The hero she was looking for was her rocker husband, Sir Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Starr.
As the potential adversary and romantic interest of Roger Moore’s character, James Bond, the womanizing 007 agent, Bach, a 75-year-old model and performer, was at the pinnacle of her career in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me.
In a 1983 People article, Bach called Bond “a chauvinist pig who uses girls to shield him against bullets”.
Moore agreed, stating that “Bond, like myself, is a male chauvinist pig” in an interview with People in 1973, the year he starred in his first Bond film, Live and Let Die. I’ve devoted my life to urging women to abandon their brassieres and pants.
Bach appeared in several Italian films prior to The Spy Who Loved Me, such as the 1971 murder mystery Black Belly of the Tarantula, in which she costarred with other Bond Girls Barbara Bouchet from Casino Royale (1967) and Claudine Auger from Thunderball (1965).
With her legendary performance as a Bond girl, the brown-haired beauty became an all-time favorite and helped launch her acting career.
After playing the fictional KGB agent Major Anya Amasova, she played in the 1980 Robert Downey Sr.-directed film Mad Magazine Presents Up the Academy and the 1981 slapstick comedy Caveman, in which she costarred with Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long, and now-82-year-old Ringo Starr.
Despite his Neanderthal passion for Bach’s character Lana, Starr finally rejects her and chooses a new relationship.
The screenplay does not depict the real-life events in any way.
Barbara Bach and Roger Moore, who starred in the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” are leaning on the now-famous “amphibious” Lotus Esprit. (Photo credit: Hilton Archive/Getty Images.)
While heading to the Mexican filming location for Caveman, the two met at the Los Angeles airport.
Bach, who appeared in a 1981 Playboy picture, reportedly said that “a lot of garbage has been written about us, none of it interesting,” according to People. To be honest, we weren’t together till the very end of Caveman. Although each of us had our own friends and other people, we got along well at work. Then it came as a surprise during the last week of filming. Our relationship changed from friendly to passionate.
In a 2021 interview with the Irish Examiner, the Beatles musician raved about his wife, whom he married more than 40 years ago.
“I love the woman.” I fell in love with her when I first met her at LAX in 1980. She was at the airport with a boyfriend when I was checking in. Coincidentally, we were both traveling to Mexico to work on the same movie. And so it happened,” Star recalled. “I just want to express my gratitude for having her in my life.”
The Beatles, the most influential band in history, had Starr as their drummer. Bach also went to see the Beatles perform in 1965 at Shea Stadium in New York, where he was part of the Fab Four, which included the late John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney.
Bach admits that she wasn’t a big Beatles fan despite being there. She was joined by her friend Joe Walsh and sister Marjorie, who was so enamored of the band that she came sporting a Beatles wig.
“My sister Marjorie was a Beatles fan,” Bach stated in an interview from 1981. “I liked [Bob] Dylan, Ray Charles, and the Rolling Stones.”
Walsh, who eventually became the Eagles’ guitarist, married Marjorie in 1975. Walsh also played with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, a live rock band, alongside his brother-in-law.
Only a few months after Lennon’s assassination, Bach and Starr were married on April 27, 1981, with McCartney and Harrison in attendance.
The two have been inseparable ever since.
In a near-fatal crash shortly before their wedding, the couple’s vehicle swerved to avoid a truck, rolled over twice, and finally came to a stop.
After the accident, Starr said, “We decided we wouldn’t spend any time apart.” Five days was the longest gap to yet, which was excessive. I wish I could be with Barbara all the time.
They have also been sober since 1988, when they attended treatment together.
In 2021, to celebrate the adorable couple’s 40th anniversary, Starr posted a photo from their wedding day, which also included McCartney and Harrison, with the caption, “It was 40 years ago today The love of my life said yes yes yes.”
The couple’s love goes beyond their blended family; Bach has two children with her ex-husband, Augusto Gregorini, and Starr has three with her late wife, Maureen Cox. They also manage a charitable organization called The Lotus Foundation. Numerous projects pertaining to cancer, homelessness, substance abuse, and animals are funded by the organization. Starr, who is also an artist, donates all revenues to the group.
If they could, they would definitely be together “Eight Days a Week.”
“I just love the man,” Bach said.
“There is no way out,” Starr adds. That Barbara still loves me and that we are still together is a huge blessing. I think my feelings for her are still as strong as they were when we first met.
We like to hear about love! Additionally, the one that is shared between the former Bond girl Barbara Bach and her rock star husband Ringo Starr is incredibly inspiring. We’re excited to watch what they accomplish in life and with their philanthropic work!
