One-and-done 007 George Lazenby stepped out for a sunny stroll in Santa Monica last Thursday.
The n 85-year-old was dressed casually in a red fleece-lined hoodie over a blue polo shirt, black slacks, black sneakers, and a navy-blue ‘2024’ baseball cap.
George’s street sighting came the same day Amazon Prime Video spent more than $1B to take control of the James Bond franchise after the streamer already forked out $8.5B to acquire MGM Studios – according to Deadline.
It’s been over 55 years since Lazenby beat out 400 other actors to replace Sean Connery as the secret agent in Peter R Hunt’s critically-acclaimed directorial debut, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The big-screen adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1963 novel went on to earn $82M from a $7M budget, and the former European ‘Marlboro Man’ scored a Golden Globe nomination for most promising newcomer.
George said of his big-screen debut in Mark Edlitz’s 2019 book The Many Lives of James Bond: ‘I did the best I could. I felt that I had to copy Sean Connery in a sense.’
One-and-done 007 George Lazenby stepped out for a sunny stroll in Santa Monica last Thursday
The n 85-year-old was dressed casually in a red fleece-lined hoodie over a blue polo shirt, black slacks, black sneakers, and a navy-blue ‘2024’ baseball cap
Lazenby was reportedly offered a contract to continue playing James Bond in seven more films, but his agent Ronan O’Rahilly convinced him that the spy films would become archaic in the hippie 1970s and the 14-page contract was too demanding.
The twice-divorced father-of-five ultimately regretted his decision while Connery was paid a record $1.25M to return to the role in Guy Hamilton’s 1971 flick Diamonds Are Forever.
Out of all seven actors who’ve played Bond, George was the only one known to attend fan conventions.
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James Bond star announces 'difficult decision' to retire from acting
Lazenby acted in films including Fox Hunt, Gettysburg, The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Man from Hong Kong, Never Too Young to Die, and the Emmanuelle movies.
The retired n Special Forces sergeant also appeared in episodes of Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, General Hospital, and The Pretender.
In 2017, Josh Greenbaum directed a docuseries about George’s life called Becoming Bond, which streamed on Hulu.
Lazenby has announced his retirement three times over his career – in 1993, 2003, and 2024.
‘This hasn’t been an easy decision but it’s time to announce my retirement from work. Therefore, I won’t be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs as of today,’ the former mechanic – who boasts 47K social media followers – tweeted on July 24.
‘It’s been a fun ride but getting older is no fun. I would like to thank my manager and friend, Anders Frejdh, for helping me since 2013 – the best representative I ever had. I can now concentrate on spending more time with my family. My sincere gratitude to everyone out there for your love and support over the years. It has meant a lot to me.’
George’s street sighting came the same day Amazon Prime Video spent over $1B to take control of the James Bond franchise after the streamer already spent $8.5B to acquire MGM Studios
It’s been over 55 years since Lazenby beat out 400 other actors to replace Sean Connery as the gadget-loving secret agent in Peter R. Hunt’s critically-acclaimed directorial debut, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
The big-screen adaptation of Ian Fleming’s 1963 novel went on to earn $82M from a $7M budget, and the former European ‘Marlboro Man’ scored a Golden Globe nomination for most promising newcomer
George said of his big-screen debut in Mark Edlitz’s 2019 book The Many Lives of James Bond: ‘I did the best I could. I felt that I had to copy Sean Connery in a sense’
Lazenby was reportedly offered a contract to continue playing James Bond in seven more films, but his agent Ronan O’Rahilly convinced him that the spy films would become archaic in the hippie 1970s and the 14-page contract was too demanding
The twice-divorced father-of-five ultimately regretted his decision while Connery was paid a record $1.25M to return to the role in Guy Hamilton’s 1971 flick Diamonds Are Forever (pictured in 2015)
Out of all seven actors who’ve played Bond, George was the only one known to attend fan conventions (pictured with his youngest children Kait and Sammy on June 16)
On July 24, Lazenby announced he was retiring for the third and final time: ‘I won’t be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs’
The retired n Special Forces sergeant’s final role will be portraying the President of the United States in Luma Ilir’s upcoming action film trilogy, Mundije
George’s final role will be portraying the President of the United States in Luma Ilir’s upcoming action film trilogy, Mundije.
Three years ago, Lazenby was forced to apologize and quit The Music of James Bond in Sydney and Perth over complaints over him cursing, discussing his sexual conquests, and making homophobic remarks onstage.
The former car salesman is said to have previously romanced EGOT champ Barbra Streisand and Bond Girl Jill St. John.