MI6
The Department of Military Intelligence
MI6 (otherwise known as the British Secret Service) has been the bastion of English special operations for many years.
Using its cover as Universal Exports (London), it has successfully managed to send agents around the world to
investigate undercover dealings, recover top secret information and foil the sinister plans of egotistical maniacs.
Most renowned of these secret agents is 007, licensed to kill, and has done so on several occasions. This page
is highly classified, for your eyes only.
The designation 'M', although guarded in secrecy, is thought to have derived from
his name, Sir Miles Messervey.
M has been played by 3 different actors in the official James Bond series of films.
Bernard Lee starred as M in a total of 11 Bond films, from Dr. No to Moonraker.
Most memorable quote
Robert Brown starred as M in a total of 4 Bond films, from Octopussy to Licence To Kill.
Most memorable quotes
Dench has starred as M in 2 Bond films, GoldenEye to The World Is Not Enough.
Most memorable quote
Moneypenny has been played by 3 different actresses in the James Bond series.
Lois Maxwell starred as Moneypenny in 14 Bond films, from Dr. No to A View to a Kill.
Most memorable quote
Caroline Bliss starred as Moneypenny in 2 Bond films, The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill.
Most memorable quote
Samantha Bond has starred as Moneypenny in 2 Bond films, GoldenEye to The World Is Not Enough.
Most memorable quote
Q's name is actually Major Geoffrey Boothroyd. He joined the secret service from the Equipment Division of the Royal Artillery.
Burton only appeared in one Bond film, Dr. No.
Most memorable quote
Desmond Llewelyn has been in 16 Bond films, From Russia With Love to Diamonds Are Forever,
then The Man With The Golden Gun to The World Is Not Enough.
Most memorable quotes
"Oh, grow up, 007..."
"Don't touch that! That's my lunch."
Leiter is probably the closest thing that Bond has had to a friend, as shown by 007's extreme reaction
to Leiter's injuries in Licence To Kill.
Felix Leiter has been played by 6 different actors in the official James Bond series of films.
Jack Lord starred as Felix Leiter in Dr. No.
Cec Linder starred as Felix Leiter in Goldfinger.
Most memorable quote
Rik Van Nutter starred as Felix Leiter in Thunderball.
Norman Burton starred as Felix Leiter in Diamonds Are Forever.
Most memorable quote
Before he found his form in Live and Let Die, Hedison had bit parts
in The Fly (1958), The Son of Robin Hood (1959) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
David Hedison starred as Felix Leiter in both Live and Let Die
and Licence To Kill.
Most memorable quote
John Terry starred as Felix Leiter in The Living Daylights.
Jack Wade has been played exclusively by Joe Don Baker in the official James Bond series of films.
Joe Don Baker starred as Jack Wade in GoldenEye to The World Is Not Enough.
Most memorable quote
M
The head of MI6, M is 007's commander-in-chief. Dour and solemn, his attitude
towards the agents under his command could be compared to that of an Admiral sending his
troops out to battle. Although he has a 00 section comprising of 12 operatives, his willingness
to allow 007 to follow his intuition and his acceptance of Bond's cavalier attitude are an outward
show of his remarkable fondness for this particular agent.
Bernard Lee (M 1962-1979)
The first of Bond's bosses, affectionately referred to as 'The Old Man',
Bernard Lee is
the perfect M. With his sour countenance and economy of words, he presents a very authoritarian
air to his field agents. Not willing to show any kind of preference, he often reminds Bond
that there are others to take his place if he is not willing to fulfill his assignment.
However, his loyalty to 007 comes to the fore in On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
with the relief in his voice as he thanks Moneypenny for deviously changing Bond's resignation to
a request for 2 weeks' leave.
"What would I do without you? Thank you, Miss Moneypenny."
Robert Brown (M 1983-1989)
M was given a leave of absence in For Your Eyes Only,
as a mark of respect to the recently deceased Bernard Lee. Robert Brown
then took the reigns of the British Secret Service. Brown had already made an appearance in the
Bond series, featuring as Admiral Hargreaves in The Spy Who
Loved Me. Brown seemed the ideal replacement, providing Bond with the
necessary authority and air of complacency. Perhaps his best moment is the confrontation scene
between M and the renegade 007 in Licence To Kill.
"This is not a country club, 007"
Dame Judi Dench (M 1995- )
After a 6 year absence, MI6 took on a new look. In reality, it had recently been revealed that
Stella Rimmington was the head of MI5, and, as a mirror of reality,
Dame Judi Dench took on the
role of M. This is a different M, however, a family woman with a difficult career. Dench gives M
a wonderfully modern makeover, playing her with the requisite air of authority. She obviously doesn't
like Bond, but respects his talents for what they are and uses them accordingly.
"You're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the cold war..."
Miss Moneypenny
Britain's last line of defence, Miss Moneypenny is M's long-suffering secretary. Always trying to
look her best for her favourite secret agent, Moneypenny is, nevertheless, a well trained and highly
efficient member of Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Lois Maxwell (Moneypenny 1962-1985)
The epitome of all that is Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell
was the first, and best, actress to
play M's secretary. The presence that she managed to maintain
for over 20 years, and the on-screen magic she generated with 3 different Bonds is
a credit to her acting skill and durability. Maxwell's Moneypenny was one of those
contributing factors that made the Bond series the success that it is today.
Bond: What can I bring you from Amsterdam?
Moneypenny: A diamond... in a ring...
Bond: Would you settle for a tulip?
Moneypenny: Yes.
Caroline Bliss (Moneypenny 1987-1989)
Unfortunately forgettable, Caroline Bliss
never really had the chance to work her way into
the character of Moneypenny. Poor scripting and lack of screen time meant that she had very little
opportunity to show herself as a worthy successor to the role. A poor substitute for the wonderful,
but sadly aging, Maxwell, Bliss' Moneypenny was perhaps to eager to please Dalton's hard-edged Bond,
and not annoyed enough with his cavalier, philandering attitude. Her most memorable quote is also
her most cringeworthy.
"I didn't know you were a music lover. Any time you want to come over and hear my Barry Manilow collection..."
Samantha Bond (Moneypenny 1995- )
With a name like that, how could she fail to get the part? Samantha Bond
was a very well established,
but not well known, actress when she landed the part of Miss Moneypenny for Bond's return in
GoldenEye. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company,
has had many prestigious roles in theatre (she was Juliet to Kenneth Branagh's Romeo), and it shows.
Samantha Bond has successfully managed to both update Moneypenny and bring a new twist to the role.
Moneypenny: You know, all this behaviour could qualify as sexual harassment.
Bond: Oh? and what's the penalty for that?
Moneypenny: Someday you have to make good on all your innuendo.
Q branch
Q is the head of special equipment division of MI6. In other words, he supplies all those wonderful
gadgets. From specially modified cars, to pens, belts and briefcases, Q can make anything just
that little bit different. After years of painstaking research, his equipment is finally field
tested by 007. If only he could be trusted to take care of it...
Peter Burton (Major Boothroyd 1962)
Although he's not really Q, the first introduction to the character comes in Dr. No.
Peter Burton plays Major Boothroyd, the Armourer for MI6, who recommends that Bond replaces his favourite
Beretta with the now legendary Walther PPK.
"It's a Walther PPK."
Desmond Llewelyn (Q 1963- )
There is only one Q, and that's Desmond Llewelyn.
He took the part in From Russia With Love
and made it his. His frustration with Bond's lack of interest is superb, and he provides excellent
comic relief. Now horrendously typecast, Llewelyn's major downfall was just that he was too good at Q.
How can the Bond films do without him?
Bond: Have I ever let you down?
Q: On numerous occasions.
Allies
The Central Intelligence Agency
The CIA is America's answer to the British Secret Service.
Conducting many of their own undercover operations, CIA agents have also been allied with high
class British spies in order to crack the toughest of cases.
Felix Leiter
007's American counterpart, Felix Leiter has often assisted Bond in his overseas operations.
Although Leiter is much less of a field agent than 007, his knowledge and expertise have often
arrived for Bond just in the nick of time.
Jack Lord (Leiter 1962)
Long before he took up his famous role as Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-O,
Jack Lord was the
first to play Bond's long suffering contact. In Dr. No, he assists Bond
in Jamaica as he attempts to solve the riddle of the disruption to the American Space Program.
Bringing a good air of mystery to the undercover role, it was intended that he would continue
in the part as the series progressed, however, he chose another career path.
Cec Linder (Leiter 1964)
Not the most memorable actor of the series, Cec Linder
plays a serviceable Felix Leiter who
watches Bond from afar, allowing him to handle the situation with Auric Goldfinger with his
characteristic style. Linder was 42 when he took the role of Felix Leiter, with several notable
projects behind him, including the classic TV series "Quatermass and the Pit" (1958)
and a big screen performance in Lolita (1962). However, since his part in the Bond series,
his career seemed to go downhill, with distinguished performances in films such as I Miss You,
Hugs and Kisses (1978) and the made for TV movie Blades of Courage (1988).
Leiter: The President wants to thank you personally.
Bond: Oh, it was nothing, really.
Leiter: I know that, but he doesn't.
Rik Van Nutter (Leiter 1965)
Possibly the worst of the actors playing Felix Leiter,
Rik Van Nutter tries so hard to be
cool that he ends up looking wooden and uncomfortable in the role. His forgettable other credits
include Romanoff and Juliet (1961) and Assignment Outer Space (1960).
Norman Burton (Leiter 1971)
In the first of Bond's American assignments,
Norman Burton takes over the role of Felix Leiter,
and sets a tone for others to build upon. No longer a stiff CIA agent, in Diamonds Are Forever,
Leiter is shown much more as an associate and comrade of 007, and the relationship works well.
Outside of the Bond series, Burton has taken a part in some real classics, including Planet of the Apes (1968)
and The Towering Inferno (1974).
Leiter: I give up. I know the diamonds are in here somewhere...
Bond: Alimentary, my dear Leiter.
David Hedison (Leiter 1973 and 1989)
The only actor to have ever reprised the role of Felix Leiter,
David Hedison was brought
back to star in Licence To Kill after his great performance 16 years
earlier. Hedison plays the part with the appropriate level of distaste and excitement at
Bond's cavalier attitude, and is the epitome of 007's CIA contact.
"He disagreed with something that ate him..."
John Terry (Leiter 1987)
After a very long absence, Dalton's classic style Bond had a new Felix Leiter, and unfortunately, it was back to
the old style for Leiter, too. Gone was the personality, and
John Terry once again tries to be cool in a role
that he never quite gets to grips with. Fortunately, for the following film, in which Leiter takes a much
greater role, the producers decided to go back to David Hedison, who had done so well in Live and Let Die.
Outside of the Bond series, Terry has had a varied career, with highlights including the title role in
Hawk the Slayer (1980) and parts in Full Metal Jacket (1987), Of Mice and Men (1992), Kiss and Tell (1996)
and TV's ER.
Jack Wade
The new 007 has a new American counterpart. When Pierce Brosnan took over the role, his long time
(and recently incapacitated) CIA contact was replaced by a cynical agent of the 90s in the form of
Jack Wade.
Joe Don Baker (Wade 1995- )
In an interesting reversal, Joe Don Baker
took over the role of Bond's CIA contact, having previously
starred as the Bond villain Brad Whittaker in The Living Daylights. Baker is almost
perfect for the role, with his cynical sneer and realistic view of modern day espionage. However, his
insistence on being over casual and his frequent references to 007 as "Jimmy" and "Jimbo" can be a little
annoying.
Bond: In London, April's a spring month.
Wade: And what are you, the weatherman?
Other Allies
Quarrel
A Jamaican fisherman who appeared in Bond's first big-screen adventure,
Quarrel was a much needed ally. In Dr. No, he assisted
007 in his mission to track down the source of the disruption to
the American space program. He was the only person willing to take
Bond to Crab Key because of the rumours of the dreaded dragon, which
finally caused his untimely demise.
Tiger Tanaka
The head of the Japanese Secret Service, Tiger Tanaka's identity is the most closely
guarded secret in the Japanese Intelligence Service. In order to avoid identification,
Tiger even rides on his own personal subway system to keep him off the streets. Bond
makes contact with this highly guarded agent in You Only Live Twice
by telling him "I love you", a most unusual secret password.
Sherrif J.W. Pepper
It's difficult to decide whether Sheriff J.W. Pepper is truly one of Bond's allies or not. One thing
is for sure, Clifton James was such a hit
in Live and Let Die as the hapless Louisiana po-lice officer that the
producers brought him back in The Man with the Golden Gun. Although
audiences at the time seemed to appreciate Pepper's incompetent antics, it's certain that 007
wasn't quite so impressed.
Columbo
In For Your Eyes Only, 007 finds an unlikely ally when he meets
the underworld smuggler Columbo (played by Topol).
In spite of the lies told by Kristatos in an attempt
to encourage Bond to assassinate his competitor, Columbo's engaging nature wins over 007
during a fierce battle with Kristatos' men. His aid is invaluable in storming St. Cyrils,
and he finally gains a skating protege when Bibi Dahl loses
her previous sponsor.
Sir Godfrey Tibbett
Sir Godfrey Tibbett (played by Avenger's star Patrick Macnee)
is an expert on horses. In A View to A Kill, he is asked by his
government to accompany Bond on a fact finding mission to
Max Zorin's stables, where a sale is currently
in progress. In a strange quirk of undercover sleuthing, the aristocratic expert is reduced
to being the chauffer to Bond's James St. John Smythe. He offers useful information and expert
advice to 007, but meets a sudden end when he takes his already washed car to the car wash.
Kamran Shah
007 found an unusual ally in the middle of an Afghan air base when he ran into Kamran Shah.
The leader of an unruly group of rebels, Shah (played by Art Malik)
aids Bond in his quest to stop Brad Whittaker playing off between
the British and Russian secret services in order to hide his money-making drug deals in
The Living Daylights.
Enemies
SPECTRE
The Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. SPECTRE is
an underground criminal organisation run by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The aim of SPECTRE is in its
name - and it does it well, concocting numerous nefarious plots in order to profit from
their criminal activities. Perhaps their finest moments are in From Russia
With Love, where their fiendish plot to steal a Russian Lektor and discredit 007 comes so
very close to fruition, and Thunderball, in which SPECTRE number 2,
Emilio Largo, holds the world to ransom with a stolen nuclear device.
Russian KGB
The opposite of MI6 during the cold war, 007 often had close calls with agents from the KGB.
A secretive agency that expected ruthless efficiency, the KGB was eventually dispanded with
the onset of glasnost.
General Alexis Gogol
M's opposite number appears in numerous films, including The Spy Who Loved Me,
Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only,
Octopussy, A View To A Kill and
The Living Daylights. Always played by Walter Gotell
(who, sadly, died in 1997), Gogol was always prepared for Bond's little tricks, and there was
a great deal of respect between the two sides of the Iron Curtain.
General Orlov
General Orlov, head of the Soviet forces, is a tough talking leader who sees the Russian armed superiority
going to waste in the new wave of detente. Admirably played by Steven Berkoff,
who gives the character an air of unpredictability, Orlov is ever so slightly unhinged in his
consuming desire to demonstrate Soviet superiority. He betrays his undercover aids, including
Octopussy, with his plan to detonate a nuclear device on an American airbase.
General Pushkin
General Leonid Pushkin (played by John Rhys-Davies)
is the head of the Russian Secret Service. In The
Living Daylights, Bond is ordered by M to assassinate him in response to his programme
of Smiert Spionum - Death to Spies. Fortunately for Pushkin, Bond relies on his head
rather than his holster when attempting to uncover Georgi Koskov's
underhanded dealings.
General Ourumov
The head of Space Division for the Russian military, General Ourumov (played by
Gottfried John) is the next iron-man
of Russia. However, this cold, hard exterior hides the heart of a traitor who (as part of
the Janus group) plans to steal millions of pounds from the Bank of England before destroying
London with a blast from the remaining GoldenEye satellite.
Defence Minister Mishkin
Masterfully played by Tchéky Karyo,
Defence Minister Dimitri Mishkin is one of modern Russia's strong political figures. However,
in GoldenEye, he gets caught between a traitorous comrade and the top agent of the British Secret Service.
Fortunately, he finds out the truth before it becomes too late.