Eunice Gayson has died

A post on her official Twitter account read: "We are very sad to learn that our dear Eunice passed away on June 8th. An amazing lady who left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She will be very much missed."

Bond producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, later paid tribute to the actress in a statement.

They said: "We are so sad to learn that Eunice Gayson, our very first 'Bond girl' who played Sylvia Trench in 'Dr. No' and 'From Russia With Love' has passed away. Our sincere thoughts are with her family."

Eunice will go down in history because of her role in the franchise, as she was part of the now-famous scene where James Bond - who was played by Sir Sean Connery - introduced himself for the first time.

He said: "I admire your courage, Miss, er... ?"

She replied: "Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr... ?"

Connery then uttered his iconic line as he said: "Bond, James Bond."

Eunice - who also appeared in movies such as 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' and classic TV shows 'The Saint' and 'Avengers' - previously admitted shooting the scene hadn't been easy as her co-star was nervous and struggled with the line.

Speaking in 2012, she said: "He had to say Bond, James Bond, but he came out with other permutations like Sean Bond, James Connery. 'Cut! Cut! Cut!'"

The director Terence Young asked Eunice to take Sean for a drink and he returned and delivered the line perfectly.

Her character was due to be recurring in the series, but she was axed by 'Goldfinger' director Guy Hamilton.