Diane Loretta Bond (born September 25, 1945, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

) is an American former actress and feminist artist and writer, best known for her minor roles in movies during the 1960s. She appeared in films like ''

In Like Flint ''In Like Flint'' is a 1967 American spy fi comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film ''Our Man Flint'' (1966). It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a f ...

'' (1967), '' House of 1,000 Dolls'' (1967), ''

A Swingin' Summer ''A Swingin' Summer'' is a 1965 comedy film in the beach party genre. It was directed and co-written by Robert Sparr. Raquel Welch stars in her first featured film role and makes her singing debut in the film. Synopsis A trio of college kids ...

'' (1965), '' Pajama Party'' (1964) and as a beach extra in the TV series ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

''. Bond also had several uncredited roles such as an air hostess in '' Seconds'' (1966) and a body double for

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

in ''

Blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a poorly tied or trick blindf ...

'' (1965). After relocating to Italy and studying art, she became an artist using mainly feminist issues to fuel her creativity.

Biography

Early years and film career

Diane Loretta Bond was born on September 25, 1945 in

, California, and grew up horseback riding, skating and skiing on her father's ranch in Colorado. As a teenager, she was spotted on a beach and given a modeling contract. Another one of her early jobs, performing as a trapeze artist, paved the way for her introduction to movies, when she was hired to perform in a 1963 television series '' The Greatest Show on Earth''. A year later, she made her film debut as a beach girl in '' Pajama Party'' (1964), which set the tone of her movie career, as she wore a bikini in every one of her credited film appearances. Bond appeared as Emily Lawrence in a 1964 episode of ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

'' called "Mother of the Bride". She received featured billing in 1965's ''

'', as the "girl in the polka dot bikini" and the opening credits show her in her pink and white bikini dancing on water skis. The film starred

James Stacy Maurice William Elias (December 23, 1936September 9, 2016), known professionally as James Stacy, was an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for starring in the late 1960s TV western ''Lancer''. In 1973, Stacy was hit by ...

William Wellman Jr. William Wellman Jr. (born January 20, 1937) is an American former actor. In a career spanning 65 years, he appeared in about 77 films and television series. Life and career Wellman was born in Los Angeles, California, and is the son of actres ...

Quinn O'Hara Quinn O'Hara (January 3, 1941 – May 5, 2017), born Alice Jones, was a Scottish-born American actress and nurse. Early life O'Hara was born in Edinburgh. Later, she and her mother moved to Cardiff where she attended a convent school, then to ...

and a newcomer,

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in '' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hamm ...

. Her next film, ''

Tickle Me ''Tickle Me'' is a 1965 American musical comedy western film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull rider and bronco buster. Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as best male actor in a musical film fo ...

'' (1965), starring

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

was limited to a few appearances at the swimming pool. She returned to television with a couple of appearances in 1965 on ''

'' with a role as a beach extra, and then did a role doubling for

in ''

'' (1966). Her best known film was ''

'' (1967), directed by Gordon Douglas, where she played Jan, one of secret agent ( James Coburn) Derek Flint's girlfriends. Bond was very athletic and often did her own stunts or hired out as a stunt woman between acting jobs. In the 1967 filming of '' House of 1,000 Dolls'' she shinned down a 60-foot drainpipe and completed the scene in one take. Bond's last known film appearance was an uncredited bit part in the 1968 Jane Fonda film '' Barbarella''.

Italian years

In 1967, Bond moved to Italy and began studying art, attending the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca ...

of Milan and the School of Fine Arts at the

Sforza Castle The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later reno ...

, graduating in 1976. She began working with a group of feminists on several projects. Meeting at the cultural center Cicip & Ciciap they held various discussions on women's issues, including political and social restrictions. In 1978, they published a book, ''Ci vediamo mercoledì. Gli altri giorni ci immaginiamo'' (We'll see you Wednesday. The other days we imagine.) which was a collection of photographs exploring feminist issues. The women worked both individually and collectively to produce the images; for example, one segment features photographs by Paola Mattioli taken of Bond in 1977. The series shows Bond in a mirror removing a white mask. The collection of photos of Bond by Mattioli was presented in an exhibition from October to December 2014, in Milan. One of her ongoing works of art is called "Dolls on the Road", which are like

paperdolls Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper or thin card, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the dolls by paper folding tabs. They may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object. Paper dolls have been inex ...

on canvas, depicting the way women are "cut out" of society. Long before

The Flat Stanley Project The Flat Stanley Project is an educational project that was started in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a third grade schoolteacher in London, Ontario, Canada. The project features paper cut-outs based on the title character of the 1964 children's book ''F ...

began documenting paperdoll travels, Bond's dolls, beginning with "Donna" in 1976, were traveling the world, being photographed, obtaining passport stamps to prove their existence. For thirty years, Bond has traveled with her "dolls" on three continents.

Selected works

Film

*'' Pajama Party'' (1964) *''

'' (1965) *''

The War Lord ''The War Lord'' is a 1965 American drama historical film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. The film, which concerns medieval warfare and culture in 11th-century Normandy, is an adaptation of the play ''The Lovers ...

'' (1965) (as body double) *'' Seconds'' (1966) as airline stewardess *''

'' (1966) (as a body double) *''

The House of 1,000 Dolls ''The House of 1,000 Dolls'' is a 1967 Harry Alan Towers German-Spanish international co-production white slavery thriller starring Vincent Price. It has been described as "quite possibly the sleaziest movie AIP ever made". The film is set in T ...

'' (1967) *''

'' (1968) *'' Barbarella'' (1968)

Books

* Alberti, Bundi; Bond, Diana; Cuman, Mercedes; Mattioli, Paola; Monti, Adriana; Núñez, Esperanza; Truppi, Silvia. ''Ci vediamo mercoledì. Gli altri giorni ci immaginiamo'' Milan: Mazzotta, (1978) (In Italian) * Bond, Diane. "La SagGina" Milan: Diane Bond Self-published (2013)

Artworks

*Coloring Book *Dolls on the Road *Rag Patches *Serigraph series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Diane American film actresses 1945 births Living people Actresses from Los Angeles American women writers American feminist writers American women artists 21st-century American women