George Lazenby
George Lazenby
(born September 5, 1939 in Goulburn, Australia)
Bond Films: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Other Notable Work: Universal Soldier (1971), Man Called Stoner (1973), A Queen's Ransom (1974), Saint Jack (1979), Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1983), Rituals (1984), Never to Young to Die (1986), Hell Hunters (1986), Eyes of the Beholder (1992), Emmanuelle's Revenge (1992), Gettysburg (1993), Emmanuelle's Love (1993), Fatally Yours (1995), Foxhunt [Computer Game] (1996)
George Lazenby's Biography: As a young man, George Lazenby served on the Australian Army and was naturally fit and athletic. After selling cars to make his living, George moved to London in 1964 and became a huge success as a model.
When Sean Connery stated that he no longer wanted to play James Bond,
a search began in 1968 for the man that would pick up where the original
(and popular) 007 left off. At the time, Lazenby had no acting experience,
but was very popular as a commercial spokesman for Big Fry Chocolates.
Lazenby won the part of James Bond over his competitors (John Richardson,
Robert Campbell, Anthony Rogers, and Hans de Vries), mainly due to the skills
he
exhibited
during an onscreen fight scene.
Apparently, George had a frustrating time while working with other members of the cast and crew during the filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He reportedly shared tense relationships with director Peter Hunt and Bond Girl Diana Rigg. He also had difficulty with the film's producers. It was because of this discontent during filming that Lazenby decided to leave the Bond role after just one film, a decision he now says that he shouldn't have made.
Sean Connery stepped into Bond's shoes one more time in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and then turned the part over to Roger Moore. Unfortunately, George's acting career quickly went downhill after he said goodbye to 007.
During the 1970's Lazenby found work in Hong Kong, and was set to star in a film with Bruce Lee shortly before the actor's death.
George decided to take some time off from film acting, and turned instead to car racing and some television appearances. He returned to big screen roles a few years ago, and also starred in Foxhunt, an interactive computer adventure about an average man who becomes a secret agent and must save the world from nuclear disaster.
What Lazenby Did For Bond: Because George Lazenby played James Bond in only one film, he did not have enough time to comfortably make the role his own, as Connery had done. However, George successfully portrayed Bond with more sensitivity than did his predecessor. After the death of his wife, Lazenby's Bond exhibits true despair. This scene shows that James does have a softer side than Sean Connery would have you believe. Some fans of the series enjoyed Lazenby's turn as Bond, while others are glad that he only made one 007 film.