Sean Connery quit the role of James Bond after You Only Live Twice, having “grown tired of the repetitive plots, lack of character development and the general public’s demands on him and his privacy (as well as fearing typecasting).”

With a new Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, imminent, director Peter Hunt compiled a long list of potential replacements for Sean Connery. This was then reduced to a shortlist of five actors, who were all given screen tests for the role of James Bond in 1967.

The five asked to audition were:

John Richardson, who was then best known for his performance as Tumak in One Million Years B.C.. At the time, he was considered a potential favorite, however, he did not win the part, and went on to star in On A Clear Day I Can See Forever, before having a long career as an actor in Italy.

Anthony Rogers a character actor who appeared on the verge of achieving stardom. However, his career never quite recovered from failing to win the Bond audition.

Robert Campbell an unknown actor/model, who seems to have vanished after his screentest for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Hans De Vries had already appeared in You Only Live Twice, and had a string of roles in TV and films behind him. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and De Vries went on to work with Connery in the western Shalako, and Michael Caine in Ken Russell’s The Billion Dollar Brain, before having a career as a character actor in film and TV.

George Lazenby a former car salesman and successful model (reputedly the highest paid in the world at that time), who best known for appearing in the Big Fry Turkish Delight adverts, had been spotted by Bond producer Cubby Broccoli when getting their hair cut at the same barber. Though he was not an actor, Lazenby impressed at his audition, in particular with his skill at fighting. Lazenby later recalled:

“I had no acting experience, I was coming from the male model point of view. I walked in looking like James Bond, and acting as if that’s the way I was anyway. And they thought, ‘All we have to do is keep this guy just the way he is and we’ll have James Bond.’”

Director Peter Hunt thought Lazenby a natural for the role, and said:

“I aim to make people forget Connery as James Bond once they see Lazenby.”

Alas, this was not to be, for although George Lazenby was one of the best James Bonds, he did not make the audience forget Connery, who had made the role very much his own. However, Lazenby presented a “much more human Bond” with his frailties and inner conflicts.

However, what could have been a highly lucrative and very successful Bond career for Lazenby was soon over, as he announced he would quit the role after the filming of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This when Lazenby had already signed-up to film four Bond movies over a seven-year period. As the site MoonrakerBondStation explains, “The big dispute between Lazenby and Bond co-producer Cubby Broccoli was over the rules in Lazenby’s contract.”

He actually could be fired for something as simple as not shaving every day while not even filming a Bond movie. There was even a clause in his contract that stated that he had to get his dinner guests approved by Cubby Broccoli before he could be seen dining out with them in public. There were numerous clauses of this nature in his contract and none of them sat well with Lazenby.

The Bond producers finally realized that they had to let Lazenby out of his contract because he was not going to behave as they wanted him to unless they did so. For example, Lazenby’s wearing a beard and long hair in public, hanging out at nightclubs and bars, and saying he was quitting the role numerous times. This sort of thing was done by Lazenby so that he could get the 7 film deal he wanted, but minus all the Draconian rules it had contained within it. In order to do that he first had to get out of the original contract that he had signed.

You can read about the whole background to the dispute here.

Other actors who had been considered for the role of James Bond include Stanley Baker, Rex Harrison and David Niven, who all lost out to Connery.

Terence Stamp was said to have too many radical ideas; while Michael Caine, did not want to be typecast.

Oliver Reed came very close to winning the role, but his off-screen reputation frightened producers.

Timothy Dalton turned down the role twice before accepting it in 1986.

The unlucky Jon Finch turned down Live and Let Die, and would later lose his role as Kane in Alien after taking ill on set, being replaced by John Hurt.

Lewis Collins, best known as Bodie in the TV series The Professionals was considered to be too aggressive.

James Brolin was set to play Bond, before Moore agreed to return in Octopussy.

There was also Richard Burton, Cary Grant, James Mason, Patrick McGoohan, Rod Taylor, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Adam West, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor, who all turned the role down. A full list can be found here.
 

Composite photograph of the actors who auditioned to play James Bond in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’
 
John Richardson

 

 

 

 

 
Anthony Rogers

 

 

 
Robert Campbell

 

 

 
Hans de Vries

 

 
George Lazenby

 

 

 

 

 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

’On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’: James Bond’s behind-the-scenes secrets

 
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