George Lazenby: The forgotten James Bond George Lazenby: The forgotten James Bond mattmcd George Lazenby More Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond, " Skyfall ," doesn't hit theaters in the US until this Friday, but it's already racked in an astonishing $287 million worldwide. With three under his belt, Craig passes Timothy Dalton, who played Bond just twice. And since Craig has signed on to do two more, he's on track to exceed Pierce Brosnan's total of four. But he still has a ways to go if he's going to match Sean Connery and Roger Moore, who played 007 in, yes, seven movies. But there is one actor who played the role just once. With no prior acting experience he won one of the most coveted roles in cinema. But the job, and the fame, disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. His name is Lazenby... George Lazenby, and he was the first person to take Sean Connery's place as Bond in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Connery had been catapulted to international stardom after debuting as James Bond in 1963's "Dr.

No," and his subsequent films became a worldwide phenomenon. But Connery became increasingly frustrated in dealing with the producers of the Bond series, Harry Saltzman and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. In "Everything or Nothing," a documentary about the history of Bond on film that is still airing on the EPIX channel, Connery is quoted as saying, "The producers were frightfully greedy." So after his fifth film, 1967's "You Only Live Twice," Connery declared he was done with Bond. The search for a new star began. [Photos: The 10 best Bond movie posters ] Enter George Lazenby. He was an Australian native who moved to London in 1963, the same year "Dr. No" hit theaters. He went from selling used cars to becoming a successful male model, but other than some TV commercials he had no acting credits to his name. That didn't stop him from setting his sights on becoming Bond, though.

In "Everything or Nothing," Lazenby, now 73 years old, recalled that at the time, " I had nothing on my mind, night and day, except getting that job." He purchased a Savile Row suit that was originally made for Connery, along with a Rolex like the one Bond wore. He even got a haircut by Connery's barber. Then, as Lazenby told it, he went to the office Saltzman and Broccoli at EON Productions and waited. The moment the receptionist turned her back, he bounded past her. Lazenby said she tried to stop him, "But it was too late. I was already up the stairs and leaning on the door saying, 'I heard you're looking for James Bond.'" When the producers inquired about his resume, he listed off fake credits in various foreign countries, hoping they wouldn't have any way of checking to see if he was telling the truth. Suitably impressed, they scheduled a meeting for Lazenby with the film's director, Peter Hunt. It was there that Lazenby admitted to Hunt that he had actually never acted before. Lazenby said the director told him, "You tell me you can't act?

You fooled two of the most ruthless guys I've ever met in my life. You're an actor!" Watch George Lazenby in a clip from 'Everything or Nothing': [Related: Live like 007 in the 'Skyfall' Dream Sweepstakes ] What followed next was four months of testing to convince the producers and the studio, United Artists, that Lazenby was up for the challenge. He had to prove he could swim and ride horses. The studio also wanted to see if Lazenby could be convincing in an action scene, so he had to do a mock fight with a stuntman. Lazenby may not have had any movie experience, but he said he had plenty of practice using his fists from his rough-and-tumble upbringing in Australia. Lazenby got a little too into the fight, and he accidentally slugged the stuntman right in the face. With that, Saltzman told Lazenby he had the role. So after working so hard to secure the role of James Bond, why did Lazenby only get to play him once? Lazenby said that the instantaneous fame got to him. He said, "The monster side of you would come out...

I believed I could do anything." But while endless partying and carousing could have been excused as just getting into character as 007, it was the draw of the late '60s counterculture that really turned Lazenby against Bond. Lazenby struck up a close relationship with Ronan O'Rahilly, a highly visible figure in the London scene who created Radio Caroline, the unlicensed pirate radio station that broadcasted rock 'n' roll from a ship anchored off English coast (it served as the inspiration for the 2009 film "The Boat That Rocked"). "He took me under his wing. He was anti-establishment, and he could hurt the establishment by taking me away from it." O'Rahilly turned Lazenby against Saltzman and Broccoli, telling him that he would be typecast as Bond and would never be able to take different sorts of roles. "It was the hippie movement... People were [about] peace, not war.

And Bond was about war." Read More George Lazenby | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Last: On Her Majesty's Secret Service George Robert Lazenby (born September 5, 1939) is an Australian actor best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service . Contents [ show ] Biography George Lazenby was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, and served in the Australian Army Special forces and as a military unarmed combat instructor. He moved to London in 1964; working as a car salesman and as a model, then as an actor in advertising, by 1968, he was the highest-paid model in the world (it is said that in 1967, he made £40,000 directly from modelling, and £60,000 from commercials and product endorsements—equivalent to more than a million pounds in 2004); he also was the European Marlboro Man.

In the 1970s he worked in Hong Kong with Bruce Lee; a luncheon meeting with Lee and Raymond Chow to discuss a movie project collapsed with Lee's sudden death. Despite having starred in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), the combined gross earnings of which exceeded $100 million worldwide in the 1970s (then the standard establishing an actor as a box office success), Lazenby's career never flourished. He then focused on business and real estate investments and ended up owning mansions in Hawaii, Brentwood, California, Australia , and a 600-acre (2.4 km²) ranch estate in Valyermo, California, a small town about 17 miles southeast of Palmdale, California; he also owns a portside penthouse apartment in Hong Kong , and an estate home in Maryland. In 2002 he married his second wife, former tennis player Pam Shriver (member of the Kennedy family and fourth cousin of Maria Shriver, wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger).

They have three children, George, born on 12 July 2004, and twins Caitlin Elizabeth and Samuel Robert, born in October 2005. He also has an adult daughter named Melanie from his first marriage to Christina "Chrissie" Gannett Lazenby. Lazenby also had a son with his first wife Gannett, named Zack, who died in 1994 of brain cancer. Lazenby's first wife, Christina Gannett, is heiress to the Gannett News Service publishing empire. Today, Lazenby enjoys sailing, motorcycle racing, car racing, reading, watching movies and playing golf, and tennis. James Bond George Lazenby's first serious acting role was as James Bond in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Lazenby is the second official actor to portray the British secret agent. It was rumoured that Lazenby had been "difficult to work with" in this project. According to Lazenby, however, the difficulties were caused by director Peter R.

Hunt , who apparently refused to talk directly to him—and this in turn was caused by Lazenby (unaware of studio politics or Hunt's sensibilities) passing on a request for Hunt's friends to clear a set before filming. During the film's production, Lazenby's manager, Ronan O'Rahilly, talked him into refusing a seven-movie contract on the grounds that the Bond character was out of touch with the times. Unsurprisingly, Lazenby describes this as the biggest mistake of his life. Reception of Lazenby's performance often varies greatly, as some view him to be the quintessential James Bond while some view him as the worst of the actors to play 007. Likewise, feelings about the film usually vary greatly as well. From a commercial perspective On Her Majesty's Secret Service paled in comparison to the previous Bond film You Only Live Twice and the later Diamonds Are Forever (both featuring Connery as Bond); this has been partly attributed to a poor publicity campaign. Critical response to On Her Majesty's Secret Service remains sharply divided. Many fans, perhaps especially fans of Fleming's original novels, regard it as one of the best Bond films. Other critics name it as one of the lesser Bond films.

Nevertheless it is widely considered one of the best and most faithful adaptations of Ian Fleming 's original novels. Lazenby has portrayed Bond several times over the years in numerous parodies and unofficial 007 roles, most notably the 1983 TV movie The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, titled "Diamonds Aren't Forever".

Selected filmography Winter Break (Alternate title: Sheer Bliss) (2003) Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (2002) (TV Series) (voice) Spider's Web (2001) Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000) The Pretender (1999–2000) (TV Series) - recurring guest role as the hero Jarod's father Major Charles Batman Beyond: The Movie (1999) (TV Movie) (voice) Batman Beyond (1999) (TV Series) - recurring role as King (voice) Emmanuelle Forever (1993) Yu Yu Hakusho: Eizo Hakusho (1993) (voice) Gettysburg (1993) Eyes of the Beholder (1992) Superboy (1988) (TV Series) - recurring guest role as Jor-El Never Too Young to Die (1986) The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

(1983) (TV Movie) - as the Bond-like character "JB" General Hospital (1982) (TV Series) The Nude Bomb (1980) - cameo appearance as James Bond Death Dimension (Alternate title: Black Eliminator) (Alternate title: Freeze Bomb) 1978) Game of Death (1978) (archive fighting footage) Bruce Lee, The Legend (1977) The Man From Hong Kong (Alternate title: The Dragon Flies) (1975) The Last Days of Bruce Lee (1973) Life and Legend of Bruce Lee (1973) (archive footage) Universal Soldier (1971) 50 Years of James Bond: George Lazenby, One-Hit Wonder? | Anglophenia | BBC America 50 Years of James Bond: George Lazenby, One-Hit Wonder? George Lazenby with Diana Rigg during the filming of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' in Switzerland in 1969.

(Bob Dear/AP Images) Copy the link below By Leah Rozen | 4 years ago George Lazenby with Diana Rigg during the filming of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ in Switzerland in 1969. (Bob Dear/AP Images) George Lazenby is the movie star equivalent of a one-hit wonder singer or band. He played James Bond once and once only in an official 007 film: 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In Anglophenia’s continuing sequential look at each of the six actors who have starred as Ian Fleming’s suave British secret agent during the 50 years of the screen franchise, Lazenby is most definitely the sprinter who sneaked in amongst a pack of long distance runners. <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> In addition to holding the arguably mock-worthy record for making the fewest Bond films, the Australian-born Lazenby is the only actor to slip into a tux for the iconic role who doesn’t hail from the British Isles.

(Sean Connery is a Scotsman, Roger Moore and Daniel Craig are English, Timothy Dalton is Welsh-born and Pierce Bronson is Irish.) A former used car salesman turned successful, London-based male model, Lazenby was best known prior to landing the Bond gig for appearing in TV commercials in England for Big Fry chocolate bars. <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> When Connery, the originator of super spy role, announced he was departing Bondville after five films, Lazenby went after the super spy slot aggressively despite the fact that he had no actual acting experience. To gain an edge and appear more 007-like, he purchased a custom-made, Saville Row suit that Connery had ordered but failed to pick up, a Rolex watch, and had his hair snipped by Connery’s barber. Those tricks paid off. Lazenby landed the role, which proved the easy part. Once filming began, it was downhill quickly. He clashed with both the director, Peter Hunt, and his co-star, Diana Rigg; he accused the Avengers star of purposely eating garlic prior to their kissing scenes.

Rigg has denied the charge. And you can see her do just that, as well as dissing Lazenby for his swelled head, in a 2011 interview below: When On Her Majesty’s Secret Service opened, Lazenby, then 30, was mostly roasted by the critics. “He’s tall, dark, handsome and has a dimpled chin. But Mr. Lazenby, if not a spurious Bond, is merely a casual, pleasant, satisfactory replacement,” said critic A.H. Weiler in the New York Times . Variety, the then show biz bible, weighed in damningly with, “Lazenby is pleasant, capable and attractive in the role, but he suffers in the inevitable comparison with Connery. He doesn’t have the latter’s physique, voice and saturnine, virile looks.” Lazenby announced that, despite being offered a contract calling for him to perform in additional Bond films, he was departing the role. Lazenby’s agent seemingly had convinced him that Bond wasn’t cool enough to survive into the sure-to-be even more swinging 1970s and that he was made for even bigger things.

The Bond series producers, already fed up with Lazenby’s oversized sense of entitlement, were happy to see him go. “They offered me millions under the table to do another one, but I thought James Bond was over,” Lazenby told Entertainment Weekly this summer. “Easy Rider was the No. 1 movie. Everyone was smoking marijuana, and that was the furthest thing from a James Bond movie. So I didn’t sign the contract. I was badly treated after that. They told the press that I was difficult to handle, so it was hard to find work.” The One-Bond Wonder from Down Under went on to appear in various TV shows and movies, mostly small parts or cameos, including parodies of his Bond role. Lazenby made news again in 2002 when he wed Pam Shriver, the former U.S. professional tennis star and TV commentator, and there were even bigger headlines when she filed for divorce in 2008, and they had a nasty court dispute over the split and custody of their three children. Over time, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has gained fans.

It is considered darker than most Bond films and ‘60s devotees especially appreciate the film’s groovy wardrobe (including Lazenby’s 007 modeling a ruffled shirt). Lazenby continues to take part in various Bond tribute events and documentaries, saying somewhat ruefully that, with the passage of time, he realizes that maybe he should have stuck with the role. Ya think? <noscript><iframe width="500" height="281" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> ———————- Are you a fan of George Lazenby’s 007?

———————- TCM Film Fest: George Lazenby on How a Threesome Led Him to the Role of James Bond (Podcast) | Hollywood Reporter March 30, 2015 4:26pm PT by Scott Feinberg TCM Film Fest: George Lazenby on How a Threesome Led Him to the Role of James Bond (Podcast) AP Images George Lazenby The 75-year-old, who played 007 in the 1969 film 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service,' dishes candidly to THR about his expectations-defying life and career. George Lazenby's story is one of the oddest in Hollywood history, as I learned when I sat down, during the recent TCM Classic Film Festival, with the man who played James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service — and then walked away from a $1 million offer to star in six more installments.

As Lazenby, now 75, explains with surprising candor, he was a car mechanic in Australia who pursued a girl to England, whereupon he stumbled into a career as a top model and then, through information procured during a threesome, a casting session for the role of the coolest man in the world, 007. The part had come open when Sean Connery, who inhabited it in the franchise's first five installments, decided to give it up. Against all odds, Lazenby, who had never previously appeared before a film camera, landed the gig. Against all odds, he did a very respectable job of acting. And then, against all odds, on the advice of a man who was acting as an agent, he gave it all up. During this rather hilarious conversation, Lazenby discusses, among other things: The aforementioned journey, up to and including the sexual encounter that led him to Bond franchise producers Harry Saltzman and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. The efforts that he made to prepare for that meeting, including obtaining a Rolex, a specially cut suit and a haircut from the same barber who cut Connery's and Broccoli's hair ("I wanted to be James Bond. What man doesn't?"...

"I stood there with my Rolex showing.... I said, 'I heard you're looking for James Bond.' "). Coming clean to Peter Hunt, the editor on the previous Bond films who was assuming the directing helm on the sixth ("I said, 'Peter, I've never acted in my life....' He starts rolling on the floor laughing. He said, 'You've fooled two of the most ruthless men I've met in my life! They made me come back from Switzerland to see you! Stick to your story and I'll make you the next James Bond!' "). The things that he had to do, over the course of four months, to prove that he deserved the part ("They set me up [with a prostitute] to see if I was gay or not"; he shot a screen test with a Russian wrestler, who he accidentally knocked out, at which point Saltzman "just stepped over him, grabbed my arm, took me over to the wall and said, 'We're going with you.' "). The misunderstanding with Hunt that led the first-time director to refuse to engage with the first-time actor throughout the entire shoot ("He never spoke to me 'til the end of the movie — even at the end of the movie he wouldn't speak to me.").

The "perks" of playing the part (He slept with just about every girl who worked on the film — except for costar Diana Rigg, who had told him, "You and I can have something together if you don't mess with the other girls," and then caught him doing just that.). Why he walked away from the part ("It was hippie time. I would go into a restaurant and people would say, 'Uh, waiter!' Because I'm in a suit and everyone's in bell-bottoms, flower shirts, long hair. And then my manager, or a guy who adopted me to be a manager, Ronan O'Rahilly.... I listened to him. He said, 'James Bond's over. Easy Rider, Bruce Lee, they were the people who were in...Clint Eastwood.' "). What happened to him after he refused to sign on for additional Bond films and he was "blackballed" ("I was broke. I had no money.... I gave up the Western world."). How he came to know Bruce Lee, who intended to revive Lazenby's career, during the final three days of the action star's life ("Bruce said I've got a little bit of a headache.... The good guys die first.").

His opinions about the all-time best Bond movie (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and best Bond (Connery — "We were copying him."). Whether or not he would ever consider returning to the franchise, perhaps as a Bond villain ("I did get some talk about that at one time."). What his life is like today ("Bonding with your family is where it's at!"). My name's Bond, James Bond Why George Lazenby Didn't Have All The Time In The World It has often been reported that George Lazenby signed only a one film movie contract to make On Her Majesty's Secret Service, choosing to decline the 7 film contract that he was offered by Eon and United Artists. However this is in fact incorrect. In October of 1968, Lazenby turned down the 14 year/7 film contract that he had been offered and instead chose to sign a 7 year/4 film contract instead. Lazenby also agreed in this contract to sign a Legal Letter of Intent to play James Bond 007 in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, which was to follow Lazenby's first 007 movie, 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

It should be noted that Lazenby felt he wasn't going to make another Bond film during the middle of On Her Majesty's Secret Service's production because he had grown extremely tired of the treatment he was receiving on all accounts. However this does not change the fact that he was still under contract, and that the Bond producers always thought he was going to make the next Bond film. The producers simply believed this was a ploy by Lazenby's managers to get him a better deal, which it in fact was. The fact that Lazenby already felt he was done at that point changes none of the below. Also some of Lazenby's comments in interviews have been largely taken out of context to make it seem like he implied that he only was signed and obligated for one Bond film. That is absolutely wrong. Lazenby was only paid for one Bond film, with an additional first payment for his next Bond film. Meaning then, that because he had only been paid for one, that was the only one he had to make legally, providing he was not released from his contract.

This has then been taken out of context and skewed by numerous media reports and "non-biased" interviewers as to mean he was only signed to a one picture deal, which is totally incorrect. The 7 year/4 film contract that Lazenby signed was at industry minimum standard pay for a lead actor in films as big as the Bond films, with the built in industry pay increases for each successive film. This did not sit well with the Bond producers who wanted the young 28 year old Lazenby locked in to his contract for 7 films at the minimum pay rate they wanted him to get. Lazenby's managers however advised him that it would be better to sign a smaller contract at first, then re-negotiate his longer 7 film deal later on, so that he could demand more money for future films after he had already made some Bond films. It has been widely reported that when Lazenby announced he was quitting the role of Bond during the filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service that he indeed was only obligated contractually to make that film. But that is not accurate. Lazenby was in fact signed and obligated to make 4 Bond films over a 7 year period.

During filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the Bond producers constantly offered him the 7 film deal. Meaning he would then sign for 3 extra films in addition to the 4 that he had already signed on for. This offer to Lazenby was eventually extended to 7 Bond films after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, or 8 Bond films in total, and then finally to 7 Bond films after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, in addition to 5 non-Bond films made by United Artists. Lazenby wanted to sign the contract that included the 5 non-Bond films, but his personal manager told him not to. It was announced to the press once again that Lazenby was leaving the role of Bond at the premiere of Secret Service. It was Lazenby's publicist that actually made the announcement. Lazenby also said he was leaving the 007 role while on an airing of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. By this point Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli were furious with Lazenby and did not know what to do with him. Contrary to popular belief, Lazenby was not free from his contract at this time.

He was still obligated to make 3 more Bond movies. Also contrary to popular belief, Lazenby was not fired at this time. Instead the Bond producers decided to let Lazenby out of his Bond contract the day after the premiere of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The big dispute between Lazenby and Bond co-producer Cubby Broccoli was over the rules in Lazenby's contract. He actually could be fired for something as simple as not shaving every day while not even filming a Bond movie. There was even a clause in his contract that stated that he had to get his dinner guests approved by Cubby Broccoli before he could be seen dining out with them in public. There were numerous clauses of this nature in his contract and none of them sat well with Lazenby. The Bond producers finally realized that they had to let Lazenby out of his contract because he was not going to behave as they wanted him to unless they did so. For example, Lazenby's wearing a beard and long hair in public, hanging out at nightclubs and bars, and saying he was quitting the role numerous times.

This sort of thing was done by Lazenby so that he could get the 7 film deal he wanted, but minus all the Draconian rules it had contained within it. In order to do that he first had to get out of the original contract that he had signed. Although Cubby Broccoli didn't want to take these clauses out of Lazenby's deal he realized he had no choice, so Saltzman and Broccoli released Lazenby from his deal. They then began negotiating with him on his new contract. The many reports that he was by this time officially no longer Bond are wrong. At this time Harry Saltzman and Lazenby negotiated with each other directly, minus Broccoli and Lazenby's managers. Saltzman had been given full power by United Artists and Broccoli to get Lazenby whatever deal he wanted as long as it stayed within the salary range they wanted to pay him. Lazenby would then take the offers to his manager for approval. Saltzman then offered Lazenby a contract for 7 more Bond films and 5 non-Bond films minus all the Draconian clauses in the deal.

However, the offer was still to start at the minimum industry standard pay with the same built in industry standard increases for each successive film. Lazenby and his now rather infamous top personal manager/publicist Ronan O'Rahilly, a well known British producer who created Radio Caroline, worked for The BBC and who also managed The Beatles for just one week's time (although some people say it was actually for just one day's time), turned that offer down. They countered it by asking for twice the pay rate offered, as well as Lazenby getting twice as big a dressing room, twice as big a limo, twice as big a trailer, twice as big a personal expense account with Eon, and also with a clause in the contract that stated that Lazenby would keep all the Saville Row suits, Rolex watches, and Bond cars used in his films. Although Saltzman, and in particular United Artists, were willing to meet these demands, Cubby Broccoli was not. Broccoli insisted that since Sean Connery did not even get much of that treatment, it did not make sense to give it to Lazenby, even though he would essentially become the world's biggest movie star if he signed the deal.

Broccoli remarked how Richard Burton had made similar demands from Eon and UA while he and Lazenby were the final two candidates for the Bond role, and that they wouldn't give Burton what he wanted. In Broccoli's mind he felt that George Lazenby was better for Bond than Burton, but he also felt that if Eon and UA weren't willing to give Burton the sort of perks that he had wanted, it would be foolish to give them to Lazenby. Broccoli therefore would not agree to Lazenby's demands. Studio heads from United Artists then met with Saltzman and Broccoli in New York and instructed them to offer Lazenby a longer term deal, termed "a lifetime contract", in the hopes that this would entice him to take the money being offered, as it would ensure that Lazenby would be at the top of the movie business for many years.

The thinking behind this was that Lazenby would take less money and perks than he was asking for if he had a guaranteed, extremely lucrative, and heralded gig for the rest of his career, and that this would then firmly establish in the public and press that Lazenby was Bond for life and that Connery, or no one else was going to be Bond. Eon offered Lazenby 10 additional Bond movies, which would have given him a total of 11 Bond films in all. The contract was to cover a period of 20 years beginning in 1970 and ending in 1990. Lazenby's last Bond film was to be shot in 1988, and released in 1989. This film eventually became Licence To Kill starring Timothy Dalton, who in a strange twist of irony was actually offered the role of Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service before auditions for unknowns were held. Cubby Broccoli felt that it was of absolute top priority that they establish in the minds of the press and the public that Bond was Lazenby's gig exclusively and that he be known entirely for Bond.

In Broccoli's view, Eon could fully groom Lazenby for the Bond role since he was known simply for it and had not been a professional actor; and that by having everyone know Lazenby had a lifetime contract that would cover two whole decades, it would make the public not only change their mind's that only Connery was clearly Bond, but it would also eventually lead to Lazenby replacing Connery in the public's minds as the definitive Bond. When Lazenby was offered this deal he was anxious to sign it, but he still had to get approval for it from his managers. This was because Lazenby had signed an agreement with his managers that they had to approve of all of his deals. He had signed this agreement just days after he had won the Bond casting. Lazenby felt that his biggest obstacle and hurdle in playing Bond was the public's belief that Bond was Connery's gig, so the lifetime contract was the perfect way for him to overcome that, since everyone would be told that he was signed for the next 20 years. This would stop any sentiment amongst the movie-going public that Connery could be brought back if people were hard on Lazenby and stayed away from his films at the box office.

When Lazenby showed the contract offer to his main manager, he was advised by him that Bond would not last that much longer past the early 1970's because it was no longer a viable character for the times. He advised Lazenby that the tuxedo-clad super-spy had become a cultural dinosaur that was out of touch with the realities of the popular hippie culture of the time. He also advised Lazenby that by signing this contract, he would become completely type cast in the Bond role and then find himself stuck in a star role that was no longer fit for the times, and one that would not enjoy even half the success that it had in the earlier 1960's Sean Connery era. Lazenby did not agree with this advice and wanted to sign the contract, but his managers would not approve of it, and because he had signed the agreement with them that he couldn't sign any deals without their approval, he could not accept the offer. When Lazenby then had to turn this offer down, Harry Saltzman broke off contract talks and went back to United Artists along with Cubby Broccoli to discuss their options.

At that point they first considered looking for a new Bond, and also offering a huge contract to Sean Connery. They then decided to sign American actor John Gavin to the Bond role as an insurance policy. Gavin's contract stated that if they could not get Lazenby or Connery signed in time to make the scheduled filming start of Diamonds Are Forever, that Gavin would then make the film. However, if either Connery or Lazenby could be re-signed to make the film, Gavin would then receive a one-time $500,000 severance pay, and no longer be attached to the role. UA and Eon could not simply delay the film because they already had sold some of the film's overseas profits to various investors, and if the film was delayed they could then be sued for that money. UA and the Bond co-producers finally decided to simply offer Lazenby a film contract for Diamonds Are Forever at a salary of $1 million.

Saltzman met Lazenby in London, in February of 1970, and offered him $1 million to make Diamonds Are Forever, and told him that after that film was completed that they could then either negotiate further films for Lazenby, or that if Lazenby wanted to then quit he could. Saltzman explained to Lazenby that they did not have time to cast another Bond, that it had cost them over $1 million just to cast him, and that they could not take on neither that task, nor cost again at the time. So Saltzman told Lazenby that, Eon needed enough time to prepare for Bond 007 actor casting again if it had to be done over. He also informed Lazenby that Eon/UA had to make the scheduled production start of Diamonds Are Forever, because if they did not, John Gavin would get the role, and they didn't want that to happen. Lazenby was also willing to sign this deal. However when he brought it to his main personal manager he was told that the salary was not high enough. Although Lazenby just wanted to take the deal, he still had to get the approval from his managers.

Lazenby was told to tell Saltzman that he would make just one more 007 film for a salary of $2 million, and that he would then not make any more Bond films after that. When Lazenby told this to Saltzman, he was informed that the producer had only been authorized to offer up to $1 million by his partners, and that he would have to discuss the $2 million demand with them. Saltzman flew back to New York to meet with Broccoli and studio heads from United Artists to discuss his last meeting with Lazenby. When Saltzman informed them of Lazenby's final demand, Cubby Broccoli became outraged. Saltzman and UA were actually willing to pay the $2 million salary but Broccoli refused. He was particularly angry at Lazenby not only demanding such an astronomically huge salary at that time, but also the news that even if Lazenby got such a pay he would still not make another Bond film. The $1 million film salary that they were offering to Lazenby to star in Diamonds would have made him the highest paid male lead for base salary in movie history.

Broccoli therefore felt that Lazenby's $2 million asking price was simply an out of line demand, especially considering Lazenby would not commit to more than one more film. It was then that United Artists decided that Lazenby was out of consideration for the Bond role. United Artists executive David V. Picker, then ordered Saltzman and Broccoli to re-sign Sean Connery at any cost. They offered Connery a then huge base salary of $1.25 million, as well as 12.5 percent of the film's net US profits, extra pay for the film going over the set shooting schedule, and also funding for Connery to produce and star in 3 film projects of his own choosing. This was seen as the biggest deal ever for an actor for a single film to that point. In the end, Connery ended up earning a reported $6 million total for Diamonds Are Forever (three times the amount Lazenby had asked for), and he donated his entire $1.25 million base salary that he earned from the film to the Scotish International Educational Trust, which Connery co-founded.

Only one of Connery's 3 non-Bond films allocated in the deal was actually produced, and Connery claimed that Bond co-producer Cubby Broccoli never paid him the $4.75 million of the film's profits that he was owed, although there was never any legal verification or ruling that was true. Connery signed the deal just days after Lazenby's handlers had made their final salary demands. Gavin was paid his $500,000 contract buyout by United Artists. Lazenby, for having signed a Legal Letter of Intent to star as 007 in Diamonds, had been given an early initial payment of his salary for that film prior to the time that Connery had been officially signed to return the Bond role. Under the agreement in Lazenby's Legal Letter of Intent, if he did not star as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, he would have to reimburse Eon for the initial payment he had received for the film. Lazenby reimbursed Eon for this money after Connery signed.

Trivia and the story behind Lazenby's contract negotiations were obtained from United Artists/Harry Saltzman interview archives/George Lazenby interview archives/Cubby Broccoli interview archives/and David V. Picker interview archives. Lazenbyland obtained this information from the Moonraker Bond site. Unfortunately their link on Freewebs is notoriously unreliable hence we have recreated their text here. We have no way of verifying if any of the above is an accurate version and no independent corroboration. James Bond (George Lazenby) | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia James Bond (George Lazenby) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film) "This never happened to the other fella." ― James Bond — [src] Commander James Bond is a Senior Operational Officer of the 'Double-O' ('00') Branch, an ultra-covert Black Ops unit within the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). As an agent of MI6, Bond holds code number "007". The 'double-O' prefix indicates his discretionary licence to kill in the performance of his duties.

Australian actor George Lazenby briefly held the role from 1968 to 1969, appearing in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service . Even though he had been offered a contract for seven movies, Lazenby felt dissatisfied with the role and left the series after the release of the film. [1] Contents Film biography Shared background Although very little of Bond's past is directly addressed in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, it is assumed that his Bond continues to share the common background laid out by the Ian Fleming novels and preceding Bond films. In the novels, James Bond is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond of Glencoe, and a Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix , from the Canton de Vaud. He acquired a first-class command of the French and German languages during his early education, which he received entirely abroad. Both parents were tragically killed during a climbing accident in the French Alps when he was eleven. After the death of his parents, Bond goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond , where he completes his early education.

Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves because of girl trouble with a maid. After being sent down from Eton, Bond was sent to Fettes College in Scotland, his father's school. [2] After leaving Fettes, earlier EON films note that Bond studied at Cambridge University. [3] [4] There, he achieved a first in Oriental languages. [5] In Fleming's novels, Bond alluded to briefly attending the University of Geneva (as did Fleming), before being taught to ski in Kitzbühel. [6] Following his graduation, Bond joined the Ministry of Defence and became a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, rising though the ranks to commander. Bond applied to M for a position within the " Secret Service ", part of the Civil Service, and rose to the rank of principal officer. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Bond is driving on a country coastal road in Portugal in his Aston Martin when he's passed by a woman driving a Mercury Cougar. The woman drives to a nearby beach and tries to drown herself in the surf.

When Bond drags her back, he is attacked by several thugs, whom he is able to beat in hand-to-hand combat. When he turns his attention back to the mysterious woman, he sees her driving off in her Cougar. Bond, puzzled by the turn of events returns to his car. Later, at a casino, the same woman Bond found on the beach, Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo , is gambling and finds herself unable to pay her debt. Bond pays the tab for her and she invites him to her room to "repay" him. Bond is again attacked by another man, whom he beats. When he returns to his own room, Tracy is there waiting, steals Bond's pistol and threatens to kill him "for a thrill". Bond disarms her and demands to know about the man in her room; Tracy has no answer. Tracy leaves the hotel the next morning and when James tries to trail her, he is apprehended by several more men who take him to Tracy's father, Marc-Ange Draco , head of a powerful European crime organization which is called Union Corse .

The gangster offers Bond a £1,000,000 dowry if he'll marry his troubled daughter after he tells Bond about Tracy's suicidal depression since her mother's death. Bond turns down the offer but agrees to continue courting Tracy if Draco will help him find SPECTRE 's sinister leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld , whom Bond has been unsuccessfully tracking for the past two years. When he returns to MI6 in London, M tells Bond that his obsession with finding Blofeld must end. Bond gives Miss Moneypenny his resignation and begins cleaning out his office. Moneypenny, however, subverts Bond's wishes and enters a request for two weeks leave. Bond can now pursue Blofeld on his own time, however, he goes back to Portugal for a birthday party being thrown for Draco. While there, Tracy reveals that she knows about the deal her father struck with Bond; she does not want to be used this way and demands her father help Bond. Draco relents and tells Bond to check out a lead in Bern, Switzerland . Tracy and Bond officially begin their courtship.

In Bern, Bond infiltrates the law firm of a man named Gebrüder Gumbold and finds letters from Blofeld to the London College of Arms. Returning to London and meeting with an expert at the College (who shows the agent the Bond family coat-of-arms) he informs Bond that Blofeld is attempting to claim the title of the Comte Balthazar de Bleuchamp of Switzerland. Bond assumes the identity of an Arms delegate, Sir Hilary Bray , to investigate further. When he reports to M with his new leads, he is given permission to take up the case once again. Acting as Bray, Bond travels back to Switzerland to Blofeld's latest compound at the top of Piz Gloria , a peak in the Swiss Alps. The location is accessible only by cable car or helicopter. There he finds Blofeld who has taken up the identity of an epidemiologist who specializes in allergy research. Bond finds that Blofeld's guests are about 10 beautiful women , all allergy sufferers, whose illnesses have allegedly been cured.

Though he is essentially imprisoned in his room at night, Bond figures a way to open the door and goes to the room of a woman, named Ruby , who surreptitiously gave him the number and has sex with her. While they lay together a strange light and sound treatment begins over the bed and the woman appears hypnotized. Blofeld's "treatment" involves cassette tapes that induce hypnotism. Bond leaves her room, returning to his own where he finds another one of the women, named Nancy , waiting. He seduces her as well. Bond later sneaks up on a meeting involving the girls; they are given Christmas presents that contain a communication device and a specialized deadly virus that each girl will release in a different region of the world unless Blofeld's demands are met that the United Nations gives him a pardon and recognizes him as a count. The next day Bond's cover is blown by Blofeld's assistant, Irma Bunt , when he sneaks out of his room to go into Ruby's room and finds Irma there. Bond is taken to Blofeld who identifies him (after Bond made a slip earlier to Blofeld that the real Bray wouldn't have made) and imprisons him in the cold gear room of the compound's cable-car.

Bond is able to escape the room and steals a skiing uniform and skis rapidly down the mountain as Blofeld and several of his men give chase. Bond arrives in the village of Muren and meets Tracy and the two escape Bunt and several of Blofeld's henchmen in her car when they drive through a car race. Bond and Tracy find a secluded barn to hold up for the night; Bond proposes to Tracy and she accepts, but will not allow him to sleep together with her. She relents when Bond pulls her into his own bedding. In the morning, Tracy and Bond ski away from the barn, with Blofeld and a few of his men close behind. When it seems like Bond and Tracy will escape, Blofeld causes an avalanche that they are unable to stay ahead of and are buried. Blofeld has his men retrieve Tracy and leave Bond for dead. Bond returns to London, seeking a way to rescue Tracy and stop Blofeld's plan. M refuses to launch an assault on Piz Gloria for diplomatic reasons. Bond instead enlists the help of Draco, who provides helicopters and a strike team from Union Course. At the Piz Gloria, Blofeld keeps Tracy in his company and even proposes to her.

Just then, Bond, Draco and their men attack the Piz Gloria and stop Blofeld from sending his orders to the women. Bond rescues Tracy and she flies off with her father. Bond finds Blofeld escaping in a bobsled and chases him in a second one, catching up and boarding Blofeld's sled. They tussle briefly until Bond is able to hold Blofeld up to catch a forked tree branch, leaving him there injured and unconscious. Bond gains control of the sled and stops it. A lavish wedding is thrown for Bond and Tracy and they are married. After the reception, Bond leaves with Tracy in his Aston Martin. They travel a few miles and Bond stops to remove some of the flower chains decorating their car. Tracy reflects that Bond has given her more than a husband, she now has a future. Suddenly, a car driven by a very-much alive Blofeld (now wearing a neck brace) races by and Irma Bunt opens fire on Bond's car with an assault rifle.

Bond survives the drive-by attack by ducking behind the car and recognizes Blofeld immediately and jumps back in the car with Tracy to give chase, but Tracy is dead; hit in the head by a bullet that went through the windshield killing her instantly. As Bond holds her, a policeman stops by after hearing the shooting. Bond tells him that there's "no hurry" and that they "have all the time in the world." Behind the scenes George Lazenby in a promotional still taken for OHMSS. In 1968, after Sean Connery quit the role of James Bond, and 22-year-old actor Timothy Dalton declined the role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS), believing himself too young for it. Producer Albert R. Broccoli first met Lazenby when getting their hair cut at the same barber. [7] He later saw him in the Big Fry commercial and felt he could be a possible Bond, calling him in for a screen test. [1] Lazenby dressed for the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit (ordered, but uncollected, by Connery).

[8] Broccoli offered him an audition. The position was consolidated when Lazenby accidentally punched a professional wrestler, who was acting as stunt coordinator, in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. [1] [9] Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene, the strength of his interviews, fight skills and audition footage. [10] Director Peter Hunt later claimed: "We wanted someone who oozed sexual assurance, and we think this fellow has that. Just wait til the women see him on screen... I am not saying he is an actor. There is a great deal of difference between an actor and a film star. Didn't they find Gary Cooper when he was an electrician?" [11] During the production of the film, Lazenby's voice was dubbed over with George Baker 's [12] in scenes in which Bond impersonated Sir Hilary Bray (Baker's character), something not traditionally done with a leading actor whose original language is English. According to an interview, Lazenby experienced difficulties on the set stemming from director Peter R.

Hunt 's refusal to speak directly with him, and Hunt's brusqueness in asking Lazenby's friends to clear the set before filming. [13] At the time of the release of OHMSS, Lazenby's performance received mixed reviews. Some felt that, while he was physically convincing, some of his costumes were inappropriate ("too loud" according to some) and that he delivered his lines poorly. [14] Others, however, have developed differing views in the decades since the film. In the 1998 book The Essential James Bond, Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrell write: "Although OHMSS was routinely dismissed by critics who cited Lazenby as a brave but disappointing successor to Connery, the intervening years have been notably kinder to both the film and its star. Indeed, due in no small part to Peter Hunt's inspired direction, OHMSS generally ranks among the top films with fans. Likewise, Lazenby has emerged as a very popular contributor to the series and has enjoyed large enthusiastic audiences during his appearances at Bond related events. In summary, OHMSS is a brilliant thriller in its own right and justifiably ranks amongst the best Bond films ever made".

In Roger Moore's commentary for a 2007 DVD release of The Man with the Golden Gun, he referenced George Lazenby as follows : "I have a great deal of e-mail contact with George Lazenby; he's sort of on the joke circuit ... that we simply send jokes to each other. OHMSS – very well made film – Peter Hunt – excellent, excellent, excellent fight stuff, excellent snow effects ... but I think the end result for George was that it was one of the better Bonds". In November 1969, prior to the release of the film, Lazenby announced that he no longer wished to play the role of James Bond. "They made me feel like I was mindless," he said about the film's producers. "They disregarded everything I suggested simply because I hadn't been in the film business like them for about a thousand years." [15] Although Lazenby had been offered a contract for seven movies, his agent, Ronan O'Rahilly , convinced him that the secret agent would be archaic in the liberated 1970s, and as a result he left the series after the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.

[1] His co-star Diana Rigg was among many who commented on this decision: "The role made Sean Connery a millionaire. It made Sean Connery... I truly don't know what's happening in George's mind so I can only speak of my reaction. I think its a pretty foolish move. I think if he can bear to do an apprenticeship, which everybody in this business has to do - has to do - then he should do it quietly and with humility. Everybody has to do it. There are few instant successes in the film business. And the instant successes one usually associates with somebody who is willing to learn anyway." [16] Unofficial appearances While On Her Majesty's Secret Service was Lazenby's only official performance as Bond, during the Eighties he made a couple of unofficial, tongue-in-cheek returns to the character in non-Bond productions. As to avoid legal issues, the identity of Lazenby's character is never directly mentioned, but both appearances contain multiple references to the EON spy. The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

'The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.' In 1983, the same year which saw the 'Battle of the Bonds', Lazenby made a guest appearance in the television movie, The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. ; a sequel to the '60s television spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. . In it, Lazenby plays an unnamed - but easily recognizable - spy character. Whilst never outright referred to as Bond, the producers instead (not so) subtly inferred the spy's identity through his attire, vehicle and even dialogue. Lazenby's special guest appearance began as the show's protagonist, Napoleon Solo (with a Russian ballerina in the passenger seat), was engaged in a car chase through the streets of Las Vegas, pursued by armed men. As they speed through an intersection, past his Aston Martin DB5 (complete with "JB" license plates), Lazenby's character recognizes Solo as a fellow spy and dutifully sets off in pursuit.

As with the Aston Martin DB5 in the EON movie series, the car from "The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E." is also armed with an assortment of concealed weaponry, including waterjets at the rear and rockets up front. As one pursuer's vehicle burst into flames, Lazenby - in a scene reminiscent of his "this never happened to the other fella" line from OHMSS - looked directly into the camera and quipped "Shaken, but not stirred." A further - and blatant - nod to Lazenby's Bond occurs near the end of the scene, as Solo's passenger notices the number plates and realizes who the Aston Martin might belong to. She gets very excited and exclaims, "It's just like On Her Majesty's Secret Service!" "Diamonds Aren't Forever" 'Diamonds aren't Forever' Lazenby donned the white dinner jacket again in 1989, in an episode of the revived Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series, entitled Diamonds Aren't Forever. The episode begins with Lazenby landing - complete with white dinner jacket and Union Jack parachute - at a countryside hotel, to a song entitled "My Guy's a Spy".

Lazenby's character (who we are told is called James ----") is soon informed that his mission is to recover a golden egret statue and that one or more of the eccentric hotel guests is actually a Soviet spy. Aside from his outfit and paracute, the episode is replete with Bond references. When checking into the hotel, he introduces himself in the traditional EON manner, but to avoid legal problems the surname gets drowned out by clattering and offscreen noise. At one point, James orders a martini from the bartender and specifies that it should not be stirred. He also repeats two Connery quips - "Shocking" and "He got the point." On-Screen Kills Add a photo to this gallery Trivia In the pre-title sequence of OHMSS, Lazenby comments: "This never happened to the other fellow", an in-joke referring to his predecessor Sean Connery , which has been interpreted by some film critics as breaking the fourth wall.

[17] Although Eon Productions attempted on several occasions to cast Americans as Bond (most notably signing John Gavin for Diamonds Are Forever before the services of Sean Connery were obtained [18] ) Lazenby remains the only actor from outside the British Isles to portray Bond in a Bond feature film. Lazenby is the only Bond actor to neither star in a James Bond video game nor have his likeness used in one. See also On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error On Her Majesty's Secret Service ( 1969 ) M | From $0.00 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC James Bond woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world. Director: Peter R.

Hunt (as Peter Hunt) Writers: a list of 21 titles created 29 Jul 2011 a list of 26 titles created 22 Dec 2011 a list of 28 titles created 24 Feb 2013 a list of 24 titles created 24 Oct 2015 a list of 24 titles created 11 months ago Title: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) 6.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations. See more awards » Videos Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war is provoked. Director: Lewis Gilbert A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas, where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon. Director: Guy Hamilton 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.

Director: Guy Hamilton James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme. Director: Terence Young James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. Director: Lewis Gilbert James Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder. Director: Guy Hamilton James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE. Director: Terence Young Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Director: John Glen James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide. Director: Lewis Gilbert James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.

Director: John Glen A fake Fabergé egg and a fellow agent's death lead James Bond to uncover an international jewel-smuggling operation, headed by the mysterious Octopussy, being used to disguise a nuclear attack on N.A.T.O. forces. Director: John Glen Investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve. Director: Guy Hamilton Edit Storyline George Lazenby steps into the role of James Bond and is sent on his first mission. For help with Draco, he must become very close friends with his daughter, Tracy, and heads off to hunt down Ernst Stavro Blofeld one more time. This takes him to Switzerland, where he must pose as Sir Hilary Bray to find out the secret plan of Blofeld. The facility is covered with Blofeld's guards as well as his hench-woman, Irma Bunt. What has Blofeld got in mind this time? Can Bond keep up this act for much longer? Are ANY Bond girls safe? Written by simon Far up! Far out! Far more!

James Bond OO7 [UK poster] See more » Genres: 19 December 1969 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia First Bond film since Dr. No (1962) to put the production credit over the gun barrel intro. See more » Goofs When Bond meets Blofeld for the first time Blofeld starts to undo the buttons on his jacket. When we next cut back to Blofeld, his buttons are all done up. See more » Quotes [first lines] Q : I've been saying for years, sir, that our special equipment is obsolete. And now, computer analysis reveals an entirely new approach: miniaturization. For instance, radioactive lint. When placed in an opponent's pockets, the anti-personnel and location fix seems fairly obvious. M : What we want is a location fix on 007. See more » Crazy Credits During the opening credits, images are shown of Bond girls and villains. (This is the first Bond movie since Goldfinger to feature previous movies' footage in its credits.) Specifics are as follows. *First Set. *Honey Ryder from Dr.

No (1962), standing on the beach. *Dr. No from the same, in front of his underground aquarium. *Tatiana Romanova from From Russia with Love (1963), messing around with her hair. *Pussy Galore from Goldfinger (1964), in the barn scene. *Second Set. *The title character from Goldfinger. *Assorted Bond girls from the Goldfinger (1964) / Thunderball (1965) era. *The "Flaming Car Crash" scene from Thunderball (1965). *Third set. *Emilio Largo, the main villain from Thunderball. *Aki, Kissy Suzuki, and a swordsman from You Only Live Twice (1967). *Blofeld's volcano lair exploding from the end of the same. Note the strategic absence of Blofeld from You Only Live Twice, as Blofeld is played by a different actor in this film. See more » Connections Not a Bad Deal at All.

27 September 2001 | by Bob-45 (Savannah, GA) – See all my reviews To understand the controversy behind `On Her Majesty's Secret Service,' one must understand the events so impacting the spy genre by the time of its production in 1969. After the back to back tremendous successes of `Goldfinger' and `From Russia With Love,' every hack producer and distributor rushed to make spy movies. There were serious ones (`The Spy That Came in From the Cold,' `The Ipcress File'), satirical ones (`Our Man Flint,' `The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,' `Get Smart' ), and incredibly silly ones (`The Silencers,' `Last of the Secret Agents,' `Casino Royale'). `Casino Royale' was especially damaging, since it was (VERY LOOSELY) based on a Fleming novel, and used the character of James Bond, 007. In fact, in `Casino Royale,' nearly EVERYBODY played `James Bond'. `If we don't know what we are doing, how will the enemy,' was the explanation `James Bond' (David Niven) gave to explain why MI6 was calling all its agents `James Bond'.

To protect their franchise, the producers of the `real' James Bond movies emphasized in their promotion `Sean Connery IS James Bond.' In a demonstration of `gratitude,' Connery up and quit the series, leaving `On Her Majesty's Secret Service,' which was shortly to go into production, without a `Bond.' Arguably the most ambitious and difficult to shoot of ALL the Bond films (at least to that time), it's a miracle ANYTHING works in OHMSS. Much of the time it works VERY well, though the shaky underpinnings of the first hour frequently threaten to undo it. There is so much choppy editing and dubbed dialogue, one begins to suspect he is watching a foreign film. The second hour plus works much better, all the more surprising since it was shot first. One reason may be that the film went WAY over both shooting schedule and budget, and there was enough made up `bad' press to put a great deal of pressure on the producers, first time director, Peter Hunt and star, George Lazenby. In the middle of it all, Lazenby's publicist announced that Lazenby was not going to do another Bond (Lazenby is credible when he says that announcement was not his idea.

One suspects, from the bonus material, that Cubby Broccoli planted that story to discredit Lazenby, should the film fail). Add to all this the films' tacked-on, unhappy ending (planned to be the prologue for `Diamonds are Forever'), which plays completely against the humor of earlier moments, and it's a wonder the film was NOT a dismal failure. Quite the contrary, OHMSS is one of the BEST of the Bond films, filled with nonstop action, outstanding stunts, incredible sound, the best score (along with `Goldfinger') and a credible enough romance to lend it genuine poignancy. Lazenby overcame many tremendous handicaps: having to replace one of the best known and popular actors in the world; he was 28, younger than Connery when he made `Dr. No'; he was completely inexperienced as an actor (OHMSS was Lazenby's FIRST movie, not just his first starring role); his accent (thick Australian outback) and the INCREDIBLE physical demands (Lazenby did many of his own stunts). Considering all this, Lazenby is downright remarkable.

Certainly, in my opinion he is better than either the snooty Timothy Dalton or the lightweight Roger Moore were in ANY of their outings as Bond.. The bonus feature on the DVD concludes with strong evidence that Lazenby became a scapegoat, despite the eventual financial success of OHMSS. Lazenby, refreshingly displays no bitterness that his career nearly ended as soon as it began. He's had a reasonably busy career playing character roles and we have OHMSS. Not a bad deal at all. 105 of 132 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Film producers worried former Bond actor and serial womaniser George Lazenby was gay according to new documentary | Daily Mail Online Marriage: Diana Rigg alongside George Lazenby as Tracy Bond, Bond's only wife, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service His rakish charm and womanising ways are renowned as Britain's most famous smooth-talking agent. But it has emerged that film producers were initially concerned whether an actor playing James Bond was gay - and even sent a girl up to his apartment to find out.

George Lazenby, who had been a model and featured in television commercials before making his Bond debut in the 1969 release On Her Majesty's Secret Service, first left colleagues questioning his sexuality. According to the Sunday Express, Australian-born Lazenby recalled: 'They sent a girl up to my apartment to make sure I wasn't gay. A little while later they had their answer. I sure as hell wasn't.' As the iconic role brought stardom and numerous admirers, the actor went on to become known as the most notorious womaniser of all the Bond actors. 'Suddenly I was James Bond and you can imagine what that did to me. I didn't want to brag but I had at least one girl a day. 'There was a tent on set where the stuntmen used to keep mattresses they fell on in fight scenes.

It was a good place to take a chick if you were in a hurry.' On set: Actors Telly Savalas and George Lazanby filming On Her Majesty's Secret Service in Switzerland Suave: A close-up of George Lazenby as James Bond in a scene from On Her Majesty's Secret Service Fame: 007 George Lazenby replies to his critics on his return from America Stevan Riley, who directed and edited the documentary Everything Or Nothing, which chronicles the 50-year history of 007, admitted his surprise at the actor's admission. 'I had no way of confirming if the story was true, I just left it on the edit and waited to see if Eon approved it.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Celebrating the narrative behind the longest film franchise in cinema history, Riley's documentary focuses on three men with a shared dream - Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli or Cubby, Harry Saltzman and author Ian Fleming. Produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie Dr No and set to air in Odeon cinemas next Friday, Riley's documentary follows the inside story to the franchise, following unprecedented access to EON Productions' archive and actors from the films.

Director's cut: Stevan Riley's documentary Everything Or Nothing explores the off-screen dramas behind the Bond movies The feature will show how those who strove to be like Bond and emulate the lifestyle ultimately paid the price for it, exploring the extent of the battles and threats behind the camera. Saltzman went bankrupt and Lazenby fought alcohol and drug addiction and had to move back in with his mother because he had so little money left. Sean Connery, who hung up his spy shoes in 1973 when Roger Moore took over in Live and Let Die, is the only Bond actor who did not participate in the feature. Other worldwide events celebrating half a century of James Bond in cinema include the release of Skyfall featuring Daniel Craig on October 23, a global online and live charity auction organised by Christie's in London, a film retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and a Music of Bond night in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

George Lazenby | Biography and Filmography | 1939 Announced his official retirement from acting 1999 Appeared on several episodes of "The Pretender" (NBC) 1999 Lent his voice to The King, head of the Royal Flush gang, on the animated "Batman Beyond" (WB) 1995 Played a role in the CD-ROM game, "Fox Hunt" 1993 Appeared as General Pettigrew in the feature, "Gettysburg" 1992 Portrayed Mario, opposite Sylvia Kristel’s Emmanuelle in a series of softcore made-for-cable films 1988 Returned to regular TV work on the syndicated "Superboy" as Jor-El 1984 Was a series regular on the syndicated prime time soap opera "Rituals" 1982 Had a recurring role on the daytime soap "General Hospital" (ABC) 1982 Played the Aston Martin-driving 'JB' in "The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E." 1979 Played a senator in Peter Bogdanovich’s black comedy "Saint Jack" 197

8 Cast in what was to be his comeback role, co-starring with Bruce Lee in "Game of Death"; the sudden death of Lee delayed the films release and Lazenby was edited out of the final film 1978 Appeared in the American TV drama "Evening at Byzantium" 1977 Appeared in John Landis' "The Kentucky Fried Movie" 1970 Cast in the action-drama called "Universal Soldier"; also co-produced and co-wrote 1968 Cast as James Bond in the series’ sixth film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"; became the only actor to have played the 007 agent in only one official Bond series film; nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer 1968 Became the highest-paid male model in the world 1966 Made film debut as a British Spy in the Italian-made Bond spoof "Marc Mato, Agente S.077" 1964

Question: In which film did George Lazenby star as James Bond?
Answer: ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE