Sir Michael Caine is reported to have turned down the role after being offered it in 1967, at the time George Lazenby was being hired to fill Bond’s shoes. “It was the hippie era, and EASY RIDER was the No. A new doco explores the man, the myth and the aftermath. Meanwhile, no more Bond. I have beautiful kids, which I may not have had if I continued with Bond. Why Lazenby only did one Bond film: - posted in George Lazenby (1969): Found this on the Lazenbyland website. At the time of Lazenby’s portrayal, the hippy culture of the 1960s and 1970s was growing fast, and according to Lazenby, O’Rahilly believed the action heroes of the past, and even James Bond, would soon be outdated and unloved. And I bought into that. Lazenby's youthful cockiness rankled producer Albert R. Broccoli's nerves. The Bond producers were ready to hand over a 7 picture deal with Lazenby. George Lazenby certainly looked the part. Lazenby said he does and doesn’t regret doing more Bond movies and that, after all these years, he still doesn’t know why he got the part. O'Rahilly convinced Lazenby that the James Bond franchise didn't harmonize with the increasingly widespread hippy culture of the late 1960s and 1970s, and action heroes such as Bond would soon be seen as outdated relics. With hindsight, it’s easy to say that he’s utterly wrong as Bond not only survived the 1970s, it is still going strong even in the 21st century. You will not see George Lazenby in the same light as his media persona after watching him recount his life story and what could have been. And attractive and sexy. James Bond's producers first noticed Lazenby in a chocolate commercial, and invited him to audition for 007. However, according to Lazenby’s claims in … Thank you for subscribing to our daily newsletter. The Australian model-turned … He was just difficult offstage. Here's the link. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Released in 1969, it starred Australian model-turned-actor, George Lazenby, who, as it stands, will go down in history as the man who only donned the tuxedo once. George Lazenby, reading the reviews of his first and only turn as James Bond (Daily Mail/ Rex/Alamy Stock Photo) For those unfamiliar with Greenbaum’s work, he’s been primarily a documentarian for the past four years, releasing his full-length 2013 debut, The Short Game , which followed seven-year-old golfers on their quest to become world champions. I think he needed help, not in the acting – he was really quite good, wasn’t he? (Bob Dear/AP Images) George Lazenby is the movie star equivalent of a one-hit wonder singer or band. So, I gave up looking,” Lazenby told the Sydney Morning Herald. George Lazenby had mentioned in an interview that he exited as James Bond because he did not want to be stuck playing 007. Lazenby made his debut in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but his performance (and the film itself) attracted a spiky reception and the Australian would never appear as Bond again. Ever Wondered Why George Lazenby Only Made One James Bond Movie? (Bob Dear/AP Images) George Lazenby is the movie star equivalent of a one-hit wonder singer or band. They said, you could do that. The series was then rebooted with Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. The actor freely admits that he was badly advised and should've taken the offer to continue as James Bond, but maintains that the smears on his reputation weren't entirely deserved, and were more the result of trying to live up to his star billing than outright arrogance. During a Q&A session at the Sydney 2014 Supanova pop culture expo, Lazenby stated that the reason was because he was too hairy at the time. One incident mentioned is Lazenby skiing down the slopes on his own (resulting in the broken arm) and a moment of arrogance on Lazenby's part that spoiled a cast … Why did George Lazenby only play James Bond only once? Related: Dr. No Wasn't An Origin Story (& James Bond Was Better For It). [2] Bis 1967 wurde Lazenby zu einem erfolgreichen und gut bezahlten Model, er arbeitete u. a. für Marlboro. There are many reasons why George Lazenby only made one appearance as James Bond. "Over the years, it's aged like a fine wine," Lazenby exclusively tells Yahoo, "a bit like me." It was a landmark moment for the James Bond franchise when Sean Connery departed the role he had made his own. I make better money doing commercials.”. Sir Michael Caine. George Lazenby only lived once as 007 - and the critics panned him. In virtually every Eon-produced Bond film, the sequence begins with a white dot blinking across the screen, from left to right. “When I wouldn’t sign the contract, they put out the word that I was difficult to handle – and no film company wants to know about that, so I couldn’t get a job for years. George Lazenby: ‘They offered me £1 million cash to do a second Bond film – I walked away’ The one-time 007 is returning to the spy genre for a new drama There was the stature and looks of a Bond, but Lazenby couldn’t get along with the other performers and technicians.”, But Lazenby didn’t want to be stuck playing Bond. Jetzt wird er 80. Lazenby also felt that he could break into the spaghetti western genre in a Clint Eastwood-esque fashion, but was blacklisted from the industry after turning down the Bond contract. George Lazenby with Diana Rigg during the filming of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ in Switzerland in 1969. It was used as the opening for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). ... “Those guys don’t turn it down like I did. The question of how come George Lazenby only played 007 in one Bond film has long been one of those great movie trivia questions. Lazenby received some bad advice that led him to believe that one outing as Bond would be enough to make him an international superstar; a man that didn`t need Bond to get acting roles. Also interesting is that several sources claim Lazenby began studying drama at Durham University after appearing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, demonstrating a desire to hone his new craft. “My manager was telling me that James Bond was over,” said Lazenby about why he turned down an offer to do six more Bond films and a million-dollar cash bonus. However, Lazenby did play "JB" in a short scene in The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. Every time I meet somebody, they say, "I can't help it, but you've got to tell me, but how did you get James Bond?" When you hear them, you probably think of the dulcet ... and why he decided to turn down a seven picture deal to unexpectedly quit the role after only doing one film. Despite this, Lazenby was offered the chance to continue in the role after OHMSS, but he turned it down, later claiming that he thought the Bond Franchise was a dying fad. Lazenby claims he was offered a contract for 6 more James Bond adventures, but had been advised by his agent, Ronan O'Rahilly, to turn the deal down. He played James Bond once and once only in an official 007 film: 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.. That’s because George Lazenby played 007 only once, in 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” when he succeeded (and preceded) Sean Connery. According to fellow Bond actor Roger Moore, “George took some bad advice. In an interview to the Guardian in 2017, he said, “I had advice that James Bond was over anyway. George Lazenby said that he walked away even though the makers were offering him huge money to play James Bond in another movie. I'm very interested to hear from doublenoughtspy as to his estimation of the veracity of this account. : The Fifteen Years Later Affair (1983). He later admitted that quitting Bond was a mistake. This month, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS) – the sixth film in the series – turns 50. 'The architect of his own demise': how George Lazenby became a one-Bond-wonder Save Briefly on her majesty's secret service: George Lazenby, the one-Bond-wonder Credit: United Artists George Lazenby will surprise you with his life story and why he walked away from 007 By MI6 Staff . George Lazenby stand nur ein Mal als 007 vor der Kamera. Here's the link. George Lazenby with Diana Rigg during the filming of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ in Switzerland in 1969. 1 movie, so I was listening to him and thinking he was right. The Australian actor has always gone his own way – from his incredible coup blagging the role of James Bond as a first-time actor, to deciding to ditch one of the world’s biggest movie franchises because he didn’t think it cool, to both seducing and annoying some of Hollywood’s finest leading ladies. There was talk of a seven-film contract. But could the 28-year-old, who had no acting experience and was more himbo than sophisticate, really play James Bond? Sir Michael Caine. George Lazenby, who played James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, has no regrets about walking away from the role. The real reason Pierce Brosnan was fired as James Bond, ‘kicked to the kerb’ by producers in favour of Daniel Craig. Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. This was scrapped, as the filmmakers lacked the resources to pull it off. But Lazenby had difficulty finding work after his lone outing as Bond. Lazenby was the second actor to be cast as James Bond in the "official" series of films produced by Eon Productions. It became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, and the actor was offered the chance to play Bond in six more films, but he turned it all down. It was Sean Connery’s gig and, being in the 60s, it was love, not war. Refusing to play him again made him a nobody. Nachdem George Lazenby in seiner Heimat Australien den Wehrdienst abgeleistet hatte, begann er als Automechaniker zu arbeiten; später wechselte er in den Verkauf. If we kill him, we could do it all over again.”, Producer Albert Broccoli, in a Los Angeles Times interview, would call casting the Australian actor the “biggest mistake in 16 years. Spy who Loved me ( 1977 ) many reasons why George Lazenby: was... S gig and, being in the film On Her Majesty 's Secret Service could mold the. 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