The man who was in more James Bond movies than any 007

The James Bond franchise makes mega-stars retired of the actors that person portrayed 007 implicit the years, from Sir Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, Sir Roger Moore and Daniel Craig.

All successful all, six actors person had the fashionable spy’s licence to termination bestowed upon them, portraying Bond successful his pulse-pounding onscreen adventures – with different soon to articulation their ranks.

The histrion who played Bond astir (legitimately) was the precocious Sir Roger, who appeared successful 7 of Eon’s authoritative Bond productions, portion Australian exemplary and erstwhile car salesman George Lazenby, who precocious retired from acting, played 007 lone once.

Most caller Bond Craig capped disconnected his Bond outings with 2021’s To Time To Die, and it’s go astir a nationalist pastime successful the 3 years since to speculate implicit who whitethorn regenerate him.

However, writer Ian Fleming, creator of Bond – who was inspired by Fleming’s real-life enactment alongside the top-secret combat Special Operations Executive during World War Two – besides wrote different enduring characters.

These excessively appeared successful the Bond films, caller from the pages of his novels – ones specified arsenic M and Miss Moneypenny.

But the histrion who appeared the astir times successful a 007 movie played a quality that wasn’t technically written by Fleming (although his subdivision was mentioned) – and that’s Desmond Llewelyn arsenic Q, standing for ‘quartermaster’.

Q has been successful astir each azygous James Bond movie, portrayed by a fewer antithetic actors including Monty Python prima John Cleese, Bafta-winner Ben Whishaw and Peter Burton, who appeared successful Dr No arsenic Major Boothroyd, the predecessor to the movie mentation of the role. (Llewelyn’s Q is aboriginal referred to arsenic Major Boothroyd successful 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, however.)

Remarkably, Llewelyn, who was calved successful 1914, and whose 17-film vocation arsenic Q spanned 36 years, was reportedly lone ever paid a time complaint for his usually abbreviated appearances successful each film.

James Bond did not marque him a star, nevertheless it did marque the jobbing British thespian – who had acted onstage with Laurence Oliver and Vivien Leigh earlier appearing successful Olivier’s 1948 movie mentation of Hamlet – instantly recognisable.

In his relation arsenic MI6’s quartermaster implicit decades-worth of films, Llewelyn got to manus Bond immoderate of his astir memorable gadgets, usually with his memorable line: ‘Pay attention, 007.’

That includes everything from the instrumentality briefcase successful From Russia With Love, which helped Sir Sean’s Bond smuggle a Russian defector crossed the continent, to the agent’s specially modified Aston Martin DB5 and the Ericsson telephone with a surface successful Tomorrow Never Dies that fundamentally gave Brosnan’s Bond a (very) smartphone years up of the remainder of us.

And let’s not hide Licence to Kill’s exploding toothpaste, the Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine Car from The Spy Who Loved Me and, of course, GoldenEye’s exploding pen.

There’s besides Die Another Day’s baffling invisible car and the classical – precise chill – jetpack from Thunderball, portion Q besides managed to articulation 007 extracurricular his laboratory successful some Octopussy and Licence to Kill.

While his vocation already included appearances successful films similar They Were Not Divided, The Lavender Hill Mob and Cleopatra, being portion of the 007 franchise allowed Llewelyn to gain a bully surviving via commercials.

The Welsh histrion and Rada postgraduate appeared successful adverts for brands including Ford, Heineken, LG and Reach toothbrushes – arsenic good arsenic ones to beforehand the classical GoldenEye 007 and Tomorrow Never Dies video games.

Over the years, Q and Bond had a strained narration successful the movies that developed dilatory into affection.

By the clip Llewelyn’s Q told Bond of his impending status successful 1999’s The World Is Not Enough, Brosnan’s 007 expresses his anticipation that it’s not coming up ‘too soon’.

Llewelyn was past capable to marque a expansive exit with rather immoderate style, telling Bond arsenic Q: ‘I’ve ever tried to thatch you 2 things: First, ne'er fto them spot you bleed.’

When Bond asks for the second, helium past added, ‘Always person an flight plan’, earlier being lowered retired of presumption connected a platform.

This wasn’t intended to beryllium the seasoned actor’s last quality arsenic Q, necessarily.

The histrion announced that helium intended to proceed successful the relation successful an interrogation connected the DVD extras of his last movie ‘as agelong arsenic the producers privation maine and the Almighty (God) doesn’t’.

Tragically, helium was killed successful a car mishap aged 85 conscionable 3 weeks aft the premiere of The World Is Not Enough.

Sir Roger Moore, who died aged 89 successful 2017, spoke astatine his funeral.

As it stands, the fashionable Llewelyn remains the histrion who has appeared successful the astir Bond films, and playing the aforesaid character, up of Lois Maxwell who played Miss Moneypenny successful 14 films.

She archetypal appeared successful Dr No arsenic well, and past appeared successful 1985’s A View to A Kill with Sir Roger.

However, helium could suffer his rubric arsenic the idiosyncratic to look onscreen acting successful the astir Bond films successful the aboriginal if cameos are taken into consideration.

Producer Michael G. Wilson, half-brother to chap shaper Barbara Broccoli, is believed to person appeared uncredited successful scenes successful 16 007 movies truthful far, conscionable 1 down Llewelyn, though 1 of these was chopped from the last mentation of Skyfall.

He archetypal appeared successful Goldfinger successful 1964 arsenic a worker astatine Fort Knox, and was past seen onscreen successful 2015’s Spectre arsenic a authorities authoritative alongside Max Denbigh’s C (played by Andrew Scott).

But the interaction of Llewelyn an his tally connected the franchise arsenic a full onscreen is improbable to beryllium surpassed immoderate clip soon.

This nonfiction was primitively published connected August 4.

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