|  He is handsome, tall, drives a fast car, has an unlimited expense account, and always gets the girl. That's just the actor. The character he portrays also has a licence to kill.
James Bond debuted in Ian Fleming's novel "Casino Royale" in 1953. The first Bond movie, Dr No, starring Sean Connery, was released in 1962. Since then, the equivalent of half the world's population have seen at least one Bond movie.
Sean Connery starred in seven Bond movies, George Lazenby in one, Roger Moore in seven, and Timothy Dalton in two. Pierce Brosnan was issued his fourth licence to thrill in the 21th Bond movie, Die Another Day. Daniel Craig will have his martini shaken, not stirred, in the 22nd Bond movie, a remake of Casino Royale. All the 007 actors are over 1,8 metres (6 feet) tall.
In the first 21 movies, Bond has 20 martinis, 5 of which he orders himself but two of those he never receives. The rest are prepared and brought to him. Most surprisingly, in his 7 appearances as Bond, Sean Connery utters the phrase “shaken, not stirred” only once, in Goldfinger.
In the first 20 movies, Bond is told 33 times that he will die, and he makes love 79 times. Of the 58 Bond girls, 29 were brunettes, 25 blondes, and 4 redheads. Women moaned "Oh, James!" 16 times.
Ian Fleming based his character on Dr John Dee, the very first British secret agent. Dee, who lived from 1527 to 1608, was an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He was a brilliant mathematician, magician, philosopher, alchemist and astrologer. During his time, England was at war with Spain, and fearing spies, Dee designed the 007 code for his correspondence with the Queen. The 2 zeros indicated "for your eyes only," and the 7 was a cabalistic, or, cryptic number. Dr Dee was not the only secret agent of the time. Seeing Spain amassing a new vast empire in the "New World" (the Americas), Queen Elizabeth secretly sent the pirate-turned-explorer Englishman Francis Drake (1540-1596) west with the added intent to harass the Spanish. It is known that Dr Dee and Drake actually met to discuss strategies.
Author John Gardner took over the writing of Ian Fleming in 1981 with his first novel Licence Renewed. Sixteen years later he reliquished the 007 pen to Raymond Benson who debuted with Zero Minus Ten with his latest offering called The Man With The Red Tattoo.
Places where James Bond made love:
(In the first 20 movies:) Hotel room (19 times), London flat (2), at her place (15), someone else's place (2), on a train (3), in a barn (2), in a forest (2), in a gypsy tent (2), hospital (2), in a plane (2), in a submarine (1), in a car (1), on a motorised iceberg (1), in, around, under, or by water (25 times).
|
