Barbara Bach’s Hollywood career could have made her an icon, but she traded the glitz of fame for a quieter, more meaningful life with Ringo Starr. The actress, who rose to fame as the unforgettable Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), found her real-life happy ending with the Beatles drummer.
Bach’s portrayal of KGB agent Anya Amasova was groundbreaking—she was no damsel in distress, but a fierce, independent woman. Off-screen, she had little patience for James Bond’s womanizing antics, once calling the character a “chauvinist pig.” Roger Moore, who played 007, even joked that Bond was just as much of a “male chauvinist pig” as he was.
Before Bond, Bach made a name for herself in Italian cinema, starring in thrillers like Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971). But her life changed forever when she met Ringo Starr while filming Caveman (1981). They first spotted each other at LAX, both heading to the same movie set in Mexico. At first, they were just coworkers, but by the end of filming, something deeper had blossomed.
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“It was unexpected,” Bach admitted. “We went from being friends to falling in love in just a week.” Starr, still smitten decades later, says he knew instantly. “I saw her at the airport, and that was it,” he recalled. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Their love was nearly cut short by a terrifying car crash just before their wedding, but the accident only strengthened their bond. They vowed never to spend more than a few days apart—a promise they’ve kept for over 40 years.
Now, Bach and Starr focus on family and philanthropy through their charity, The Lotus Foundation. Their love story proves that sometimes, the greatest role isn’t on-screen—it’s the life you build with the person you love.
