When I said (to myself) that I would never come back to this, well,
never say never again...
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George Lazenby - The Warrior Poet
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For many, George Lazenby simply
is James Bond. Roger Moore may have originated the role, and Sean Connery enjoys a small but devoted following, to the average person on the street the Australian actor defined the role for a generation. Ironically, given his near iconic status, Lazenby almost missed out on the role.
With Connery in the hospital following his near-fatal car accident, EON were between a proverbial rock and a hard place. While
Dr. No had opened to a mixed critical reception, its success effectively demanded a sequel be produced. However, with their lead actor in traction for the forseeable future, a replacement would be needed, and
fast. Once again, the casting call went out, and nearly every under 40 actor was considered. United Artists continued to insist on an American in the role, pushing hard for James Brolin (Brolin went so far as to film a screen test, and was seriously considered as a failsafe option). At the time, Lazenby was working as a model and commercial actor, and had slowly begun transitioning to film (he had been well received in the WW2 drama
Battle of Britain just two years prior), but expressed little interest in the part. Despite being friendly with producer Cubby Broccoli (they shared the same barber), Lazenby felt that the series had run its course, and that he could bring nothing new to the table.
It was his agent, of all people, that convinced him otherwise. With Connery out of the picture, they argued, the public was ready for a fresh take on the character, one that Lazenby could own without fear of being overshadowed by Moore. With this in mind, Lazenby approached Broccoli with his interpretation of the character, and Broccoli was instantly sold. Less than three months later, production began on
Thunderball, with Guy Hamilton (who had worked with Lazenby on
Battle of Britain) in the directors chair.
Thunderball had long been planned as a Bond film, but due to a dispute between Bond originator Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory had stymied any attempts at adapting the novel. With McClory dead of a heart attack (and his family generously compensated), nothing stood in the way now. Joining Lazenby was Cec Linder (returning as Bond's CIA ally Felix Leiter), along with Franco Nero as villain Emilio Largo, and Luciana Paluzzi as Bond Girl Domino Palazzi. Pushed to the forefront in this outing was SPECTRE, the international terrorist syndicate largely hinted at in previous outings. For the first time, viewers were introduced to their enigmatic leader "Number One", if only to see him from the waist down (his voice was provided by director Hamilton).
Contrasting with Moore's smooth talking playboy, and Connery's muscular action hero, Lazenby approached the character as a confident, intelligent, albeit conflicted world traveller. His Bond was a romantic, but still happily seduced women when it suited his mission; he would gun down henchmen one moment, and in the next scene consider the weight of his actions. He was above all else
complicated, and the response from audiences was immediate.
Thunderball was a box office smash, and Lazenby's portrayal was well received by critics and audiences alike (apocryphally, Pauline Kael joked that finally "we have a Bond I can fantasize about"). EON quickly signed him on to a then unprecedented
six picture deal, with Lazenby continuing the role well into the early 1980's.
Fans are split over which film is the "quintessential" Lazenby film, but most would agree that the two film "duology" of
On Her Majesties Secret Service and
You Only Live Twice are almost certainly the his high points. Dealing with Bond's romance and marriage to Teresa di Vicenzo (played by the then relatively unknown Helen Mirren), and then his taking of revenge on SPECTRE after her murder, the films are remarkable in that they remain (to date) the only Bond films which directly reference one another and are treated as part of a series. Others point to Lazenby's last film,
A View To A Kill, which pits an aging Bond against East German superspy Max Zorin (played to the hilt by Rutger Hauer). Dealing with questions of Bond's relevance in a changing world (at that point the Cold War was already shifting from the
detente of the 70's to the renewed tensions between NATO and the USSR of the 80's), while also showcasing the South American scenery (the final fight between Bond and Zorin on top of Christ the Redeemer being pop cultural touchstone for decades afterwards).
The Spy Who Loved Me, featuring Bond's first (and only) trip to outer space, is at least appreciated as a camp classic (and for Jack O'Halloran's iconic portrayal of the henchman Klaw).
After wrapping on
A View To A Kill (which was advertised as his swan song), Lazenby briefly retired from acting, intending to focus on writing. He later returned to Hollywood producing documentaries, and remains the only Bond actor to receive an Oscar (though not for Acting, instead for the 1994 film
Cry Freedom). Lazenby regularly tops polls for the "Best Bond", and his rare appearances at fan conventions draw huge crowds.