both honorary co-chairs of Northfield Mount Hermon, a school in Massachusetts. Gilder donated money to the school and they named the Chiles Theater after her. Gilder died in 2020.
Career
Chiles enjoyed a successful modeling career in the early 1970s. After her role in the 1972 blaxploitation film Together for Days opposite Clifton Davis, Chiles appeared in supporting roles in some of the biggest films of the 1970s. She played the college girlfriend of Robert Redford in the successful 1973 studio release The Way We Were. She was then cast as Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby (1974) alongside Mia Farrow and, once again, Redford. She again shared the screen with Farrow in the Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile (1978). She also appeared in a small but key role in the thriller Coma (1978).
In her most famous role as NASA astronaut, scientist, and Bond girl Dr. Holly Goodhead, Chiles appeared opposite Roger Moore in Moonraker (1979). Chiles had initially been approached to star in the previous Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, but she declined the role because she was taking a break from acting at the time. In 1989, she appeared uncredited in a cameo as the estranged mother of Ione Skye's character in Say Anything... (1989).
In 1985, she appeared as "Maggie" in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in Los Angeles opposite Terence Knox and directed by Jose Ferrer. She stated that it was a major personal triumph to play the demanding role for her as she was not stage-trained.
Unlike some "Bond girls", Chiles has said that "being a Bond girl is a fun way to be remembered", although she jokes that being asked to sigh "Oh, James" is annoying because "you can't live up to people's fantasies". On other occasions, she stated "I'm proud I'm a Bond Girl. It's not bad at all."
Filmography
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{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1972
| Together for Days
| Shelley
|
|-
| 1973
| The Way We Were
| Carol Ann
|
|-
| 1974
| The Great Gatsby
| Jordan Baker
|
|-
| 1978
| Coma
| Nancy Greenly
|
|-
| 1978
| Death on the Nile
| Linnet Ridgeway
|
|-
| 1979
| Moonraker
| Dr. Holly Goodhead
|
|-
| 1981
| Hart to Hart
| Mary Scott / Scottie
| TV series, Season 2 (1 episode)
|-
| 1982
| Odyssey
| Unnamed
| Music video for Tony Powers song
|-
| 1982–1983
| Dallas
| Holly Harwood
| TV series, Season 6 (22 episodes) and Season 7 (2 episodes)
|-
| 1984
| Raw Courage
| Ruth
|
|-
| 1986
| Sweet Liberty
| Leslie
|
|-
| 1986
| Dark Mansions
| Jessica Drake
| TV movie
|-
| 1987
| Creepshow 2
| Annie Lansing (segment "The Hitchhiker")
|
|-
| 1987
| Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's
| Lita Nathan
| TV movie
|-
| 1987
| Broadcast News
| Jennifer Mack
|
|-
| 1989
| Say Anything...
| Diane's Mother (uncredited)
|
|-
| 1989
| Twister
| Virginia
|
|-
| 1990
| Burning Bridges
| Claire Morgan
| TV movie
|-
| 1990
| In the Eye of the Snake
| Claire Anzer—Marc's Mother
|
|-
| 1990
| Murder, She Wrote
| Millie Bingham Stafford
| TV series, Season 7 (1 episode)
|-
| 1991
| Veronica Clare
|
| TV series, Seasons 1 and 2 (1 episode each)
|-
| 1991
| Bis ans Ende der Welt
| Elsa Farber
|
|-
| 1991
| Diary of a Hitman
| Sheila
|
|-
| 1992
| Obsessed
| Louise
| TV movie
|-
| 1993
| In the Heat of the Night
| Muriel Gray
| TV series, Season 6 (1 episode)
|-
| 1993
| Civil Wars
| Alexandra Phelps
| TV series, Season 2 (1 episode)
|-
| 1993
| Crossroads
| Renee
| TV series, Season 1 (1 episode)
|-
| 1993
| Lush Life
| Lucy
| TV movie
|-
| 1994
| L.A. Law
| Camilla Greer
| TV series, Season 8 (1 episode)
|-
| 1995
| The Babysitter
| Bernice Holsten
|
|-
| 1995
| Flipper
| Allison Van Rijn
| TV series, Season 1 (1 episode)
|-
| 1996
| Curdled
| Katrina Brandt
|
|-
| 1996
| Wish Upon a Star
| Principal Mary Mittermiller
| TV movie
|-
| 1997
| Bliss
| Eva
|
|-
| 1997
| The Nanny
| Elaine
| TV series, Season 4 (1 episode)
|-
| 1997
| Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
| Steamrolled Henchman's Wife (uncredited)
|
|-
| 1997
| Speed 2: Cruise Control
| Celeste
|
|-
| 1998
| Black Cat Run
| Ada Bronnel
|
|-
| 2000
| Eventual Wife
| Susan's Mother
| short
|-
| 2002
| Any Day Now
| Judge
| TV series, Season 4 (1 episode)
|-
| 2002
| Warning: Parental Advisory
| Susan Baker
| TV movie
|-
| 2005
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
| Jillian Stokes
| TV series, Season 5 (episode: "Grave Danger")
|-
| 2006
| Kettle of Fish
| Jean
|
|}
References
External links
- Lois Chiles at Turner Classic Movies
- Interview with Lois Chiles focusing on her role on "Dallas"