Luciana Paluzzi (born June 10, 1937), is a redheaded Italian actress. She is best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film Thunderball. In her early films, she is credited as Luciana Paoluzzi.

Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe in ‘Thunderball’.

Even though Paluzzi had an extensive resume before and after her brush with James Bond, audiences worldwide still remember her best as the sexy and deadly Thunderball villain Fiona Volpe. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the part of the lead Bond girl, Dominetta “Domino” Derval. The producers eventually cast former Miss France Claudine Auger, changing the Domino character from an Italian to a French woman. Paluzzi was crestfallen when she found out she didn’t get the part of Domino, but rejoiced when she found out her consolatory prize was the part of the “bad girl”, Fiona Volpe, which she said was “more fun to play”.

Years later, Paluzzi admitted that being a Bond girl is a double edged sword. She was amazed at the level of fame, publicity and recognition she got from Thunderball, but as a result of being in such an outlandish film, she was taken less seriously as an actress by her peers. In 1975, Paluzzi acted alongside fellow Bond girl Ursula Andress in The Sensuous Nurse.