Kristina Wayborn was born Britt-Inger Johansson in Nybro, Sweden. After being elected Miss Sweden in 1970 she was a semi-finalist in the Miss Universe pageant. The same year she was also elected Miss Scandinavia.

Wayborn portrayed screen legend Greta Garbo in The Silent Lovers (1980) which brought her to the attention of the producers of the James Bond films.

She was cast as Magda in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983). During a fight scene in the film, the act went wrong and Wayborn suffered several broken toes. Despite the accident, she became well known for her fight scenes in Octopussy, in an era predating the big female action heroines of the box office. Her character Magda beat up many of Kamal Khan's guards, showing a surprising agility and acumen for martial arts.

She subsequently appeared in a number of American television series such as The Love Boat (1982-1986), Airwolf (1986), MacGyver (1986), Dallas (1986), General Hospital (1987), Designing Women (1991), Baywatch (1993-1999) and That '70s Show (2000) in which she was re-united with her Octopussy co-star Maud Adams.

In the 1990's, Kristina appeared in the Swedish television series Vänner och Fiender (1996-2000), one of the longest running series ever in Sweden. (Another Swedish Bond girl, Mary Stavin, also appeared in the series.)

In 2010, she appeared in the horror film The Frankenstein Syndrome.