George Lazenby

At 84 years old, George Lazenby has this physical status:

George Robert Lazenby, born 5 September 1939, is an Australian actor and former model.

In the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), he is best known for portraying Ian Fleming's fictional British spy James Bond.

He was the youngest actor to have played Bond at the age of 29.

Lazenby is also the only Bond actor to be nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor – and the only non-European actor to play in the official Bond series. Lazenby, a model and appeared in advertisements prior to his portrayal as Bond, was a model and appeared in advertisements.

Lazenby, who had left for another Bond film, continued to appear in Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, and Hollywood.

In the 1970s, his career stalled, and he stepped into practice and invested in real estate.

He appeared in a number of films and television series later, including ones parodying the James Bond character.

Lazenby retelling his life tale and portrayal as Bond in a Hulu docudrama film, Becoming Bond.

Early life

George Robert Lazenby was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, on September 5th, 1939, to railway worker George Edward Lazenby and Sheila Joan Lazenby (née Bodel), who worked at Fosseys. He attended Goulburn Public School in his primary years and Goulburn High School until 1954. Barbara, his sister, was a natural dancer. He spent 18 months in hospital after undergoing an operation that left him with only half a kidney.

When Lazenby was 14 years old, he and his family moved from Goulburn to Queanbeyan, where his father owned a store. He served in the Australian Army, then worked as a car salesman and mechanic later in life.

Personal life

Chrissie Townson, a Gannett family member, married Lazenby in 1973. Zachary and Melanie were then married, and they had two children. When Zachary was eleven years old and died at 19, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Melanie is a licensed real estate broker in New York.

Pam Shriver, a former tennis player, was married by Lazenby in 2002. Shriver had applied for divorce from Lazenby in August 2008. "Irreconcilable differences" were cited in documents submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable gaps" at the end of the couple's six-year marriage. The couple have three children, one of whom were twins born in 2005. In May 2011, their divorce was finalized.

Lazenby lives in Brentwood, Los Angeles. He had previously owned a house in Pacific Palisades.

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Post-Bond career

For a time, there was some gossip that Lazenby would appear in a western, Deakin. He spoke to the media about his use of LSD and marijuana and was involved in a well-publicized incident of assisting a friend who was arrested in Germany. He grew his hair and moustache, and discussed his opposition to materialism's "trappings."

Lazenby directed On Her Majesty's Secret Service – Universal Soldier (1971), which he helped write. The film, he said, was "anti-guns and anti-Bond" a [comedy] with no plot. It's really just a series of events that keep the audience amused. This is the kind of film that is getting out in Europe right now."

"No one will touch me after the Bond fiasco," Lazenby admitted. "Harry Saltzman had already stated that if you don't do another Bond, you'll end up doing spaghetti westerns in Italy." But I couldn't even get one of those. My agent wouldn't believe it. However, the word was out – I was 'difficult.'

Lazenby appeared in Who Saw Her Diet (an Italian giallo film) in 1972. Anita Strindberg, a performance for which he shed 35 pounds and received positive feedback. Chrissie Townson spent the next 15 months sailing around the world with their first child, causing Lazenby to re-launch his career as an actor.

He revealed in February 1973 that he had invested all of the money he had earned from playing Bond, had suffered two nervous breakdowns, and had become an alcoholic. If he hadn't left the role, he'd have been "locked up by now," he said. "You need mental strength to play Bond." "I burned some bridges behind me, and it was fun." I'm pretty sure I did it, and I know I won't have to do it again. Because I didn't hurt anyone but myself, I can look back and laugh.

In 1973, Lazenby appeared in Roger Smith's The Operation. He was supposed to follow it with an Anglo-Italian western made in Turkey, as well as a film about rioting students in pre-Castro Cuba, but no such was made.

When he went to Hong Kong to speak with Bruce Lee and producer Raymond Chow in 1973, Lazenby said he was "flat broke." They paid him $10,000 ($61,000 today) to appear in a film with Lee that was supposed to be the Golden Harvest film Game of Death. However, this all came to a halt after Lee's sudden death; Lazenby was supposed to meet Lee for lunch on the day Lee died.

Rather, it was announced that Lazenby would make The Golden Needles of Ecstasy for Golden Harvest. "I'm excited to be able to concentrate on just acting in this film," he said. "I was involved in the writing, editing, and even a little bit in direction on Universal Soldier." I don't think I'm a good enough actor to be disorganized like that on a job. Now I can give my complete attention to acting. I hope it will be a success and lead to other careers."

He revealed that he had been working as an astrologer for four years. "Italy before taking the Bond photo, she said that I would become famous and that there will be major issues for a few years," he said. "I told her that by the end of 1973, she would be back to the top of my field." It's absolutely fantastic, because everything she has told me has happened."

In the end, Lazenby did not produce Golden Needles but shot three other films for Golden Harvest, Stoner (1974) (also known as The Dragon Flies), and A Queen's Ransom (1976).

He appeared in a number of television movies shot in his native Australia, as well as an episode of the local police drama film Matlock Police. He has returned to modelling after being featured in a number of advertisements for Benson and Hedges cigarettes.

"I had a few roles in the past, but not anything spectacular," he told a Australian newspaper, "I was excited, willing, and able to work. I don't think I'm going to make it here. But if something good came along, I'd stay, but not necessarily."

In the 1970s, Lazenby moved to Hollywood where he began taking acting lessons and set about resurrecting his career. "I love the United States and want to be completely transparent about it," he said. "I've got an American wife and green card, so I have the best of both worlds."

He appeared in a television film Cover Girls (1977).

Casting Lazenby as "my biggest mistake in 16 years" in 1978 Broccoli's "most mistake in 16 years." He simply couldn't cope with success. He was so selfish. A Bond was based on stature and appearances, but Lazenby was unable to get along with the other actors and technicians." "I have known George for many years, and arrogance is not in his character," Sean Connery said of Lazenby's defense. Cubby Broccoli has no such thing, Alas.

"I've never met Sean," Lazenby said. "I don't know him at all." He came to pick up someone who was staying at my house for years, and I noticed him through the door. That's all. However, I always loved him. When I played Bond, I tried to imitate him because, after all, I wasn't an actor, so I figured the best hope would be to try and be as close to Connery as I could."

Lazenby went on to add:

He took out an advertisement in Variety in 1978, announcing himself for acting duties. "I swear I'd do it for nothing" if I could get a TV series or a good movie," he said to a journalist. "People ask me if the Bond film was worth it if it got me to acting." It's true that it brought me in, but it wasn't worth the ten years it cost me." He appeared in Saint Jack (1979), directed by Peter Bogdanovich, for a year.

Lazenby was particularly keen on The Thorn Birds. However, the initiative wasn't completed a few years later, and without Lazenby. He did manage to land roles in Hawaii 5-0 and Evening in Byzantium. Harry Saltzman, a Harry Saltzman who gave Lazenby a leading role in a new science fiction film The Micronauts, was seen by the latter. "I tossed Bond in after one film, but he'd make sure I never got another job," Lazenby said. "Now he's giving me one." The 10-year sentence seems to be on the increase. I was in a TV show I'd recently made for NBC. "Now that was a damn lousy show, but one thought you were ger-reat," he rang me out of the blue.' "However, the film was never made."

In a two-part episode during the series' second season in 1990, Lazenby appeared on the television show Superboy as an alien disguised as Jor-El. In 1993, he appeared with Sylvia Kristel in several new Emmanuelle films, many of which were shown on cable television. In 1993, Lazenby appeared in the film Gettysburg as Confederate General Johnston Pettigrew.

Comedian Jim Jefferies revealed on Twitter on September 19th that Lazenby would be playing his father in the forthcoming second season of his FX network sitcom Legit.

In an audiobook version of James Leasor's spy book Passport to Oblivion, Lazenby starred as Dr. Jason Love in 2019.

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