When you think of the iconic figure of James Bond your mind would most likely lead you to the image of a young and tan Sean Connery or the blonde and fit Bond we have today with Daniel Craig. The Bonds that fill the cracks in time between these two are almost always looked over, especially in the case of the second Bond, George Lazenby.

George Lazenby only holds one record in the Bond legacy and that record is he played the character the least amount of times with his one movie. Lazenby came at a time of change for the Bond character as they had to immediately find a replacement when Connery decided that he no longer wanted to be part of the franchise and refused to come back for his sixth movie. Lazenby had to step into the shoes of Bond that had only been filled by one before him and try to become the Bond the world knew and loved. It can be no surprise that he failed, was ripped apart by the fans of that time, and never returned to the franchise.

Lazenby was a successful male model at the time he decided to make it his mission to become Bond. There was a worldwide search going on for the next man with a license to kill and Lazenby took very peculiar steps to try and secure the role. First, he bought a Savile Row suit that had been originally made for Connery, but never picked up. Then he made an appointment with Connery’s barber and requested the exact haircut that he had been sporting in the role. Next, he went to the office of the producers of the movie and waited until the secretary’s back was turned and bolted towards their door. Lazenby told them that he would be perfect for the role because of his extensive acting resume, all of which was made up, and convinced them to allow him to meet with the director. It was at the director’s meeting that he told them he had never acted, but they were convinced his act in their office alone was enough to prove he had the capabilities. Four more months followed of extensive tests ranging from “can he swim” to “can he fight” before he was offered the role.

This role should have changed his life forever and made him a household name, but he became a victim of the tastes of the time. The movie was released in the late 60s which was a time of peace and not war, yet Bond was the embodiment of war. Lazenby’s Bond was romantic and soft while the world only knew the harsh and bold Bond that Connery put forth, plus the script was a different story than had been told before. The ending saw Bond quitting the Secret Service and marrying the love of his life, only to watch her be killed on the day of their wedding with the film ending there. With this, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service made only half what the Bond movie before it made causing Lazenby and the producers to go their separate ways. Lazenby claims he did not want to be part of an ailing franchise while the producers claim he was difficult to work with.

The next move on the part of the filmmakers was to get Connery back and they paid a hefty price. Connery was given $1.25 million to reprise his role, which at that time was the largest salary an actor had ever made. Connery reprised his role for his sixth official Bond movie as well as a seventh unofficial one and after that they finally went their separate ways. Though Lazenby is praised now for his portrayal of Bond, in his time he could never match Connery in the portrayal of the famed British agent and has been forgotten as if he were a covert mission to never be spoken of.