In 1968, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and EON Productions were in crisis. Sean Connery has announced that he is no longer James Bond. This was in vain for Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, who had produced the franchise since its inception in 1962, although there was no shortage of actors who were ready to jump into the Aston Martin. After a day of much deliberation, Broccoli decided to take a break and visit the barber at the Dorchester Hotel for a haircut. There he met a man who cut his head as Sean Connery wanted.
The man’s name is George Lazenby in Britain as an Australian expat model and actor living and working. Albert de Lazenby was quick to measure up. He certainly looked the part of Australia. With long hair and dark hair, he bore a certain resemblance to Connery. Broccoli discussed the idea for a while and then, after seeing Lazenby again in a Fry Chocolate commercial, called him to a screen test. Lazenby quickly proved that he could handle a fight scene by breaking a stuntman’s nose, and this is what landed him the role of James Bond in Secrets of His Majesty’s Service.
Once, however, Lazenby confessed to director Peter Hunt that he was not an actor. This conflict between the two and further problems arose in Lazenby’s attitude as unprofessional. Dana Broccoli, Cubby’s wife, remembers the production machine throwing parties for sailors and sailors and Lazenby throwing a tantrum about not getting personal invites to the party even though he was a star.
There was another controversy from Lazenby that he and his co-star Diana Rigg were going to get into an affair after beating their lovers in a chess game. He claimed to understand that he didn’t want to mess around with other women together, but Rigg quickly caught him with another woman and that was the end of that. Further tensions arose when Lazenby pounced on Rigg, harassing her in front of everyone, after drinking champagne with Peter Hunt while he and the crew were shooting at ice skating rink.
During production, Lazenby’s manager convinced him not to sign a contract beyond seven films and as a result, this was Lazenby’s only appearance as Bond; one that sharply distinguished between artistic fans and critical opinions. One school of thought hails the film as a masterpiece and looks to Lazenby’s portrayal of Bond as much closer to what Fleming had previously envisioned, while the other school of thought laughs as a total drag and sees Lazenby as acting completely wooden. The intervening years had been kinder to the respect of Lazenby and himself; I now come with many to see Her Royal MajestySecret Service as one of the best films of the chain and Lazenby as the fantastic agent 007.
James Bond will return as Roger Moore.
