140-524: George Robert Lazenby ( / ˈ l eɪ z ən b i / ; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian retired actor. He was the second actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Since he appeared in only one film, Lazenby's tenure as Bond is the shortest among the actors in
280-588: A Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum — which at the time was associated with the macho image of the Clint Eastwood character, Dirty Harry — was chosen for Moore to use in Live and Let Die rather than Bond's usual choice of Walther PPK . Spicer says "Roger Moore re-created Bond as an old-style debonair hero, more polished and sophisticated than Connery's incarnation, using the mocking insouciance he had perfected in his role as Simon Templar ... Moore's humour
420-492: A cardiac ablation , two months earlier. She joked later, "My heart had stopped ticking during the procedure, so I was up there and the good Lord must have said, 'Send the old bag down again, I'm not having her yet!'" In a June 2015 interview with the website The A.V. Club , Rigg talked about her chemistry with Patrick Macnee on The Avengers despite their 16-year age difference: "I sort of vaguely knew Patrick Macnee, and he looked kindly on me and sort of husbanded me through
560-477: A "charming, debonair, international playboy". When playing Bond, Moore tried not to imitate either Connery or his previous roles, and screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz fitted the screenplay around Moore's persona by giving more comedy scenes and a light-hearted feel to Bond, an approach that led Raymond Benson to describe Moore's Bond as "a rather smarmy, eyebrow-raising international playboy who never seemed to get hurt". Film writer Andrew Spicer considered Roger Moore
700-495: A "second try". Lerche had received a videotape of the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service as a child; he sent away for a free copy of the movie, only to find he had joined a James Bond film club. He got into trouble when his mother was contacted to pay for the membership. Years later, watching the movie again on DVD (with Lazenby's interviews), he found it to be "a perfect metaphor for life's disappointments". The title of Matthew Bauer 's 2022 documentary The Other Fellow , about
840-479: A Cuban cigar in Die Another Day . Brosnan continued with the use of humour prevalent with other portrayals, and provided a "mix of action and danger threaded through with the right amount of wit and humour"; Smith and Lavington saw the humour largely as puns that were "flippant, but not crass". After four films in the role, Brosnan stated he wished to do one final Bond film. Although plans were made for
980-444: A Kill ; he was 57 (he appeared alongside co-star Tanya Roberts , who was 30). Critics focused on Moore's age: The Washington Post said "Moore isn't just long in the tooth – he's got tusks, and what looks like an eye job has given him the pie-eyed blankness of a zombie. He's not believable anymore in the action sequences, even less so in the romantic scenes". When he was cast for the film, Moore recalled that he felt "a bit long in
1120-542: A car salesman in Finchley , where he was spotted by a talent scout who persuaded him to become a model. He was soon earning £25,000 a year. He was widely known for appearing in an advertisement for Fry's chocolate bars . In 1966, he was voted Top Model of the Year. In 1968, after Sean Connery had left the role of James Bond, producer Albert R. Broccoli met Lazenby for the first time while they were getting their hair cut at
1260-666: A daughter, Jennifer, with Maureen Powell, who was then an Australian army sergeant and a physical education and fitness instructor at Royal Military College, Duntroon . In 1973, Lazenby married his girlfriend of three years, Christina Ross "Chrissie" Townson (later Matser), an heiress of the Gannett family . They subsequently had two children, daughter Melanie Andrea Lazenby, born on 13 September 1973, and son Zachary "Zack" Lazenby, born on 9 November 1974, at Woden Valley Hospital (now Canberra Hospital ) in Garran , Canberra , ACT . Zachary
1400-531: A donnish genealogist than reading (or playing) Playboy magazine, and who actually dares to think that one woman who is his equal is better than a thousand part-time playmates". James Chapman considers that Lazenby looks the part of Bond, identifying his athleticism and "arrogant swagger", which "convey the snobbery of the character". Chapman also distinguished a more vulnerable and human characterisation in Bond—feeling exhausted and falling in love—as opposed to
1540-573: A dull fellow" in her otherwise positive review in The New Yorker magazine. However, Peter R. Hunt , director of On Her Majesty's Secret Service , stated that Lazenby should have undertaken more films in the role, saying "he would have made a very credible Bond and been very good indeed". Smith and Lavington consider that Lazenby "had chosen to play Bond the same way as Sean Connery had, with perhaps more humility and humanity"; they went on to say that "Lazenby's inexperience rarely shows" in
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#17327834282501680-518: A feature film. Additionally, he appeared in an episode of The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents called "Diamonds Aren't Forever." In 2012, Lazenby made a guest appearance on the Canadian sketch comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes , spoofing the 007 series in a skit called "Help, I've Skyfall en and I Can't Get Up ". Lazenby made another film a year after On Her Majesty's Secret Service – Universal Soldier (1971), which he helped write. He said
1820-442: A fee of $ 3 million ($ 9 million in 2023 dollars), a percentage of the profits, as well as casting, director and script approval. The script has several references to Bond's advancing years, playing on Connery being 52 years of age at the time of filming. David Robinson , reviewing the film for The Times , considered that "Connery ... is back, looking hardly a day older or thicker, and still outclassing every other exponent of
1960-464: A film not made by Eon Productions . Connery and Peter Sellers had both turned down the role. Niven was 56 when he played Bond and his characterisation was that of an elderly man who had won the Victoria Cross at the siege of Mafeking , had a daughter by his lover, the spy Mata Hari , played Claude Debussy on the piano, ate royal jelly and cultivated black roses. The concept of Bond
2100-594: A film to be released in 2004, negotiations stalled and Brosnan announced his intention to leave the franchise in July 2004. On 14 October 2005, Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony Pictures Entertainment introduced at a press conference in London Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to portray Bond in the Eon series. A tuxedo- and lifejacket-clad Craig arrived via a Royal Navy speedboat. Craig accepted
2240-463: A film with Lee, which was going to be the Golden Harvest film Game of Death . However, the plan collapsed after Lee's sudden death. Lazenby was meant to meet Lee for dinner on the day Lee died. In the end, Lazenby shot three films for Golden Harvest: The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss , The Man from Hong Kong (1975) (also known as The Dragon Flies ), and A Queen's Ransom (1976). In
2380-400: A front-page news story critical of Craig, with the headline, The Name's Bland – James Bland . Craig first played Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale , an adaptation of Fleming's novel of the same name and a reboot of the Eon series, which saw Bond earn his 00 status. Despite the negative press on his appointment, Craig was widely praised by critics and former Bonds after the release of
2520-467: A grace which made him believable as an international playboy, if not purely as an assassin. John G. Stackhouse, for instance, argues that it is preposterous that any man as strikingly handsome as Brosnan, or Connery, could be a secret agent, saying, "When Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan enters a room, everyone notices. Thus it is ridiculous to suppose that James Bond, looking like that, could be a secret agent for longer than about two seconds". Brosnan's Bond
2660-437: A hiatus of one film— On Her Majesty's Secret Service , in which George Lazenby played Bond—Connery returned to the role for Diamonds Are Forever after David Picker, the head of United Artists , made it clear that Connery was to be enticed back to the role and that money was no object. When approached about resuming the role of Bond, Connery demanded—and received—a fee of £1.25 million (£34 million in 2023 pounds), 12.5% of
2800-785: A leading role in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim 's musical Follies . In the 1990s, she had triumphs with roles at the Almeida Theatre in Islington , including Medea in 1992 (which transferred to the Wyndham's Theatre in 1993 and then Broadway in 1994, for which she received the Tony Award for Best Actress), Mother Courage at the National Theatre in 1995 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at
2940-401: A number of actors, including Sam Neill , Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton , audition for the role in 1986. Bond co-producer Michael G. Wilson , director John Glen , Dana and Barbara Broccoli "were impressed with Sam Neill and very much wanted to use him", although Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli was not sold on the actor. Dalton and Brosnan were both considered by Eon, but after Brosnan
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#17327834282503080-507: A part in the film Gettysburg as Confederate General Johnston Pettigrew . On 5 November 2013, comedian Jim Jefferies stated in an interview that Lazenby would be playing Jefferies's father in the then upcoming second season of his FX network sitcom Legit . In 2019, Lazenby starred as Dr. Jason Love in an audiobook version of James Leasor 's spy novel Passport to Oblivion . In 2024, Lazenby announced his retirement from acting and public appearances. Lazenby's single portrayal of
3220-601: A pathologist. The series was not a critical success and did not return for a second season. From 1989 until 2003, she hosted the PBS television series Mystery! , shown in the United States by PBS broadcaster WGBH , taking over from Vincent Price , her co-star in Theatre of Blood . She also appeared in the second series of Ricky Gervais 's comedy Extras , alongside Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe , and in
3360-490: A publicly conducted poll by Radio Times in anticipation to the 25th Bond film, No Time to Die . Dalton's films did not perform as well at the box office as most of the previous films. Commentators such as Screen International considered the Bond series had run its course in the age of series such as Indiana Jones and Lethal Weapon . Edward P. Comentale observed that "Dalton, for all his occasional flat northern vowels,
3500-511: A railway executive in the Bikaner State Railway . She spoke Hindi as her second language in those years. She was later sent back to England to attend a boarding school, Fulneck Girls School , in a Moravian settlement near Pudsey . Rigg hated her boarding school, where she felt like a fish out of water, but believed that Yorkshire played a greater part in shaping her character than India did. She trained as an actress at
3640-605: A role in the BBC 's Play for Today series in 1973, starring in Roger Smith's The Operation . He was meant to follow it with an Anglo-Italian western made in Turkey, followed by a film about rioting students in pre- Castro Cuba , but neither was made. In 1973, Lazenby said he was "flat broke" when he went to Hong Kong to meet Bruce Lee and producer Raymond Chow . They ended up offering him $ 10,000 ($ 68,600 today) to appear in
3780-399: A ruggedness and an intense screen presence this transcends any preconceived notions about the character". Benson also noted that Bond was witty, but contains "an assured toughness that epitomises the machismo male". Roger Moore agreed with Black and Benson, commenting that "Sean was Bond. He created Bond. He embodied Bond and because of Sean, Bond became an instantly recognisable character
3920-403: A screen test, when he accidentally punched a professional wrestler , who was acting as stunt coordinator , in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Lazenby never signed a contract, with negotiations dragging on during production, and he was subsequently unfortunately convinced by his agent Ronan O'Rahilly that the secret agent character image would be archaic in
4060-600: A series of twelve novels and two short story collections written by Fleming and a number of continuation novels and spin-off works after Fleming's death in 1964. Bond's literary portrayal differs in some ways from his treatment in the James Bond films, of which there have been twenty-seven in total , produced and released between 1962 and 2021. Fleming portrayed Bond as a tall, athletic, handsome secret agent in his thirties or forties; he has several vices, including drinking, smoking, gambling, automobiles and womanising. He
4200-611: A suave actor, such as David Niven , playing the role. Producer Albert R. Broccoli —known to all as Cubby—disagreed with Fleming's view, later commenting that "I wanted a ballsy guy ... put a bit of veneer over that tough Scottish hide and you've got Fleming's Bond instead of all the mincing poofs we had applying for the job". Eon's choice of Connery was also based on his looks and sex appeal, an appeal that would later be echoed by Honor Blackman (who played Pussy Galore ), who said, after appearing with Connery in Goldfinger , "He
4340-591: A television adaptation of a play by Noël Coward . She appeared in the Yorkshire Television production of Ibsen 's Hedda Gabler (1981) as Hedda, and as Lady Holiday in the film The Great Muppet Caper (also 1981). The following year she received acclaim for her performance as Arlena Marshall in the film adaptation of Agatha Christie 's Evil Under the Sun , sharing barbs with her character's old rival, played by Maggie Smith . She appeared as Regan,
George Lazenby - Misplaced Pages Continue
4480-586: A very, very long time." Rigg was a Christian . Rigg died at her daughter Rachael Stirling's home in London on 10 September 2020, at the age of 82. Rigg's cause of death was lung cancer , with which she had been diagnosed in March that year. In 1999, Rigg was appointed as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting professor of Contemporary Theatre at St Catherine's College, Oxford ; she held
4620-417: A way to suggest that the violence inherent in the films was a joke, as opposed to Connery's, which was used to mitigate the violence. Moore explained his approach to the humour by saying "to me, the Bond situations are so ridiculous ... I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy, and yet everybody knows he's a spy ... it's outrageous. So you have to treat the humour outrageously as well". Pauline Kael
4760-399: Is also lighter and less intense than Dalton". Black also commented that the shift in character in the first three films reflected changing social opinions, with Bond not smoking. Brosnan was clear he wanted to change Bond's smoking habit, saying "I don't give a damn about everyone's perception of the character: I think smoking causes cancer therefore he doesn't smoke", although he did smoke
4900-439: Is an exceptional marksman, and he is skilled in unarmed combat, skiing, swimming and golf. While Bond kills without hesitation or regret, he usually kills only when carrying out orders, while acting in self-defence, or occasionally as revenge. Bond was first portrayed on screen by American actor Barry Nelson , in a 1954 Climax! television adaptation, " Casino Royale ". In 1961, Eon Productions began work on an adaptation of
5040-547: Is important: this invincible superman that every man would like to copy, that every woman would like to conquer, this dream we all have of survival. And then one can't help liking him". After the pressures of five films in six years, Connery left the role after the 1967 film You Only Live Twice saying, "It became a terrible pressure, like living in a goldfish bowl ... that was part of the reason I wanted to be finished with Bond. Also I had become completely identified with it, and it became very wearing and very boring". After
5180-594: Is live down my past; convince people I'm not the same person who made a fool of himself all those years ago. I know I can do it. All I need is the chance. In 1978, he took out an advertisement in Variety , offering himself for acting work. He offered to work in any role for very little money, he later told a journalist for the Chicago Tribune . "People ask me if the Bond movie wasn't worth it if it got me into acting. It's true that it got me in, but it wasn't worth
5320-673: Is often very frightened and nervous and tense". Smith and Lavington observed that during Dalton's portrayal in Licence to Kill , Bond appeared "self-absorbed ... reckless, brutal, prone to nervous laughter and ... probably insane, or at least seriously disturbed. In the light of Licence to Kill , one academic, Martin Willis, referred to Dalton's Bond as a "muscular vigilante". Steven Jay Rubin noted that Dalton's films had "a hard-edged reality and some unflinching violent episodes that were better suited to Dalton's more realistic approach to
5460-420: Is that once Niven's Bond retired, his name and 007 designation was passed to another agent to keep the legend alive; James Chapman notes that the implication was that the "other Bond" was that played by Connery. Chapman considered the concept of an elderly Bond interesting, with Bond referring to Connery's Bond as a "sexual acrobat who leaves a trail of beautiful dead women behind like blown roses". In line with
5600-526: Is turning into dead wood but hanging on to collect his pension". Only in The Spy Who Loved Me , one of Kael's favourite Bond films, did she praise him describing him as self-effacing: "Moore gets the chance to look scared—an emotion that suits him and makes him more likable". A number of Moore's personal preferences were transferred into his characterisation of Bond: his taste for Cuban cigars and his wearing of safari suits were assigned to
5740-626: The New Statesman thought that he had "relaxed into Bond without losing any steeliness". Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo , wife of James Bond , in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969); Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones (2013–2017); and
George Lazenby - Misplaced Pages Continue
5880-495: The Reader's Digest and catch an episode of Moonlighting – he'd try to memorize the jokes – before nodding off under the influence of Ovaltine . The British reviews of The Living Daylights have been laudatory, perhaps because this Bond is the most British of all, if British is to be understood as a synonym for reserved". Raymond Benson noted that Dalton "purposely played Bond as a ruthless and serious man with very little of
6020-665: The San Francisco Chronicle said that George Clooney "should go down in history as the George Lazenby of the series". Actor Paul McGann has described himself as "the George Lazenby of Doctor Who ". McGann's only starring television role as the Eighth Doctor was in the 1996 television movie . In 2009, Sondre Lerche released a song called "Like Lazenby" on his album Heartbeat Radio , in which he laments squandered opportunities and wishes for
6160-640: The Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother , in the Cannon Movie Tales film adaptation of Snow White (1987). In 1989, she played Helena Vesey in Mother Love for the BBC ; her portrayal of an obsessive mother who was prepared to do anything, even murder, to keep control of her son won Rigg the 1990 BAFTA for Best Television Actress. In 1995, she appeared in a film adaptation for television based on Danielle Steel 's Zoya as Evgenia,
6300-710: The National Theatre Company at The Old Vic from 1972 to 1975, Rigg took leading roles in premiere productions of two Tom Stoppard plays, Dorothy Moore in Jumpers (National Theatre, 1972) and Ruth Carson in Night and Day (Phoenix Theatre, 1978). In 1982, she appeared in the musical Colette , based on the life of the French writer and created by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt , but it closed during an American tour en route to Broadway. In 1987, she took
6440-718: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1955 to 1957, where her classmates included Glenda Jackson and Siân Phillips . Rigg's career in film, television and the theatre was wide-ranging, including roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1959 and 1967, including Gwendolen in Jean Anouilh's Becket, Cordelia in King Lear and Adriana in The Comedy of Errors.( ). Her professional debut
6580-471: The Scots Guards , from 25 March 1982 until their divorce in 1990 after his affair with the actress Joely Richardson . With Stirling, Rigg had a daughter, actress Rachael Stirling , who was born in 1977, five years before their marriage. Rigg was a patron of International Care & Relief and was for many years the public face of the charity's child-sponsorship scheme. She was also chancellor of
6720-555: The University of Stirling , a ceremonial rather than executive role, and was succeeded by James Naughtie when her 10-year term of office ended on 31 July 2008. Michael Parkinson , who first interviewed Rigg in 1972, described her as the most desirable woman he ever met and who "radiated a lustrous beauty". A smoker from the age of 18, Rigg was still smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) a day in 2009. By December 2017, she had stopped smoking after serious illness led to heart surgery,
6860-725: The West Riding of Yorkshire (now in South Yorkshire ), to Louis and Beryl Hilda Rigg (née Helliwell). She had a brother four years her senior. Her father was born in Yorkshire , worked in engineering, and moved to India to work for the railway to take advantage of the career opportunities there. Her mother moved back to England for Rigg's birth. Between the ages of two months and eight years, Rigg lived in Bikaner , Rajasthan, India, where her father worked his way up to become
7000-689: The title role in Medea in the West End in 1993 followed by Broadway a year later. Rigg made her professional stage debut in 1957 in The Caucasian Chalk Circle and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959. She made her Broadway debut in Abelard & Heloise in 1971. Her role as Emma Peel made her a sex symbol . For her role in Medea , both in London and New York, she won
7140-664: The "heroic superman" of Connery. Brian Fairbanks noted that " OHMSS gives us a James Bond capable of vulnerability, a man who can show fear and is not immune to heartbreak. Lazenby is that man, and his performance is superb". Ben Macintyre also observed that of all the Bonds, Lazenby's characterisation was closest to that of Fleming's original literary character envisioned in the 1950s era of spy novels. After Diamonds Are Forever , Broccoli and Saltzman tried to convince Sean Connery to return as Bond, but he declined. After considering Jeremy Brett , Michael Billington and Julian Glover ,
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#17327834282507280-503: The 1958 novel, Dr. No . The result was a film that spawned a series of twenty-five films produced by Eon Productions and two independent films. After considering "refined" English actors such as Cary Grant and David Niven , the producers cast Sean Connery as Bond in the film. Fleming was appalled at the selection of the uncouth 31-year-old Scottish actor, considering him the antithesis of his character. However, Connery's physical prowess and sexual magnetism became closely identified with
7420-408: The 1960s, Rigg lived for eight years with director Philip Saville , gaining attention in the tabloid press when she disclaimed interest in marrying the older and already-married Saville, saying that she had no desire "to be respectable". She was married to Menachem Gueffen , an Israeli painter, from 1973 until their divorce in 1976 and to Archie Stirling , a theatrical producer and former officer in
7560-429: The 1972 Italian giallo film Who Saw Her Die? opposite Anita Strindberg , a performance for which he lost 35 pounds and received positive reviews. He spent the next 15 months sailing around the world with Chrissie Townson; the trip ended when she became pregnant with their first child, prompting Lazenby to settle down and try to reactivate his career as an actor. In February 1973, he revealed that he had spent all of
7700-802: The 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play . She was appointed CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for services to drama. Rigg appeared in numerous TV series and films, playing Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968); Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and Arlena Marshall in Evil Under the Sun (1982). She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC miniseries Mother Love (1989) and an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (1997). Her other television credits include You, Me and
7840-450: The 2005 film Munich , called him "the perfect 21st-century Bond". Paul Arendt, writing for the BBC , agreed, observing that "Daniel Craig is not a good Bond. He's a great Bond. Specifically, he is 007 as conceived by Ian Fleming—a professional killing machine, a charming, cold-hearted patriot with a taste for luxury. Craig is the first actor to really nail 007's defining characteristic: he's an absolute swine". James Chapman commented on
7980-441: The 2006 film The Painted Veil , in which she played a nun. In 2013, she appeared in an episode of Doctor Who in a Victorian era–based story called " The Crimson Horror " alongside her daughter Rachael Stirling , Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman . The episode had been specially written for her and her daughter by Mark Gatiss and aired as part of series 7 . It was not the first time mother and daughter had appeared in
8120-916: The Almeida Theatre in 1996 (which transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in October 1996). In 2004, she appeared as Violet Venable in Sheffield Theatres ' production of Tennessee Williams 's play Suddenly Last Summer , which transferred to the Albery Theatre . In 2006, she appeared at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End in a drama entitled Honour which had a limited but successful run. In 2007, she appeared as Huma Rojo in The Old Vic's production of All About My Mother , adapted by Samuel Adamson and based on
8260-770: The Apocalypse (2015), Detectorists (2015), the Doctor Who episode " The Crimson Horror " (2013) with her daughter Rachael Stirling , and playing Mrs Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small (2020). Her final role was in Edgar Wright 's 2021 psychological horror film Last Night in Soho , completed just before her death. Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg was born on 20 July 1938 in Doncaster , then in
8400-441: The Bond role in 1994, Eon turned to the actor they had considered after A View to a Kill : Pierce Brosnan . He was offered a three-film contract, with an option on a fourth; his salary for his first film, GoldenEye , was $ 4 million, which rose to $ 16.5 million for his fourth and final outing, Die Another Day . Brosnan had first met Broccoli on the set of For Your Eyes Only , when Brosnan's wife, Cassandra Harris ,
8540-455: The Fleming novels, Dalton was pleased to discover that Bond was a human being, he says), and that may be true, if the Fleming original lacked charm, sex appeal and wit. Timothy Dalton's Bond is a serious bloke who swallows his words and approaches his job with responsibility and humanity, and eschews promiscuity – Dirtless Harry . You get the feeling that on his off nights, he might curl up with
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#17327834282508680-500: The Queen of Thorns, the paternal grandmother of regular character Margaery Tyrell . Her performance was well received by critics and audiences alike, and earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013. She reprised her role in season four of Game of Thrones , and in July 2014 received another Guest Actress Emmy nomination. In 2015 and 2016, she again reprised
8820-478: The United States. In 1973–74, she starred in a short-lived US sitcom called Diana . Her other films from this period include The Assassination Bureau (1969), Julius Caesar (1970), The Hospital (1971), Theatre of Blood (1973), In This House of Brede (1975), based on the book by Rumer Godden , and A Little Night Music (1977). She appeared as the title character in The Marquise (1980),
8960-428: The actor "should be credited with having established a new style of performance: a British screen hero in the manner of an American leading man". In his second film, From Russia with Love , Connery looked less nervous and edgy; he gave "a relaxed, wry performance of subtle wit and style". Pfeiffer and Worrall noted that Connery "personified James Bond with such perfection that even Ian Fleming ... admitted that it
9100-572: The actor had "old-fashioned, darkly handsome matinee idol looks". With Brosnan, the Bond writers knew that because of the changes in public attitudes, he could not be as overtly sexual and dominant over women as Connery's Bond, and was denounced by M in GoldenEye as a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War ". Brosnan was seen by many as the quintessential James Bond in appearance and manner; displaying an air of coolness, elegance and
9240-526: The audition, Lazenby accidentally punched a professional wrestler , who was acting as stunt coordinator , in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Director Peter R. Hunt felt that just because Lazenby starred in the movie, it did not make him an actor. In July 1969, after making On Her Majesty's Secret Service , Lazenby returned home to Queanbeyan to see his parents. He said he had 18 films to consider, but most of them were bad, adding that he had to "wait and see". He also told
9380-410: The best actor of the four he worked with. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz agreed with this view, praising Dalton's "androgynous... and evil" screen persona. Director John Glen also felt that Dalton was the best actor who portrayed Bond, and that he was ahead of his time, noting the comparisons between Daniel Craig's incarnation to that of Dalton's. Dalton was voted the second-best Bond, behind Connery, in
9520-771: The breaking of the German diplomatic code. One of the German documents cracked and read by the British was the Zimmermann Telegram , which was coded 0075, and which was one of the factors that led to the US entering the war as an ally against the Central Powers . Subsequently, if material was graded 00 it meant it was highly classified. Fleming later told a journalist: "When I was at the Admiralty ;... all
9660-425: The casino. Bond is now definitely all set for the Seventies". Judith Crist of New York Magazine commented that, "This time around there's less suavity and a no-nonsense muscularity and maleness to the role via the handsome Mr. Lazenby". Feminist film critic Molly Haskell wrote an approving review in the Village Voice : "Lazenby ... seems more comfortable in a wet tuxedo than a dry martini, more at ease as
9800-409: The character differed considerably from Fleming's, being more promiscuous and cold-blooded than the literary version. Connery described Bond as "a complete sensualist—senses highly tuned, awake to everything, quite amoral. I particularly like him because he thrives on conflict". Academic James Chapman observed that, for Dr. No , Connery's interpretation of the character, although not complete, showed
9940-515: The character for the films, saying "I said to the producers that the character had one defect, there was no humor about him; to get him accepted, they'd have to let me play him tongue-in-cheek, so people could laugh. They agreed, and there you are: today Bond is accepted to such an extent that even philosophers take the trouble to analyze him, even intellectuals enjoy defending him or attacking him. And even while they're laughing at him, people take him terribly seriously". Connery went on to add that "Bond
10080-427: The character". Rubin considered Dalton's portrayal "Fleming's Bond ... the suffering Bond". In contrast to the previous incarnations of the character, Smith and Lavington identified Dalton's humour as "brooding rather than flippant"; combined with his heavy smoking, they considered him "an effective leading man". Although Bond screenwriter Richard Maibaum called Sean Connery the best Bond, he considered Dalton
10220-420: The character's Englishness with a classless internationalism that is highly knowing". Andrew Spicer says that "Brosnan's frame carries the 'Armani look' with its refined understated Englishness, to perfection. His lithe, sinuous athleticism is well suited to the fast-paced action and state-of-the-art gadgetry that retains the series' core appeal". James Chapman also considered Brosnan's appearance striking, saying
10360-551: The character, with Fleming ultimately changing his view on Connery and incorporating aspects of his portrayal into the books. Seven actors in total have portrayed Bond in film. Following Connery's portrayal, David Niven, George Lazenby , Roger Moore , Timothy Dalton , Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have assumed the role. These screen versions have retained many traits from Fleming's depiction, although some of Bond's less politically correct traits have been phased out (such as his treatment of women and smoking). Despite depicting
10500-428: The character. Moore's use of cigars in his early films put him in contrast to the cigarette-smoking Connery, Lazenby and Dalton. By the time of Moore's fifth film, For Your Eyes Only , released in 1981, his characterisation had come to represent an old-fashioned character, in contrast to the fashionability Connery had brought to the role in the 1960s. In 1985 Moore appeared in his seventh and final film, A View to
10640-424: The film in protest. Craig, unlike previous actors, was not considered by the protesters to fit the tall, dark, handsome and charismatic image of Bond to which viewers had been accustomed. Many disparagingly called him "James Blonde", believing the 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) blond-haired, blue-eyed Craig far from the traditional tall, dark and suave actors who had earlier portrayed him. The Daily Mirror ran
10780-778: The film of the same title directed by Pedro Almodóvar . She appeared in 2008 in The Cherry Orchard at the Chichester Festival Theatre , returning there in 2009 to star in Noël Coward 's Hay Fever . In 2011, she played Mrs Higgins in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre , opposite Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon , having played Eliza Doolittle 37 years earlier at the Albery Theatre . In February 2018, she returned to Broadway in
10920-478: The film, and that "he invariably rises to the occasion". Alexander Walker in the Evening Standard of London , said that, "The truth is that George Lazenby is almost as good a James Bond as the man whom he humorously referred to in this film as 'this never happened to the other fellow'?!. Lazenby's voice is more suave than sexy-sinister and he could pass for the other fellow's twin on the shady side of
11060-457: The film, many of whom believed he was the first actor to truly nail the character as portrayed by Fleming. Todd McCarthy , reviewing the film for Variety , considered that "Craig comes closer to the author's original conception of this exceptionally long-lived male fantasy figure than anyone since early Sean Connery", and he went on to say that "Craig once and for all claims the character as his own". Steven Spielberg , who had directed Craig in
11200-677: The first couple of episodes. After that, we became equal, and loved each other professionally and sparked off each other. And we'd then improvise, write our own lines. They trusted us. Particularly our scenes when we were finding a dead body—I mean, another dead body. How do you get round that one? They allowed us to do it." Asked if she had stayed in touch with Macnee (the interview was published two days before Macnee's death and decades after they were reunited on her short-lived American series Diana ): "You'll always be close to somebody that you worked with very intimately for so long, and you become really fond of each other. But we haven't seen each other for
11340-431: The gender pay gap." She did not stay for a third year. Patrick Macnee noted that Rigg had later told him that she considered Macnee and her driver to be her only friends on the set. On the big screen, she became a Bond girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), playing Tracy Bond , James Bond 's only wife, opposite George Lazenby . She said she took the role with the hope that she would become better known in
11480-472: The gentleman spy ... by Ian Fleming" have now gone; he went on to say that "this character is remarkably close both in deed and action to the eponymous hero of the new Batman film". Not all viewers were taken with Dalton. Jay Scott of The Globe and Mail was entirely dismissive. "The new Bond has been widely described in feature stories as a throwback to the Ian Fleming original (studying
11620-440: The gross profits and, as a further enticement, United Artists offered to back two films of his choice. His performance received mixed reviews, with Raymond Benson considering that Connery "looks weary and bored ... he is overweight, slow-moving, and doesn't seem to be trying to create a credible character". Despite that, Benson considers that Connery "still radiates more screen presence than Roger Moore or George Lazenby". On
11760-455: The iconic Bond character, and his lack of standing as a favourite in the series, has resulted in his name being used as a metaphor for forgettable, non-iconic acting efforts in other entertainment franchises, and for entities that are largely ignored. In his review of Batman & Robin , widely regarded as the weakest and least successful film in the Batman film franchise , Mick LaSalle of
11900-432: The king's treacherous second daughter, in a Granada Television production of King Lear (1983) which starred Laurence Olivier in the title role. As Lady Dedlock, she co-starred with Denholm Elliott in a television version of Dickens ' Bleak House (BBC, 1985). In 1986, she played Miss Hardbroom in a Central Television adaptation of The Worst Witch , starring opposite Tim Curry . The following year, she played
12040-630: The late 1970s, he moved into business and invested in real estate. Lazenby later appeared in roles that parodied James Bond . In 2017, a Hulu docudrama film, Becoming Bond , featured Lazenby recounting his life story and portrayal of Bond. George Robert Lazenby was born on 5 September 1939 in Goulburn, New South Wales , at Ovada Private Hospital, to railway worker George Edward Lazenby and Fosseys retail worker Sheila Joan Lazenby (née Bodel). He attended Goulburn Public School in his primary years and Goulburn High School until 1954. His sister Barbara
12180-424: The liberated 1970s. Lazenby also felt that he had received poor treatment on the film set. Several of his co-stars felt that Lazenby had made a mistake, including Diana Rigg and Desmond Llewelyn . Lazenby acknowledged the worry but insisted that he had made the correct decision. At the time of the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service , Lazenby's performance received mixed reviews. Critics felt that while he
12320-678: The liberated 1970s; as a result he left the role of Agent 007 even before the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. For his performance as Bond, Lazenby was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor at the following year's 27th Golden Globe Awards in February 1970. Critical opinion was split about Lazenby; he has been considered to have been the worst Bond, and has variously been described as "laconic and humourless", "a little stiff" and "annoying and smug". Derek Malcolm of The Guardian
12460-468: The literary Bond, Niven's character drives a vintage Bentley , rather than the Aston Martin favoured by Connery. Bond scholar Steven Jay Rubin thought Niven perfectly cast as the retired Bond, and saw him as "a throw-back to the hell-for-leather adventure heroes" of the character, which paralleled Niven's own life and career. Barnes and Hearn describe this as a "perfectly fair interpretation", given
12600-427: The lives of real men named James Bond, is inspired by Lazenby's line in the beginning of On Her Majesty's Secret Service , "This never happened to the other fellow", a reference to Sean Connery. Bauer told Filmink that he chose the title because "these are the situations that our characters face – continuously being in the shadow of this movie icon." While working as a car salesman at the age of 21, Lazenby fathered
12740-546: The main character's grandmother. She appeared on television as Mrs Danvers in Rebecca (1997), winning an Emmy , as well as the PBS production Moll Flanders , and as the amateur detective Mrs Bradley in The Mrs Bradley Mysteries . In this BBC series, first aired in 2000, she played Gladys Mitchell 's detective, Dame Beatrice Adela Le Strange Bradley, an eccentric old woman who worked for Scotland Yard as
12880-553: The mid-1970s, Lazenby appeared in a number of television movies shot in his native Australia, and an episode of the local police drama series Matlock Police . He also returned to modelling, appearing in a number of advertisements for Benson & Hedges cigarettes. A few years later, in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly , he stated that he did not really feel like an actor as he had had very few acting roles, but added that he would embrace being an actor if he
13020-459: The money he had earned from playing Bond, had experienced two nervous breakdowns, and had become an alcoholic . He felt that if he had continued in the role, he would have gone crazy due to the mental stress that the role brings. He later said, "I burnt some bridges behind me, and it was fun, really. I'm sort of glad I did it and I know I won't have to do it again. I can look back and laugh because I didn't hurt anyone — except myself." Lazenby played
13160-411: The most elegant and mannerly of the Bonds, with the voice and style of an English debonair country gentleman. Benson agreed, stating that Moore was, "too nice and well-mannered to be a James Bond of any real substance", while Doug Pratt said that "the writers worked out an amenable personality for Roger Moore and found a breezy balance between comedy and action". To make Moore's character appear tougher,
13300-417: The movie was "anti-guns and anti-Bond". Due to his reported poor treatment on the set of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, he sought out a director whom he would work with better and found Cy Endfield . Lazenby helped to fund the film. Lazenby admitted that after he left the role of Bond, he was unhireable. He landed few roles, to the point that his agent described him as "difficult". Lazenby next appeared in
13440-553: The non-singing role of Mrs Higgins in My Fair Lady . She commented, "I think it's so special. When I was offered Mrs Higgins, I thought it was just such a lovely idea." She received her fourth Tony nomination for the role. From 1965 to 1968, Rigg appeared in the British 1960s television series The Avengers (1961–69) opposite Patrick Macnee as John Steed , playing the secret agent Emma Peel in 51 episodes. She replaced Elizabeth Shepherd at very short notice when Shepherd
13580-442: The other hand, Pauline Kael said "Connery's James Bond is less lecherous than before and less foppish—and he's better this way". Producer Jack Schwartzman moved ahead with a non-Eon Bond film in the early 1980s, following the controversy over the 1961 novel Thunderball and the subsequent long legal battle ; the result was Never Say Never Again . Connery accepted an offer to play Bond once more, asking for (and receiving)
13720-515: The press, "I don't think I'm ready for anything like Hamlet yet but I'd love to play Ned Kelly ." Lazenby was offered the chance to portray Bond on film again, in The Man with the Golden Gun . However, prior to the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service , Lazenby decided to leave the role of Bond after his agent, Ronan O'Rahilly , convinced him that the secret agent would be archaic in
13860-486: The realism and violence in the film, noting that Bond is seen to seriously bleed for the first time in the series; Chapman also identified a number of violent scenes which make Casino Royale notable in the series. In 2012 Skyfall was released; it was Craig's third outing as 007. Reviewing the film, Philip French , writing in The Observer , considered that Craig managed to "get out of the shadow of Connery", while
14000-422: The rest of the cast and crew. Sean Connery came to Lazenby's defence, saying that in the time that he knew Lazenby, he had not acted arrogant, instead applying that label to Broccoli. Lazenby went on to add: It hasn't been easy, trying to climb back .... I admit I acted stupidly. It went to my head, everything that was happening to me. But remember, it was my first film .... Now what I've got to do
14140-514: The role based on the strength of the script for Casino Royale ; he later recalled that "once I sat down and read the story, I just thought that I wanted to tell [it] ... I'm a big Bond fan, and I love what he represents". Significant controversy followed the decision, with some critics and fans expressing doubt the producers had made the right choice. Throughout the entire production period, Internet campaigns such as danielcraigisnotbond.com expressed their dissatisfaction and threatened to boycott
14280-399: The role in seasons five and six in an expanded role from the books. In 2015 and 2018, she received two additional Guest Actress Emmy nominations. The character was killed off in the seventh season , with Rigg's final performance receiving wide critical acclaim. In April 2019 Rigg said she had never watched Game of Thrones , before or after her time on the show. During autumn 2019, Rigg
14420-624: The role, in the goodnatured throwaway with which he parries all the sex and violence on the way". In 2003, Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute . When Sean Connery had been cast in November 1961, David Niven had been Fleming's choice for the role; the actor reflected the author's image of the character. In 1965 producer Charles Feldman signed Niven to play Sir James Bond for Casino Royale ,
14560-455: The same barbershop. Broccoli later saw him in the Big Fry commercial and felt he could possibly portray Bond, on which basis he invited him to do a screen test. Lazenby dressed for the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements, such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit, which had been ordered, but not collected, by Connery. Broccoli offered him an audition. During
14700-494: The same character, there have been notable differences among the Bond portrayals. Daniel Craig is the incumbent Bond in the Eon series and has played the character five times, most recently in No Time to Die released in 2021. Connery and Moore have played the character the most times, appearing in seven films each (including Connery's non-Eon film portrayal in 1983's Never Say Never Again ). A Secret Service agent, James Bond
14840-548: The same production – that was in the 2000 NBC film In the Beginning – but the first time she had worked directly with her daughter and the first time in her career her roots were accessed to find a Doncaster, Yorkshire, accent. That same year Rigg was cast in a recurring role in the third season of the HBO series Game of Thrones , portraying Lady Olenna Tyrell , a witty and sarcastic political mastermind popularly known as
14980-428: The series of books and he smokes up to 70 cigarettes a day. Fleming decided to underplay Bond's character, observing: "Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure." On another occasion, he reinforced his point: "When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened; I wanted him to be a blunt instrument." Sean Connery
15120-514: The series. Lazenby began his professional career as a model and had only acted in commercials when he was cast to replace the original Bond actor, Sean Connery . He declined to return for subsequent Bond films and instead pursued roles in Universal Soldier (1971), Who Saw Her Die? (1972), The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974), The Man from Hong Kong (1975), and The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). After his career stalled in
15260-741: The ten years it cost me." The following year, he had a substantial supporting role in Saint Jack (1979), directed by Peter Bogdanovich . Filmink magazine called it "one of the best things – if not the best thing – Lazenby ever did outside of Bond." Lazenby was particularly keen to obtain a role in The Thorn Birds , but that project was not made until a number of years later, and without Lazenby. He did manage to secure roles in Hawaii Five-O and Evening in Byzantium . The latter
15400-516: The third major actor (following Sean Connery and David Niven ) to play the role of Bond. He first came to their attention in a Fry's Chocolate Cream advertisement. Lazenby dressed the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit (ordered, but uncollected, by Connery), and going to Connery's barber at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Lazenby consolidated his claim during
15540-478: The tooth", and in December 2007 admitted that he "was only about four hundred years too old for the part". Like Connery, Moore appeared as Bond in seven films; by the time he retired in 1985, he was the oldest actor to play 007 in the Eon series, and his Bond films had earned over $ 1 billion at the box office. With the retirement of Roger Moore in 1985, a search for a new actor to play Bond took place that saw
15680-471: The top-secret signals had the double-0 prefix ... and I decided to borrow it for Bond." Although James Bond is in his mid-to-late thirties, he does not age in Fleming's stories. Fleming biographer Andrew Lycett noted that, "within the first few pages [of Casino Royale ] Ian had introduced most of Bond's idiosyncrasies and trademarks", which included his looks, his Bentley and his smoking and drinking habits: Bond's penchant for alcohol runs throughout
15820-582: The two producers finally turned to Roger Moore , whom they had previously discussed for On Her Majesty's Secret Service , but who had been unavailable, and he was ultimately cast to play Bond in Live and Let Die . At the time Moore was an established television actor, known for his performances as Simon Templar in The Saint and Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders! , in both of which he played
15960-441: The way Niven approached the role, while Raymond Benson thinks casting Niven was "intelligent". Jeremy Black questioned the use of Niven in the role, observing that he did not seem to be a killer, and did not have the "disconcerting edge" that Connery had. With the departure of Connery after You Only Live Twice (1967), Broccoli and director Peter R. Hunt chose little-known Australian actor George Lazenby (born 1939), to be
16100-454: The way that she was treated by production company ABC Weekend TV . For her second series, she held out for a pay rise from £150 a week to £450; she said in 2019 – when gender pay inequality was very much in the news – that "not one woman in the industry supported me... Neither did Patrick [Macnee, her co-star]... I was painted as this mercenary creature by the press when all I wanted was equality. It's so depressing that we are still talking about
16240-482: The wit displayed by Connery, Lazenby or Moore", and considered him "the most accurate and literal interpretation of the role ... ever seen on screen". His character also reflected a degree of moral ambiguity; in Licence to Kill , for instance, he becomes a rogue agent, while Dalton himself saw the character as a "man, not a superhuman; a man who is beset with moral confusions and apathies and uncertainties, and who
16380-430: The world over—he was rough, tough, mean and witty ... he was a bloody good 007". However, despite his charm and virility, Connery was characteristically laconic in his delivery. Christopher Bray says of him that "in his single-minded, laconic, mocking, self-sufficient vanity, Connery's Bond was the epitome of sixties consumer culture". Interviewed by Oriana Fallaci in 1965, Connery identified where he had altered
16520-559: Was "less of a womaniser, tougher and closer to the darker character Ian Fleming wrote about". James Chapman also considered Dalton closer to Fleming's Bond than the previous actors, writing that Dalton was "clearly less comfortable ... with the witty asides and one-liners ... so he becomes something closer to the Bond of the books, who rarely develops a sense of humour". When reviewing Licence to Kill , Iain Johnstone of The Sunday Times disagreed, declaring that "any vestiges of
16660-604: Was a composite based on a number of commandos that author Ian Fleming had known during his service in the Naval Intelligence Division during World War II , to whom he added his own style and a number of his own tastes. Fleming appropriated his character's name from the American ornithologist of the same name . Bond's code number 007 (pronounced "double-O[ / oʊ / ]-seven") comes from one of British naval intelligence's key achievements of World War I :
16800-415: Was a fairly vocal critic of Moore's, dismissing him as an "iceberg" in The Man with the Golden Gun . In reviewing For Your Eyes Only , she wrote "Roger Moore is Bond again, and his idea of Bond's imperturbable cool is the same as playing dead". Reviewing Moonraker , she wrote "Roger Moore is dutiful and passive as Bond; his clothes are neatly pressed and he shows up for work, like an office manager who
16940-438: Was a throwaway, and certainly in the later films, verged on self-parody. It was an essential strand in the increasingly tongue-in-cheek direction of the series which became more light-hearted, knowing and playfully intertextual". Chapman noted that Moore was the most comedic of the Bonds, with a more light-hearted approach to playing the character with a mocking wit and innuendo. Additionally, Moore's one-liners were delivered in
17080-513: Was an accomplished dancer. When he was young, he spent 18 months in hospital after he underwent an operation that left him with only half a kidney. When Lazenby was about 14, he moved with his family from Goulburn to Queanbeyan , where his father ran a store. He served in the Australian Army , then afterwards worked as a car salesman and mechanic. Lazenby moved to London in 1963 to pursue a woman with whom he had fallen in love. He became
17220-545: Was appearing in the film as Countess Lisl von Schlaf, and the couple lunched with Broccoli during filming. Brosnan went on to play a criminal-turned-private investigator in Remington Steele in the 1980s, where he captured some of the traits of previous Bonds in playing the role: like Moore, he exemplified a high degree of suavity, elegance, charm and wit, but displayed a masculinity and grittiness on occasion reminiscent of Connery's Bond, both successfully "combine
17360-651: Was as Natasha Abashwilli in the RADA production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the York Festival in 1957. She returned to the stage in the Ronald Millar play Abelard and Heloïse in London in 1970 and made her Broadway debut with the play in 1971, in which she appeared nude with Keith Michell . She earned the first of three Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Play . She received her second nomination in 1975, for The Misanthrope . A member of
17500-544: Was considered to reprise the role of James Bond in Never Say Never Again . However, Sean Connery was chosen for the role instead. Lazenby has appeared as James Bond in various parodies and unofficial 007 roles, including the 1983 television film The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. , where his character is identified only by the initials J. B., and the 1996 video game Fox Hunt , parts of which were reedited into
17640-529: Was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour when he was 11 and died at age 19 in 1994. The two divorced shortly after, in 1995. Melanie is a real estate broker in New York, working for Douglas Elliman . In 2002, Lazenby married former tennis player Pam Shriver and they had three children, including son George Junior Lazenby, born on 12 July 2004.The family lived in Brentwood, California . In August 2008, it
17780-496: Was difficult imagining anyone else in the part"; academic Jeremy Black agreed, and declared that "Connery made the role his own and created the Bond audience for the cinema". Black also observed that Connery gave the character a "spare, pared-down character ... [with] inner bleakness along with the style". Connery played Bond with "the right mix of cool charisma, violence and arrogance ... against which all others are judged". Raymond Benson perceived that Connery "embodies
17920-429: Was dismissive of Lazenby's performance, saying that he "is not a good actor and though I never thought Sean Connery was all that stylish either, there are moments when one yearns for a little of his louche panache". The New York Times critic AH Weiler also weighed in against Lazenby, saying that "Lazenby, if not a spurious Bond, is merely a casual, pleasant, satisfactory replacement". Pauline Kael called Lazenby "quite
18060-432: Was dropped from the role after filming two episodes. Rigg auditioned for the role on a whim, without ever having seen the programme. Although she was hugely successful in the series, she disliked the lack of privacy that it brought and was not comfortable in her position as a sex symbol . In an interview with The Guardian in 2019, Rigg stated that "becoming a sex symbol overnight had shocked (her)". She also did not like
18200-545: Was eventually ruled out by his Remington Steele contract, Dalton was appointed in August 1986 on a salary of $ 5.2 million. When he was either 24 or 25 years old Dalton had discussed playing Bond with Broccoli, but decided he was too young to accept the role, thinking Bond should be portrayed as being between 35 and 40 years old. In preparing for the role, Dalton, a green-eyed, dark haired, slender, 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) classically trained Shakespearean actor,
18340-460: Was exceedingly handsome, virile and sexy and that really was the tenor of what the script was always trying to display". After Connery was chosen, director Terence Young took the actor to his tailor and hairdresser, and introduced him to the high life, restaurants, casinos and women of London. In the words of Bond writer Raymond Benson , Young educated the actor "in the ways of being dapper, witty, and above all, cool". Connery's interpretation of
18480-402: Was filming the role of Mrs Pumphrey at Broughton Hall , near Skipton, for All Creatures Great and Small . Rigg died after filming of the first season had been completed. Her final performance was in the British psychological horror film Last Night in Soho , in which she had a major supporting role. The film was in post-production at the time of her death and is dedicated to her memory. In
18620-563: Was introduced in GoldenEye ; James Chapman argues that the film works his portrayal of Bond into the history of the others in the series through the post-credits sequence use of the Aston Martin DB5 , previously seen in Goldfinger and Thunderball , "thus immediately evoking the memory of [Sean] Connery". Brosnan's characterisation of Bond was seen by Jeremy Black as being "closer to the Fleming novels than Moore ... yet he
18760-470: Was keen to portray the character as accurately as possible, reading up extensively on the books before his role in The Living Daylights (1987). Dalton's Bond was a serious one: dark, cold, stern, ruthless, showing little humour, and focused as a killer with little time for fun and indulgence. Dalton's interpretation of the character came from his "desire to see a darker Bond", one that
18900-417: Was offered more jobs. In the late 1970s, Lazenby moved to Hollywood , California, where he started taking acting lessons and set about trying to obtain more acting work. In 1978, Broccoli described casting Lazenby as his biggest mistake, claiming that the actor couldn't deal with fame and labeling him as "very arrogant". He felt that Lazenby did not understand how a film set worked and did not mesh well with
19040-420: Was physically convincing, he delivered his lines poorly. In the years since the film was released, public perception has become more positive. Broccoli publicly defended Lazenby's performance, saying that while he was not the best actor, he was still great for the role of Bond. He did admit that he found Lazenby's post-movie attitude annoying, feeling that he did not respect the character and was arrogant. Lazenby
19180-432: Was probably too much the stage actor to be convincing as an action hero in the age of Willis , Schwarzenegger and Stallone ". After just two films— The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill —litigation ensued over the licensing of the Bond catalogue, delaying what would have been Dalton's third film by several years. His six-year contract expired in 1993 and he left the series in 1994. After Timothy Dalton retired from
19320-490: Was reported that Shriver had filed for divorce from Lazenby, citing " irreconcilable differences ". Their divorce was finalised in May 2011. In late 2023, Lazenby was injured in a fall and he was briefly hospitalised. On 18 December, he returned home. Portrayal of James Bond in film James Bond is a fictional character created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1952. The character first appeared in
19460-514: Was seen by Harry Saltzman , who offered Lazenby a leading role in a proposed science fiction film, The Micronauts . According to Lazenby, Saltzman had previously claimed that the pair would never work together again. Lazenby made a guest appearance on the television series Superboy , as Jor-El , in a two-part episode during the series' second season in 1990. He appeared with Sylvia Kristel in several new Emmanuelle films in 1993, many of which appeared on cable television. In 1993, Lazenby had
19600-478: Was the first actor to portray Bond in film in Dr. No (1962). A Scottish amateur bodybuilder, he had come to the attention of the Bond film producers after several appearances in British films from the late 1950s. At a muscular 6 ft 2 in (188 cm), Connery was initially met with disapproval from Fleming, who believed he was an overgrown stuntman lacking the finesse and elegance to play James Bond; he envisaged
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