George Lazenby's 007 reading (?) a copy of Playboy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
George Lazenby, who turns 85 on Sept. 5, has bid farewell to public life.
The Australian became the second person to play James Bond in the film series made by Eon Productions. He had the job for only one film: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).
Despite having almost no acting experience, Lazenby bluffed his way into becoming the successor to Sean Connery as Bond.
Eon had to adjust. The production company cast beauty pageant participants for key roles in From Russia With Love and Thunderball. For Majesty's Eon cast the popular but experienced, Diana Rigg to star opposite Lazenby.
OHMSS was a long, troubled production. It had a director, Peter Hunt, determined to deliver a faithful adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel. The inexperienced Lazenby rubbed Eon co-founder Albert R. Broccoli the wrong way.
In the end, OHMSS was a superior adaptation, arguably the most faithful version of a Fleming story. However, Bond movie box office was slipping. With Diamonds Are Forever, Eon moved to a lighter direction.
Despite that, Lazenby moved on. He appeared in films and TV shows. At times, Lazenby played off his one Bond film. Regardless, he had a decent acting career.
More recently, things have been tough for Laz.
Lazenby suffered a fall in December 2023 which caused a brain injury, according to a story by the BBC. Lazenby's official account on X (formerly Twitter) showed images of him looking frail on June 16, 2024, and July 12, 2024.
Finally, on July 24, 2024, Lazenby announced on X he was retiring permanently, even from personal appearances.
Happy retirement, Laz.
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