George Lazenby

Biography

George Lazenby

In 1969, George Lazenby was faced with a great opportunity that was also a daunting task: he was to star in the first Bond movie after Sean Connery retired from the role. Who could fill Connery's shoes? To many Bond fans the answer is not yet known, but most everone agrees that Lazenby just couldn't match the quality and depth Connery brought to the character.

Lazenby came to Britain and rose to the top of the male modeling world. Other than the modeling, Lazenby's collective resume included selling used cars and acting in a few candy bar commercials. Nevertheless, in 1968, he auditioned and received the role that every actor in the world was vying for.

Although he couldn't live up to the Bond standard that Connery set, Lazenby didn't do badly considering his lack of experience. His main failing was simply that he wasn't Connery. His work was a bit stilted, and there are scenes where his inexperience is painfully obvious, but in the end his portrayal wasn't far from the mark and it's easy to see that he would have grown into the role with another few films.

Additionally, his lone film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is widely considered one of the best of the series. Along with From Russia with Love, Lazenby's film is as close to Fleming's novel as they come, and it contains the legendary subplot in which Bond falls in love, marries, and is widowed.

Nevertheless, On Her Majesty's Secret Service played poorly to audiences. Connery's shadow was long, indeed, and it crippled the film before it was even released. Moreover, audiences had become used to world-domination plots as in Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice and perhaps weren't ready for a drastic change of pace On Her Majesty's Secret Service presentedHowever, Lazenby's eventual downfall was based more on this off-screen performance. He was at odds with the director, the production crew and the other actors from the start, reports said. The media was putting "the new James Bond" under astonishing pressure, and Lazenby didn't respond well. Many say the final straw came when he refused to shave a beard for the public premiere of the film.

So the Australian model-turned-Bond only played him in one movie -- arguably the best of Fleming's novels. This is one reason why the movie was met with critical acclaim and lives on as a centerpiece in the Bond canon.

Immediately following his stint as Bond, Lazenby made several Hong Kong action films, then returned to American cinema in B-pictures like The Kentucky Fried Movie and the Emmanuelle series. His television roles include a year on the soap opera "General Hospital," and bit parts on "Baywatch," "Diagnosis Murder," and a recent high-profile cameo on "The Pretender." His latest project, the independent film Four Dogs Playing Poker, is completed and awaiting distribution.