According to our records, Christina Gannett is possibly single. Was the #1 male fashion model in the world from 1964 to 1968. On. But I always admired him. Anonymous, Other Works (On his astrologer) Even before I made the Bond picture she said I would become famous, and that there would be big problems for a couple of years", he said. I think it's a pretty foolish move. Lazenby has portrayed James Bond several times over the years in numerous parodies and unofficial 007 roles, notably the 1983 television film The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. In 2012 Lazenby made a guest appearance on the Canadian sketch comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, spoofing the 007 series in a skit called "Help, I've Skyfallen and I Can't Get Up". - IMDb Mini Biography By: I just don't think I'm going to make it here. Who Is George Lazenby's Wife? Of course I wasn't invited as Peter was there. The lengths Lazenby went to to get the role included spending his last pounds on acquiring a tailor-made suit from Sean Connery's tailor, which was originally made for Connery, along with purchasing a very Bondish-looking Rolex watch.Lazenby quit the role of Bond right before the premiere of his only film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), citing he would get other acting roles, and that his Bond contract, which was fourteen pages thick, was too demanding on him.In his post-Bond career, Lazenby has acted in TV movies, commercials, various recurring roles in TV series, the film series "Emmanuelle", several Bond movie spoofs, TV guest appearances, provided voice for several animated movies and series, and several Hong Kong action films, using his martial arts expertise. He was widely known for an advertisement for Fry's chocolate bars. She believes he felt 'helpless and frustrated' about not being able to cure Zack and 'lashed out even more in his aggravated and devastated state'. "I've got an American wife and green card so I have the best of both worlds."[50]. I don't know where my life would have gone if I hadn't have done it. "I burnt some bridges behind me, and it was fun, really. This is the kind of film which is coming out in Europe now. Courtesy: Everett Collection When Roger Moore died last week at the age of 89, many tributes hailed. You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. She claims: 'One time, he went into the bathroom and saw that my toilet was not flushed and he pulled me out of a chair in the living room, dragged me into the bathroom, lifted the toilet seat up, and pushed my face inside of the toilet bowl into my own urine - to teach me a lesson about flushing toilets.'. His priorities shifted to real estate, which made him exceptionally wealthy and the owner of several expensive homes in America as well as in Hong Kong and Australia. 'I did not have 'one' drink, while attending to Zack for eight years!' [13]a, Lazenby dressed for the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit, which had been ordered, but not collected, by Connery. He previously owned a house in Pacific Palisades. They had been married for 24 years. "[46], He revealed he had been consulting an astrologer for four years. Zachary, his son with Christina Gannett, died of brain cancer when he was 20 years old in 1994. Most film-makers don't watch and aren't in touch. But I couldn't even get one of those. (1971), On Her Majesty's Secret Service "Bond and beyond: George Lazenby sets the record straight", "FILM SPY HAS TEARFUL EYE TO GREET PARENTS", "Help, I've Skyfallen and I Can't Get Up", "The George Lazenby of 007s: A Conversation with George Lazenby", "Natalie Wood: Funny but She Doesn't Look 40", "Who Saw Her Die? View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. The Australian model-turned-actor, who succeeded Sean Connery. Some felt that, while he was physically convincing, some of his costumes were inappropriate "too loud" according to some and that he delivered his lines poorly.[27]. [55], Lazenby's single portrayal of the iconic Bond character, and his lack of standing as a favourite in the series, has resulted in his name being used as a metaphor for forgettable, non-iconic acting efforts in other entertainment franchises, and for entities that are largely ignored. Even Lazenby himself has told the story both ways. George Lazenby is a 82 year old Australian Actor. She says in her declaration: 'On a few occasions, I told George that I wanted a divorce and he said that he would kill me if I ever left or that he would take the children. It's absolutely fantastic, because everything she has told me has happened. He said if he had not left the role he would have been "locked up by now You need mental conditioning to play Bond", he added. I think if he can bear to do an apprenticeship, which everybody in this business has to do has to do then he should do it quietly and with humility. The actor scored well on both fronts - reportedly, he broke a stunt man's nose during a fight scene - and was announced as the new James Bond in the series' sixth film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Forever enshrined in the footnotes of pop culture history as the second actor to play James Bond on screen - and the one with the shortest tenure in the role - George Lazenby was a former model plucked from relative obscurity to replace Sean Connery as 007 in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969). That Lazenby refused to cut the long hair and beard he'd grown since filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service wrapped for the movie's London premiere did not endear him to Broccoli and Saltzman. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline last week Lazenby said he hadn't wanted the divorce to degenerate into a court battle. Had I been so-called 'successful' and continued on I would probably have had three or four Hollywood wives and a drug addition. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. Was a car salesman in Canberra, Australia after leaving school. Cancel. "[20] His co-star Diana Rigg was among many who commented on this decision: The role made Sean Connery a millionaire. Lazenby refused to play Bond again thanks to bad career advice, leaving him to languish in relative obscurity for much of the 1970s before resurfacing as a supporting player in several television series and made-for-TV movies. Lazenby played Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret service. [54], In 2019, Lazenby starred as Dr. Jason Love in an audiobook version of James Leasor's spy novel Passport to Oblivion. George Robert Lazenby /leznbi/ (born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service when he was 29. . She alleges Lazenby attacked her about a month later in Hawaii after she told him his belief a doctor was responsible for Zacks' death was ridiculous. Lazenby had a few more, minor film roles before moving into property investment, buying mansions in Australia, Hawaii and California. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. She claims a drunk Lazenby called her 'a lying bitch' in a Canberra restaurant after she had declined to go with him to a hardware store earlier in the day. But Sean Connery, who'd quit the role with one film remaining on his contract only to be lured back twice, eventually got to seven, too. It's true that it got me in, but it wasn't worth the ten years it cost me. However this collapsed after Lee's sudden death Lazenby was actually meant to meet Lee for lunch on the day Lee died. "Now he's offering me one. [the result of his decision not to continue playing James Bond] I didn't have a job, I had two kids, I was married, and I was broke. The documents were filed at Los Angeles Superior court along with Shriver's response to allegations made against her by Lazenby in his court declaration. Once, years ago, he came to pick up someone who was staying at my house and I saw him through the door. Publishing heiress Christina - also known as Townson or Gannett - met Lazenby in 1970, a year after his one film as Bond. American television offered him steady work in the late 1970s and early 1980s; most notably the terrorism drama "Evening at Byzantium" (1978). People aren't going to films because film-makers are putting out films people don't want to see. They dated for 3 years after getting together in 1970 and married in 1973. [12], In 1968, after Sean Connery had left the role of James Bond, producer Albert R. Broccoli met Lazenby for the first time while they were getting their hair cut at the same barbershop. [61], In 2002 Lazenby married former tennis player Pam Shriver. [6][7][8], Lazenby moved to London in 1963 to pursue a woman with whom he'd fallen in love. "[50], In the late 1970s Lazenby moved to Hollywood where he started taking acting lessons and set about trying to reactivate his career. Melanie says: 'Sadly, I have found that my Dad will often change the facts of the past to suit himself and I never sought an apology or acknowledgement of what happened after that. Directors are. Melanie is one of Manhattan's top real estate agents, and in May 2013 was the broker for the sale of a unique, block-long, $10 million condominium apartment to, He was the youngest actor to play James Bond, being 30 when, Son: George Samuel Lazenby (b. Reality does. It's true he's not Olivier but Olivier could not play Bond in any circumstances John Aspinall's mother Lady Osborne told me she thought he was the best of the Bonds.[30]. I hope it will be good and lead to other roles. (Credit Image: KEYSTONE Pictures USA) Save up to 70% with our image packs Pre-pay for multiple images and download on demand. Enter your password to log in. [dubious discuss] though this was not reported on at the time. He made his film debut as a "British Spy" in the Italian-made Bond spoof, "Marc Mato, Agente S.077" (known as "Espionage in Tangiers" in English-speaking countries, where Lazenby's scenes were reportedly cut by distributors). He is utterly, unbelievably bloody impossible. [13] After this role Lazenby is claimed to have begun studying drama at Durham University's College of the Venerable Bede. She adds: 'During my childhood, I was also frequently subjected to emotional abuse in addition to the physical abuse. With the death of actor Sean Connery, October 31st 2020, Lazenby is now the earliest and oldest living actor who has portrayed James Bond. (2017), A Winter Rose I truly don't know what's happening in George's mind so I can only speak of my reaction. Christina, who is now believed to live in Europe, alleges Lazenby 'frequently' hit Melanie. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). His ex-wife Christina says Lazenby punched her in the face when she was five months pregnant and broke her nose when their son was dying from cancer. George Lazenby Net Worth. The laurel, and the picture itself, would be the last association with high-profile moviemaking in Lazenby's career. [35] He talked to the press about his use of LSD and marijuana[36] and was involved in a well-publicised incident helping a friend who was arrested in Germany. He served in the Australian Army, then afterwards worked as a car salesman and mechanic. The latter would be the one where Bond goes undercover as a circus clown. He moved to London, England in 1964, after serving in the Australian Army. George Lazenby and his fiancee, Christina Gannett, shortly before their marriage in 1971. "[34], For a time there was some talk Lazenby would appear in a western, Deakin. Bond is a brute. They had been married for 24 years. On Her Majesty's Secret Service director Peter Hunt says that he and the producers interviewed roughly 400 actors to find their new star. Lazenby nearly launched a comeback by signing with Hong Kong's Golden Harvest, and would have co-starred with the legendary Bruce Lee - under whom he studied martial arts and philosophy - in his feature "Game of Death" (1978), had the martial arts superstar not died unexpectedly in 1973. [63], Lazenby lives in Brentwood, Los Angeles. I had no idea where I was going when I got into the Bond film. (2000), Star of Jaipur "[23], Lazenby grew a beard and long hair. But between Connery's departure and his (first) return there was a one-and-done Bond, perennial Trivial Pursuit curiosity George Lazenby. Amazon.com: Vintage photo of George Lazenby, actor from Australia with Christina Gannett. Throughout this busy period, Lazenby also continued to play up his pedigree as a former Bond; he was the Aston Martin-driving "JB" in "The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E." Lazenby said he was 'sorry that he ignored Melanie from the time she was 12 years old', but claimed he was busy attending to his son Zack's needs - 'because he was dying from his brain tumors'. Born George Robert Lazenby on 5th September, 1939 in Queanbeyan . In many ways, it foreshadows the the way the Bonds would become more physical and (briefly) more emotional when the franchise rebooted with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, 37 years later. He was born in Goulburn, New South Wales. I didn't have a mind of my own, which was sad. It's absolutely fantastic, because everything she has told me has happened. I could see them through the window, but the crew were all outside stomping around on the ice trying to keep warm. Aside from also making regular appearances at Bond-related public events and conventions, Lazenby was briefly considered to reprise 007 when producer Kevin McClory announced "Never Say Never Again" (1983), his remake of "Thunderball" (1965), but was dropped after Sean Connery agreed to once again take up the tuxedo and martini. He is the only actor to play the role of Bond only once in an . His autobiography, The Other Fella, was scheduled to be released in hardcover by Century in 2013, and in paperback by Arrow in 2013, but as of 2015 the book has not been released. (In 1978) I enjoy the States, to be quite honest about it. Lazenby later returned to regular TV work on the syndicated "Superboy" (1988-1992) as the Man of Steel's father, Jor-El. Daughter Melanie Lazenby, now 34, says Lazenby 'tormented me, humiliated me, hurt me physically, scarred me emotionally' and 'placed a feeling of fear and mistrust in me'. (1998), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Movie Clip) I Suspect They're Trying To Kill Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Movie Clip) A Location Fix On Double-O-Seven, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Movie Clip) Teresa Was A Saint, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Movie Clip) You Never Do Anything With Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- (Movie Clip) Do Not Kill Me, Mr. "I enjoy the States, to be quite honest about it," he said. opposite Anita Strindberg, a performance for which he lost 35 pounds and received positive reviews. 12 July 2004) with Pam Shriver Twins: Samuel Robert and Kaitlin Elizabeth (b. Actors aren't all that important. All I need is the chance. Its heartbreaking.. "But it's all commercial rubbish, such as the guy getting the girl at the end of the Battle of Britain," he said. George Lazenby has been in a relationship with Jill St. John (1969). Reality does. And he jumped up and swung at me and I broke his jaw. Sometimes he would attack me under the influence of alcohol, sometimes sober.'. Biography George Lazenby was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, and served in the Austr. The couple have three children, including twins born in 2005. [14], Broccoli offered him an audition. [58], In 2009, Sondre Lerche released a song called "Like Lazenby" on his album Heartbeat Radio, in which he laments squandered opportunities wishing for a "second try". The two-page letter says: 'I feel forced to leave with the kids to a safe haven, and ask you one last time to seek help.'. He is a big fan of Australian tennis star. In summary, OHMSS is a brilliant thriller in its own right and justifiably ranks amongst the best Bond films ever made.[28]. 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