December 16, 2019
By Ryan Porzl
In August 1967, the James Bond series was at an all time high coming off it's fifth film You Only Live Twice back in June and was the third Bond film in a row to gross more than $100 million. However, all good things must come to an end as it was at this point where the franchise suffered a big blow when original James Bond Sean Connery announced his departure from the role after five years and five films. There were obvious questions about whether the franchise could survive without Connery or if Bond was merely a fad that would begin to fizzle out. With money to be made, the series continued but after several names ranging from actors who played superheroes to future Bond actors, the man assigned to fill Connery's shoes was an Australian model with little acting experience named George Lazenby. Despite the seemingly impossible task, Lazenby made his mark leaving as fast as he came and exiting the role after only one film and mixed reviews. With the 50th Anniversary of his only outing of 007 approaching, let's take a look at George Lazenby: The One and Done James Bond. This article does contain spoilers.
Beginning and Modeling (1939-1967)
Lazenby was born George Robert Lazenby on September 5, 1939 at Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia to a father who was a railway worker and a mother who worked at the store Fossey's. He originally attended Goulburn Public School and then Goulburn High School until he was 14 when he and his family moved to Queanbeyan which was where he father ran a store. During his childhood, he also suffered from a health problem which left him hospitalized and losing half a kidney. After his school days, Lazenby did a variety of work as he enlisted in the Australian Army before taking jobs as a car salesman and mechanic. In 1963, at the age of 24, Lazenby moved to London, England as he decided to follow a woman he fell in love with. He first settled in Finchley where he sold used cars before moving to Park Lane where he began selling newer ones. While there, he was discovered by a talent scout who recommended him to be a model. Lazenby accepted and over the years became successful earning 25,000 pounds per year (475,000 pounds today), was voted Top Male Model of 1966, and was reportedly the highest earning model in all of Europe by the end of the 60s. During this time, Lazenby also began doing advertisements most notably for Big Fry Chocolates which earned him the nickname "The Big Fry". Lazenby also worked as an European Malboro Man.
Becoming Bond (1967-1968)
In the summer of 1967 shortly after the release of the fifth James Bond film You Only Live Twice, it was announced that original Bond Sean Connery would leave the role resulting in a vacancy. With the Bond series at it's peak, it was obvious the series would continue but the obvious question was could it continue without Connery or flame out. The choices to play Bond were interesting to say the least. Adam West, best known for playing Batman, was apparently considered but he believed an American shouldn't play Bond. Future Bonds Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton were also considered but both turned it down for different reasons. By chance, Lazenby met co-producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli when both got their hair cut at the same barbershop. Broccoli later saw Lazenby's Big Fry Chocolate commercial and thought he had potential as Bond so Lazenby was offered a screen test. For his screen test, Lazenby famously showed up dressing the part wearing a Savile Row suit and a Rolex submariner wristwatch. Not only that, but the suit and watch were actually ordered by Connery himself but he never collected them. By April 1968, Eon Productions reportedly narrowed the search down to five choices with Lazenby being one of them. The other four were John Richardson who was a lead in Italian films and played the love interest to former Bond Girl Ursula Andress and Raquel Welch. Anthony Rogers who played Sir Dinadan in the 1967 film Camelot. The other two were actors named Robert Campbell and Hans de Vries. Lazenby eventually won over Broccoli when he accidentally punched a professional wrestler who was serving as a stunt coordinator during his audition with Broccoli being impressed as Lazenby was able to show aggression. Lazenby eventually won the part and accepted with Eon announcing on October 7, 1968 that Lazenby would be the next James Bond. Lazenby's casting was interesting as he was offered the main role in a major film series despite having no acting experience outside of advertisements and commercials. Director Peter Hunt defended the decision claiming they were looking for someone who oozed sexual charisma and that there's a difference between an actor and a film star.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
The film starts with M and Q at M's office unable to find Bond. Shortly afterwards, Bond follows a car to the beach where a woman attempts suicide. Bond stops her and introduces himself but before he can get her name, two men emerge and try to kill Bond while taking the woman away but Bond fights them off and the woman escapes. Bond is invited by the woman, who is named Teresa di Vicenzo or Tracy, to her room but Bond finds an attacker there and fights him off before finding Tracy in his room. The following day, Bond is captured by a group of men including the one who attacked him the previous day. It turns out, Tracy is the daughter of Marc-Ange Draco, the head of a European Crime Syndicate named the Unione Corse. Bond is taken to Draco who wants Bond to marry Tracy but he refuses but does agree to romance her if Draco is able to tell him the whereabouts of SPECTRE head Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Eventually, Bond returns to London where M relieves him of his mission to get Blofeld since he been unable to get Blofeld after two years of trying and says Bond's Licence to Kill is useless if he can't set up the target. Angered, Bond offers his resignation but M refuses to accept it. Afterwards, Bond heads to Portugal to attend Draco's birthday and begins a whirlwind romance with Tracy. While there, he's directed to a law firm in Bern, Switzerland where he finds out Blofeld is corresponding with Sir Hilary Bray, the genealogist at the London College of Arms as he desires the title of "Count Balthazar de Bleuchamp". Bond poses as Bray and heads to Blofeld's headquarters which is an allergy clinic at Piz Gloria in the Swiss Alps. There, Bond meets 12 women who have supposedly been cured of their allergies. In reality, he finds out they're Blofeld's "Angels of Death" and are being brainwashed by him. Bond meets with Blofeld, who has undergone plastic surgery to alter his appearance since You Only Live Twice and removed his earlobes as the Bleuchamps were known not to have them. He tries to convince Blofeld to leave Switzerland so he can be arrested by Mi6 but Blofeld refuses. Eventually, Bond is exposed by henchwoman Irma Bunt after he tries to seduce one of the women. Blofeld also reveals Bond also made a mistake claiming the Bleuchamp tombs were at the Augsburg Cathedral when they were actually at the Ste. Anna Kirch which is something the real Sir Hilary Bray would've known. Blofeld then reveals his scheme that he has created a powerful virus called "Virus Omega" which is capable of destroy plant life and live stock all over the world and plans to have the women he's brainwashed into unleashing it if his demands aren't met. Bond eventually escapes and skis away from Piz Gloria before arriving at Lauterbrunnen where he meets Tracy and the two escape to a barn after a car chase. While there, Bond proposes marriage and Tracy accepts. However, the following morning, Tracy is captured and Blofeld sets off an avalanche though Bond eventually escapes. Returning to London, M reveals Blofeld's demands are money, a pardon for all his past crimes, and the title of Count de Bleuchamp or he will release Virus Omega around the world. M tells Bond they will give in to his demands and tells Bond not to attempt a rescue. Despite this, Bond then joins with Draco and his men to stage an attack and rescue at Piz Gloria. The mission is a success as the facility is destroyed while Blofeld attempts an escape via bobsled but Bond gives chase with the result being Blofeld suffering a neck injury after his neck is caught in a tree branch. Bond and Tracy then marry in Portugal and shortly afterwards drive off. They stop at the roadside where Bond decides to pick flowers from the car as Tracy sits. As he does this, Blofeld drives by while Bunt performs a drive by shooting at the car. Bond hides behind the car and survives but as he enters the car to give chase, he turns to see Tracy is shot dead. Police come to check what happen as a heartbroken Bond cradles the dead Tracy and says they have all the time in the world.
Lazenby starred as James Bond in his one and only appearance as 007. Diana Rigg played Contessa Tracy di Vicenzo, Bond's doomed lover and wife. Telly Savalas played Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Bond's archnemesis who seeks the title Comte Balthazar de Bleuchamp, money, and a pardon for all his previous crimes or else he'll flood the world with his virus omega which could wipe out plant and animal life. Gabriele Ferzetti plays Marc-Ange Draco, Tracy's father and head of the Union Corse Crime Syndicate. Ilse Steppat played Irma Bunt, Blofeld's henchwoman. George Baker played Sir Hilary Bray, a genealogist Bond poses as at Blofeld's lair with Baker also voicing Bond during the impersonation. Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell returned for a sixth outing as M and Miss Moneypenny, respectively while Desmond Llewelyn returned for a fifth outing as Q.
The film was co-produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli. Peter Hunt served as director. Hunt previously served as an editor for the first four Bond films and whose fast cutting editing was considered not only innovative but a part of Bond's success. Hunt also served as a second unit director for You Only Live Twice and was promoted to director after lobbying for it during work on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. John Barry returned for the fifth straight time as composer having composed every Bond film at that point since From Russia With Love back in 1963. After sitting out of You Only Live Twice, Richard Maibaum returned as screenwriter for the fifth time. John Glen made his Bond debut as editor. Glen later went on to serve as an editor for The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker before directing all five of Eon's 1980s Bond movies. The main song was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" which was an instrumental from Barry due to Barry having a hard time composing a theme with "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in the lyrics. Originally, Academy Award winning lyricist Leslie Bricusse considered lyrics but Hunt decided against it. The secondary song was "We Have All The Time In The World" sung by Louis Armstrong.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the sixth James Bond film from Eon Productions. It marked the first without original Bond Sean Connery and the one and only appearance of Lazenby as Bond. It also marked the first "Back to Basics" Bond which means that the Bond series had periods with the films getting more and more over the top until finally a movie would come along that would be so over the top and fantastical that the only thing Eon can do was go back to basics in the next film with the film having few gadgets and Bond relying more on his skills. Diana Rigg was cast as Tracy in the movie to make up for the lack of experience of Lazenby. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was originally to be the fourth Bond film in the series but was dropped when Saltzman and Broccoli struck a deal with Kevin McClory to do Thunderball. Eventually, the two ultimately chose Majesty as the sixth film when plans to do The Man With The Golden Gun fell through. Unlike most Bond movies, Majesty was closely adapted from the novel which did bring some problems as Bond and Blofeld met once before in You Only Live Twice but in the book, their first confrontation was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Originally, Eon did plan to have Bond undergo plastic surgery to explain the change in actor but this was quickly dropped. However, a scene in Bond's office where he pulls out items from previous movies was likely added to remind people Lazenby and Connery are the same Bond. It's rather appropriate that Majesty was Lazenby's one and only Bond because it was a one and done for others as well. Despite working on the previous five Bonds, Majesty was the one and only Bond Peter Hunt directed as he left the series after this, never to return. The film also marked the one and only English film for Irma Bunt actress Ilse Steppat as the German actress passed away from a heart attack on December 21, 1969, three days after the London premiere. The film also marks the first and, to date, only time any of the Qs refer to Bond by his first name James instead of Bond or 007 which Q does at Bond's wedding. At 142 minutes, it was the longest Bond film until Casino Royale in 2006, 37 years later. Majesty also made Lazenby the youngest actor to play 007 as he was 29 during filming and 30 when the movie was released. Lazenby is also the only actor to date to play Bond that was not European. As a testament to the movie, Eon would use scenes from On Her Majesty's Secret Service to screen test actors for the role of Bond for decades to come.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released on December 18, 1969 and grossed $82 million dollars on a $7 million budget. The gross was mixed as it still was one of the highest grosses of 1969 but was considered a flop at the time as Connery's three previous Bond films each grossed $100 million dollars with You Only Live Twice grossing $111.6 million which means Majesty made nearly $20 million less. Reviews for the film were originally mixed at the time but have warmed over the decades with many considering it one of the greatest Bond movies ever made. The general consensus was critics enjoyed Rigg's performance and the scenery of the Swiss Alps while Telly Sevalas' Blofeld is considered arguably the best portrayal of Blofeld. However, Lazenby's performance earned mixed reviews as he looked the part and his fight scenes were well received but his costumes were considered "Loud" and many thought Lazenby did a poor job delivering his lines. Most critics viewed Lazenby as not to par with Connery with legendary film critic Leonard Maltin even saying the film would've epitomized the series had Connery, not Lazenby, been Bond. However, some have been more warm as film critics Alexander Walker of the London Evening Standards and feminist film critic Molly Haskell supported Lazenby's performance at the time while critic and sports reporter Danny Peary disagreed with Maltin and thought Lazenby was the right choice for the movie and Connery's portrayal would've been out of place as opposed to Lazenby. Meanwhile, both Connery and Roger Moore reportedly were fans of Lazenby's performance and told him such. Broccoli has even gone on record saying Lazenby had potential to be the best.
Aftermath (1970-2019)
Lazenby's experience on Majesty was anything but pleasant. In the months after leaving Bond, he admitted reports of him being awkward and hostile were true in a way and said he was very uptight and didn't understand what was happening. Lazenby blamed his behavior on the fact he was kept away from director Hunt, only talking through his assistant and not getting any coaching or help during filming despite his inexperience. Lazenby also claimed Hunt kept everyone away from him believing Lazenby would be a better Bond if left alone as much as possible. He reportedly didn't get along with co-star Diana Rigg who claimed he was "bloody impossible" and one rumor even came out Rigg ate garlic before make out scenes with Lazenby though Hunt claimed the latter was a joke and either the issues were not true or weren't as significant as led to believe. He also angered Broccoli not only with his behavior but he reportedly spoiled a cast and crew party as well as breaking his arm while skiiing despite being told not to ski. Lazenby also reportedly injured actor Bernard Lee when he was screwing around on a horse resulting in Lee not only falling into a fence but suffering a gash that a veterinarian had to stitch up since a doctor wasn't available. Regardless, the British tabloid picked up on these and quickly began making claims that Lazenby was inferior to Connery. Speaking of Connery, he would later show support for Lazenby claiming he never knew of Lazenby to be arrogant but couldn't say the same about Broccoli.
Regardless of these issues and contrary to popular belief, Saltzman and Broccoli hoped Lazenby would stick around and actually offered him a seven picture contract to continue as Bond. However, Lazenby was not only wanting to move on but his agent Ronan O'Rahilly recommended he leave the series believing Bond was out of touch and would flame out in the liberated 70s. Lazenby would take the advice and by November 1969, one month before the movie's release, gave his notice to Saltzman and Broccoli that he would not continue in the role. In his announcement, he claimed the producers made him feel mindless and disregarded everything he suggested due to inexperience. After filming finished, Lazenby would even grow a beard and his hair long while claiming Bond to be a brute and that he already put it behind him. As one last issue between Lazenby and the producers, Saltzman and Broccoli reportedly wanted Lazenby to cut his hair and shave his beard for the premiere and look like he did on Majesty but Lazenby refused showing up in his long hair and beard. To the surprise of no one, Lazenby later considered it the biggest mistake of his life. Nevertheless, with that, Lazenby's run as the world's most famous secret agent was over before it began. At 30 years old, Lazenby is the youngest actor to leave the role and at one film, Lazenby has played Bond in the fewest movies. Two records that stand 50 years later.
After leaving the Bond series, Lazenby would be nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the category "New Star of the Year - Actor" but lost out to Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy. The nomination is the only time to date an actor portraying Bond was nominated for a Golden Globe in the role. He supposedly took drama classes at Durham University's College of the Venerable Bede and acted from 1970-2003 before resuming in 2012 in a variety of roles but nothing huge as he never came close to the potential he had as Bond. During this time, he acted all over the world in movies from Italy, England, Australia, Hong Kong, and The United States. In 1973, Lazenby traveled to Hong Kong and was set to be offered the biggest opportunity since Majesty when he befriended legendary martial artist Bruce Lee and was in talks to appear in the upcoming film The Game of Death either playing the master to Lee's character Hai Tien or western adversary. Lazenby even was set to have dinner with Lee on July 20, 1973 regarding his part but the dinner and role never happened as Lee passed away earlier in the day of a cerebral edema at the age of 32. Reportedly, Lazenby signed his contract with Golden Harvest only four days before Lee's passing. Despite not appearing in the film, Lazenby later filmed three films for Golden Harvest including 1974's Stoner (aka The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss) which was to star Lee, 1975's The Man From Hong Kong (aka The Dragon Flies) and 1976's A Queen's Ransom. In 1978, when Golden Harvest decided to finish Game of Death, Lazenby was reportedly considered for the role of Jim Marshall but the role eventually went to Academy Award Winner Gig Young in what would be Young's final role. According to John Cleese (another Bond alumni), he wanted to offer Lazenby the role of Jesus Christ in 1979's Monty Python's Life of Brian but the role eventually went to Kenneth Colley due to Lazenby being unavailable. In 1982, Lazenby nearly returned to James Bond when Kevin McClory's Thunderball remake was greenlit and McClory considered having him play Bond since he wanted a former Bond actor in the role and Lazenby was the likeliest to accept. Ultimately, it never happened when Sean Connery expressed interest and took the part in what became 1983's Never Say Never Again. Outside of those cancelled projects, Lazenby did act and voice act on television shows such as General Hospital, Superboy, and Batman Beyond.
Lazenby would return to his Bond roots several times in the 80s mostly via parodies including the 1983 TV Movie The Return of the Man from UNCLE playing a Bond parody named JB who used Bond like gadgets and drove an Aston Martin DB5 then on a 1989 episode of The New Alfred Hitchock Presents playing a character named James Grant in an episode called "Diamonds Aren't Forever".
Outside of acting, Lazenby has since married twice including to 1988 Olympic Gold Medal tennis player Pam Shriver which led to five children and dabbled in business and real estate. He also has competed in the senior circuit in off-road dirt bike racing as well as stock car racing.
Despite Lazenby's short run as James Bond, he's still earned a legacy as he's usually remembered for his brief run and has been compared to other actors who are either considered the worst in an iconic role or had a short tenure in an iconic role. Upon the release of Batman and Robin in 1997, film critic Mick LaSalle said that George Clooney "Should go down in history as the George Lazenby of the series". Actor Paul McGann, who played the Eighth Doctor in the Doctor Who series, has considered himself "the George Lazenby of Doctor Who" due to only making two appearances on television in the role though he did play him in other media. In 2006 as a joke, comedian John Oliver considered Pope Benedict XVI as the George Lazenby of the papacy in comparison to "John Paul II's Sean Connery".
Despite leaving the series so soon and not having many nice things to say back in 1969, Lazenby has since warmed on Bond. Along with appearing in Bond parodies, Lazenby has also appeared in many conventions over the decades while acknowledging his former status as James Bond and he had shown up at red carpet premieres for Bond movies. In 2017, Lazenby would also participate in the Hulu movie Becoming Bond, a docudrama about his early life, the events that led him to James Bond, the events that happened after he left the role, and his life afterwards.
In the end, Lazenby will never go down in James Bond history like Sean Connery and Roger Moore but you can't deny he has an interesting life and story. As mentioned above, even though his run in Bond was short, he still made a mark. Some people are referred to as "The One and Only" but George Lazenby will go down as "The One and Done" James Bond.
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