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Miss Moneypenny is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M. Although she has a small part in the films, it is always highlighted by the underscored sexual tension between her and Bond (something that is virtually nonexistent in Ian Fleming's novels, though somewhat more so in the novels of John Gardner and Raymond Benson.) It is believed that Moneypenny was based on a despatch rider that Ian Fleming became more than friendly with during the war; he sent her out to buy his Morland Specials cigarettes from Burlington Arcade, there was an air raid, and she was killed. Fleming never forgot her, and based the cool Moneypenny "...who might have been desirable if her eyes hadn't been so hard and quizzical..." on her.

In both the Bond novels and films based upon them, Moneypenny is smitten with Bond. For example, in the novel Thunderball, Fleming wrote that she "often dreamed hopelessly about Bond." However, she never vocalizes these feelings.

Miss Moneypenny's role in Fleming's novels is even smaller than that of her role in the films. In the novels, Bond also has his own secretary, Loelia Ponsonby and later Mary Goodnight, both of which often had their lines and relationships transferred to Miss Moneypenny for the films. As a rule, Moneypenny generally never directly participates in Bond's missions, although there have been a few exceptions in both film and literature (most notably Diamonds Are Forever, in which she disguises herself as a customs agent to help send Bond on his mission). In Octopussy, Moneypenny has an assistant named Penelope Smallbone, who appears to be equally smitten with Bond, despite a "thorough briefing" on the subject by Moneypenny. Apparently intended as either a foil or a replacement for Moneypenny, Smallbone appeared only once.

On October 10, 2005, John Murray published the first of three Ian Fleming Publications' sanctioned novels, written by Samantha Weinberg under the pseudonym Kate Westbrook, entitled The Moneypenny Diaries, a trilogy from the point of view of Miss Moneypenny.

Although Moneypenny is supposed to be English, in the James Bond films in which Lois Maxwell portrayed the character, she actually spoke with a Canadian accent, due to Maxwell herself being Canadian. It is generally considered, with all due respect to the other actresses who have portrayed the part, that Lois Maxwell is the definitive Moneypenny.

Since the character's first appearance in Casino Royale, neither Fleming nor any succeeding Bond novelist or screenwriter had ever seen fit to give Moneypenny a first name. In a few of the books and at least one film, Bond refers to her by the nickname "Penny" (a shortened version of her last name). The Moneypenny Diaries officially gives her a first name: Jane. It remains to be seen if any future Bond film follows suit.

Actresses

Moneypenny has been played by five different actresses in the Bond films:

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Miss Moneypenny".

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