George Lazenby
Birth name	George Robert Lazenby
Born	September 5, 1939 (1939-09-05) (age 68) Queanbeyan, NSW
Spouse(s)	Christina Gannett (1971-1995) Pam Shriver (2002-)

George Robert Lazenby (born September 5, 1939) is an Australian actor best known for portraying James Bond only once in the 1969 James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. George Lazenby January 1st, 1968 United Artists James Bond Audition Studio Still from Time Magazine File links The following pages link to this file: George Lazenby Categories: Free use images ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The town of Queanbeyan in New South Wales, Australia is overshadowed by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra. ... NSW redirects here. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ... // Cannes Film Festival opens, but closes in support of a French general strike without awarding any prizes. ... 007 redirects here. ... For the Ian Fleming novel, see On Her Majestys Secret Service. ...

Biography

George Lazenby was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia. After leaving school he worked as a salesman at a Morris Motor Company dealership in Canberra and as a ski instructor. He also won several skiing competitions and played bass guitar in a band called The Corvettes. He served in the Australian Army Special forces, reaching the rank of Sergeant and becoming an unarmed combat instructor. He moved to London in 1964 as a model, then as an advertising actor. By 1968, he was the highest-paid male model in the world (reportedly, in 1967, he made £40,000 directly from modelling, and £60,000 from commercials and product endorsements — equivalent to more than one million pounds in 2004); he was also the European Marlboro Man. Queanbeyan is a city and local government area (Queanbeyan City Council) in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. ... Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... For other uses, see Special forces (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sergeant (disambiguation). ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... A model is a person who poses or displays for purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the U.S. Iraq War soldier in the iconic photograph, see James Blake Miller. ...

Despite starring 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 acting career did not flourish. For the Ian Fleming novel, see On Her Majestys Secret Service. ... US movie poster The Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

In the 1970s, Lazenby worked in Hong Kong with Bruce Lee. A planned luncheon meeting with Lee and Raymond Chow to discuss a movie project for the upcoming Golden Harvest Lee film Game of Death 1978 collapsed after Lee's sudden death, although Lazenby would still go on to make 3 of the 4 films he signed to do with Lee in Hong Kong, The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974), The Man From Hong Kong (1975) (also known as The Dragon Files), and A Queen's Ransom (1976). Lazenby was only featured with archive footage when Game of Death was finally released in 1978, after a 5-year delay caused by Lee's death while it was still in production. Bruce Lee (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... ramond chow ... Golden Harvest (Chinese: ) SEHK: 1132 is a film production, distribution and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. ... Game of Death (Chinese: 死亡遊戲) was the film Bruce Lee had planned to be the demonstration piece of his martial art Jeet Kune Do. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss was a Hong Kong based film production which was produced by Raymond Chow. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Lazenby's Hong Kong martial arts action films were very successful financially and are to this day considered classics of the genre, but without Lee the films did not have much commercial impact. For example, it is widely believed that all four of the planned Lee/Lazenby films would have grossed in excess of $100 million US at the box office worldwide in the early to mid 1970s (astronomical grosses in today's dollar values), which would have even rivaled the James Bond franchise at the time. Lee's death effectively derailed Lazenby's comeback after he had left the role of James Bond in 1969. Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

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. Lazenby had a son, Zachary (who died from brain cancer) and an adult daughter, Melanie, from his first marriage to Christina Gannett, heiress to the Gannett Newspaper Publishing empire. This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article is about the neighborhood in Los Angeles. ... Valyermo is a town located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Motto: Aerospace Capital of America Location of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles Government  - Mayor James C. Ledford Jr. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... Gannett Company, Inc. ...

In 2002, Lazenby married his second wife, former tennis player Pam Shriver; they have three children, George (b. 12 July 2004) and twins Caitlin Elizabeth and Samuel Robert (b. October 2005). Today, Lazenby enjoys sailing, motorcycle racing, car racing, reading, watching movies, playing golf, and playing tennis. On the May 6, 2007 episode of Where Are They Now, Lazenby said he wanted his children to grow up in Australia and the family would "try living [there]". Also see: 2002 (number). ... For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ... Pamela Howard Shriver Lazenby (born July 4, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland), is a former professional tennis player and current sports broadcaster from the United States. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Motorcycle (disambiguation). ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Where Are They Now is a television show that airs on Australias Seven Network. ...

James Bond (1969)

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Although he had previously worked in TV advertising and an Italian B-movie spy movie, 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 in a movie, following Sean Connery, who had become a cultural icon in the role (there had been a live TV version of Casino Royale in 1954 with American actor Barry Nelson and a spoof movie version of Casino Royale in 1967 with James Bond played by David Niven — Ian Fleming's own first choice for a cinematic James Bond, but this is generally considered not to be a 'proper' Bond film.) Lazenby had a difficult task in filling Connery's shoes, and nearly everything about his portrayal of Bond has been controversial. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... The spy film film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy. ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ... For the Ian Fleming novel, see On Her Majestys Secret Service. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Casino Royale by Ian Fleming was the first James Bond novel. ... Barry Nelson (April 16, 1917 - April 7, 2007[1]) was an American actor noted as the first actor to portray Ian Flemings secret agent James Bond. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

The film's producers, perhaps mistrusting Lazenby's ability to carry the picture, took the unusual step of overdubbing Lazenby's voice with that of George Baker in major scenes in which Bond impersonated Baker's character. The technique had never been used in a Bond film for a leading actor whose first language was English. According to an interview with Lazenby, the difficulties were due to director Peter R. Hunt refusing to talk directly to Lazenby, who was too brusque in passing on a request that Hunt's friends clear a set before filming^[1]. Allegedly, there also were personality conflicts with leading lady Diana Rigg, who was already an established star. However, according to director Hunt, these rumours are untrue and there were no such difficulties - or else they were minor - and he would have agreed to direct Diamonds Are Forever if Lazenby had accepted the contract.^[2]. Rigg herself acknowledged having eaten food spiced with garlic just before her kissing scenes with Lazenby, though witnesses also acknowledge that was done in an ironic and jesting tone, demonstrating a very English sense of humour on the part of Rigg. George Baker (born 1 April 1931) is a English actor, who was born in Varna, Bulgaria. ... Peter R. Hunt (March 11, 1925 - August 14, 2002) was a director, a film editor, and has held various other roles on movie sets. ... Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE (born 20 July 1938) is an English actress. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

During the film's production, Lazenby's manager Ronan O'Rahilly talked him into refusing a seven-movie contract on grounds that the James Bond character was out of touch with the times; Lazenby later stated that he regretted the decision not to continue playing Bond. Ronan ORahilly is an Irish businessman in the music industry. ...

Lazenby's performance as James Bond is controversial. Most viewers appreciate his athletic prowess in the part, especially in action scenes, but many have been dismissive - even hostile - toward his interpretation of Bond. Moreover, viewers tend either to find Lazenby's laconic style cold-blooded, at times callous and humorless, or else perfectly appropriate to the character of a determined and superficially charming spy. However, for those who have read the Fleming books, Lazenby's Bond is probably the closest to the author's intent. Certainly, Lazenby's Bond is a man less amused by life than that of Connery, less accessible, stoic and resigned. This treatment was the deliberate approach of the film's director, Peter Hunt, who has stated in an interview: "I was very insistent that we stay with the story of the book". Hunt later re-shot scenes in which he was unhappy with Lazenby's portrayal of emotion ([1]).

Critical response to On Her Majesty's Secret Service also remains sharply divided, affecting estimates of Lazenby's potential as Bond. It followed the plot of the novel more closely than the other film adaptations of the eponymous source novels, including serious dramatic subject matter pivotal to the development of Bond's character: Bond's contemplated resignation from MI6; his comically-botched impersonation of a sexually ascetic genealogist at a mountaintop allergies clinic for beautiful young women; and his brief, tragic marriage to Tracy Draco, the daughter of a Corsican crime syndicate leader. American movie reviewer Leonard Maltin has suggested that had Connery held the leading role, On Her Majesty's Secret Service would have epitomised the series. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... Genealogy (from Greek: γενεα, genea, family; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ... Tracy Bond (born Teresa Draco, aka Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo) is a fictional character in the James Bond film and novel On Her Majestys Secret Service (OHMSS). ... For other uses, see Corsica (disambiguation). ... Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950 in New York City) is a widely known and respected American film critic. ...

Although the film was not as commercially successful at the box office as previous Bond films, some aficionados consider this the best film of the series, with many critics feeling Lazenby 'nailed' Ian Fleming's characterization of 007. Commercially, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is widely believed to have paled in comparison to the previous Bond film, You Only Live Twice, and to the following, Diamonds Are Forever (both featuring Connery); this has been partly attributed to a poor publicity campaign. Ian Lancaster Fleming (May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was a British author, journalist and Second World War Navy Commander. ... For the Ian Fleming novel, see You Only Live Twice. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Marketing Look up publicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In fact, the film was not much less successful than You Only Live Twice, taking about 80% of the box office gross with 74% of the budget^[3][4], and was the second highest-grossing film of 1969. When adjusted for inflation, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the median performer of the entire James Bond franchise; the box office was undoubtedly compromised by Lazenby's public announcement before the film's release that he had refused to play the part again.

Lazenby is, along with Daniel Craig, one of only two actors to portray James Bond in only one 'proper' Bond film, though Craig has since signed on for another take as 007 in a follow-up movie in production for 2008, tentatively called Bond 22. Lazenby was also, at age 30, the youngest actor to portray Bond at the time of filming. He is also the only James Bond who, during the gun barrel sequence, dropped to one knee to fire his gun. Lazenby is also the only official Bond to make reference to the fact that other actors have played the role. In the opening teaser, after rescuing the girl only to have her immediately drive away, he states "This never happened to the other fellow", obviously referring to Sean Connery. The only other Bond film to draw attention to this is the unofficial spoof film Casino Royale. Lazenby is also the tallest actor to play James Bond. Daniel Wroughton Craig[1] (born 2 March 1968[2]) is a BAFTA-nominated English actor best known as the sixth actor to portray secret agent James Bond in the official film series from EON Productions. ... Bond 22 is the working title of a future EON Productions James Bond film, the sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, which rebooted the Bond franchise. ... 007 redirects here. ... The James Bond gun barrel sequence is the traditional opening to every official (EON Productions) James Bond movie, beginning with the first film, Dr. No, in 1962. ... This article is about the 1967 film, for other uses of this name, see Casino Royale. ... 007 redirects here. ...

Post-Bond career

Lazenby has portrayed James 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, entitled "Diamonds Aren't Forever". He also made a guest appearance on the popular TV series Superboy during the show's second season in 1990. He appeared with Sylvia Kristel in several new Emmanuelle films in the 1990s. “Telefilm” redirects here. ... Rare childrens storybook based upon Left to right: David McCallum, Robert Vaughn, and Leo G. Carroll. ... Alfred Hitchcock Presents was an anthology television series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. ... Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics character Superboy. ... Sylvia Kristel (September 28, 1952 in Utrecht), pronounced kri-STELL, is a Dutch actress, model and singer. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Emmanuelle and Emmanuelle (film character), accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

Selected filmography

• Espionage in Tangiers (1966)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• Universal Soldier (1971)
• Life and Legend of Bruce Lee (1973) (archive footage)
• The Last Days of Bruce Lee (1973)
• The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974)
• The Man From Hong Kong (Alternate title: The Dragon Flies) (1975)
• A Queen's Ransom (1976)
• The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
• Bruce Lee, The Legend (1977)
• Game of Death (1978) (archive fighting footage)
• Death Dimension (Alternate title: Black Eliminator) (Alternate title: Freeze Bomb) 1978)
• Saint Jack (1979)
• The Nude Bomb (1980) - cameo appearance as James Bond
• General Hospital (1982) (TV Series)
• The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983) (TV Movie) - as the Bond-like character "JB"
• Master Ninja (1984)
• Never Too Young to Die (1986)
• Superboy (1988) (TV Series) - recurring guest role as Jor-El
• The Evil Inside (1992)
• Emmanuelle's Secret (1992)
• Emmanuelle's Revenge (1992)
• Emmanuelle's Perfume (1992)
• Emmanuelle's Magic (1992)
• Gettysburg (1993) - as Confederate Brig. Gen Johnston Pettigrew
• YuYu Hakusho: Eizo Hakusho (1993) (voice)
• Emmanuelle's Love (1993)
• Emmanuelle in Venice (1993)
• Emmanuelle Forever (1993)
• Batman Beyond (1999) (TV Series) - recurring role as King (voice)
• Batman Beyond: The Movie (1999) (TV Movie) (voice)
• The Pretender (1999–2000) (TV Series) - recurring guest role as the hero Jarod's father Major Charles
• Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000)
• Spider's Web (2001)
• YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files (2002) (TV Series) (voice)
• Winter Break (Alternate title: Sheer Bliss) (2003)

For the Ian Fleming novel, see On Her Majestys Secret Service. ... The 1971 film Universal Soldier stars George Lazenby as a mercenary. ... The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss was a Hong Kong based film production which was produced by Raymond Chow. ... US movie poster The Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. ... Game of Death (Chinese: 死亡遊戲) was the film Bruce Lee had planned to be the demonstration piece of his martial art Jeet Kune Do. ... Death Dimension (a. ... Saint Jack is a 1973 fictional book by Paul Theroux and a 1979 film of the same name. ... General Hospital is the longest-running daytime soap opera on the American ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West since its inception). ... Rare childrens storybook based upon Left to right: David McCallum, Robert Vaughn, and Leo G. Carroll. ... Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics character Superboy. ... Jor-El is a fictional character. ... Gettysburg is a 1993 movie which depicts the decisive American Civil War battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. ... J. Johnston Pettigrew James Johnston Pettigrew (July 4, 1828 – July 17, 1863) was an author, lawyer, linguist, diplomat, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Original run 1990 – 1994 Volumes 19 TV anime Director Noriyuki Abe Studio Studio Pierrot Network Fuji Television, Animax Original run 10 October 1992 – 7 January 1995 Episodes 112 TV Episodes, 2 Movies YuYu Hakusho , literally Spirits Wander White Book, meaning Ghost Files / Poltergeist Report, romanized... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Emmanuelle and Emmanuelle (film character), accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and India) is an American animated television series created by The WB Television Network in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. ... The Pretender is a television series that originally ran on NBC for four seasons between 1996 and 2000. ... Four Dogs Playing Poker is a 2000 art heist movie directed by Paul Rachman starring Balthazar Getty. ...

References in popular culture

• On an episode of The Simpsons, Lisa tells Marge that their Smart House has the voice of James Bond. Marge responds, "George Lazenby?!". Lisa corrects her, saying that it's Pierce Brosnan.

Treehouse of Horror XII is the first episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season, as well as the twelfth Halloween episode. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Lisa Marie Simpson is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Yeardley Smith; Lisa is the only character Smith voices on a regular basis. ... Marjorie Marge Simpson (née Bouvier) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons and is voiced by Julie Kavner. ... Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE [1] (born May 16, 1953) is an Irish actor and producer best known for portraying James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. ...

External links

• George Lazenby at the Internet Movie Database

• Lazenby page from JamesBond.com
• George Lazenby Interview
• Official George Lazenby Site
• George Lazenby at the National Film and Sound Archive

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

References