(Click to hear Lazenby's Bond line...The Line)George Lazenby, who only lived once as James Bond, is thought of by many as a tragic figure, and the biggest mistake in the history of James Bond. However, Lazenby won over the Broccoli-Saltzman partnership with excellent screen tests, and went on to star in OHMSS. Despite all this though, Lazenby got a raw deal. He was criticized heavily in the press, although Lazenby did a creditable job at handling the character of Bond. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was a dangerous and unsuccessful experiment, with Eon returning to the days of gadgetless realism, and they even had Bond getting married and suffering a tragic end to the film. This blunder more than Lazenby’s acting, which while credible was admittedly forgettable, was the reason why OHMSS failed. Although Lazenby handled the media poorly and is thought to have become arrogant on set, it was Lazenby who turned down the chance to star in Diamonds Are Forever. Lazenby’s decision, intended to advance his career, ultimately nearly destroyed it. Since then, many Bond fans have come to appreciate OHMSS, and it came second in a recent poll by Britain’s top magazine, Total Film. Lazenby, since appearing as Bond, has calmed down and seems to be enjoying life in his American ranch. He remains a popular figure at many Bond conventions.
Lazenby, now 63 was married until 1995, and has two children. He lives alone on a ranch outside Los Angeles, and owns 60 acres of land. He enjoys living a life of no pressure, occasionally taking up smallish acting parts if he needs the money. His main hobbies, apart from many Bond-related appearances, are riding his bike around America, playing golf and watching movies. He says he doesn’t like the new gadget-based Bond films, but regrets only doing a single Bond because ‘it looks like they fired me...’. George was in fact offered ‘Diamonds are Forever’ but refused because the he felt the contract was too limiting. ‘The contract was an inch and a half thick. It covered everything, from how to cut you hair to how to behave in public’.
Never too old to live the fantasy.
