...THEY'RE NOT

The character of James Bond wasn't always a highly sought role. Producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had a tough time finding the first 007 for the film Dr. No, as the film was modestly budgeted and not considered much of a showcase for a male lead.

Actors considered for the role included: Cary Grant, David Niven (Ian Fleming's choice--the actor even made a cameo as himself in the novel version of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"), Trevor Howard, Rex Harrison, Patrick McGoohan (who went on to play Secret Agent Man and The Prisoner on television) and Roger Moore.

"Cary Grant was a dear friend of mine, and the best man at our wedding. He didn't want to do it. He said: 'It's a good idea, and I like it, but I can't do Bond."
- Albert Broccoli

(Grant was also considered for a film version of Casino Royale, to be directed by Howard Hawks in the late fifties, but the project fell through.)

Sean Connery was chosen for the part of 007 after Cubby Broccoli's wife saw him in Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People. When informed of the casting, Director Terence Young held his head and said "Disaster! Disaster! Disaster!" He preferred an actor named Richard Johnson.

Connery reigned for five years and five films, and his name became synomymous with James Bond. But the pressures and and lack of privacy from the media glare affected his work and his marriage (crystalized in a moment when he was photographed by Japanese photographers in a bathroom stall). So Connery retired (for the first time) after You Only Live Twice.

The hunt for a new 007 was on. Ironically, now the role of Bond was so big that mant actors refused to touch it. The Bond series was considered by most people to be doomed without Connery, who was at this time the biggest movie star on the planet. But Michael Gambon (aka Dumbledore of the "Harry Potter" franchise) told the story better than anyone could on Ryan Tubridy's "Late Late Show": "Years ago, when I was young and had hair and quite thin ... Cubby Broccoli got 10 young stage actors, and I was one of them, into an office in the West End and interviewed us. I can't play James Bond because I'm bald, got a double chin, and girls tits. He said, I'm bald, got a double chin, and girls tits. He said, 'so does Sean Connery. So we put a wig on him and put two leather bags on his chest [full of ice] before the take, when he's naked with the girls ... so you could well do it!' And then he didn't offer it to me."

By April of 1968, the field of actors to replace Sean Connery as Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service had been narrowed down to John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, Hans de Vries (all pictured below), and, finally, George Lazenby, who won the role.

In 1967, LIFE Magazine sent photographer Loomis Dean to shoot the final auditions of five actors for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but it was never published in the magazine. (A composite image of the five top candidates, including ultimate choice George Lazenby, published in the October 11, 1968, issue of LIFE, shown above.) The five asked to audition were:



John Richardson, 34, was then best known for having acted opposite such beautiful women as Ursula Andress (in 1965's She) and Raquel Welch (in 1966's 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 (2, 3).



Anthony Rogers, a character actor who appeared on the verge of achieving stardom. Before he screen-tested for Bond, Rogers played an alien in five episodes of TV's Doctor Who, a physician in the John Wayne/Robert Mitchum Western, El Dorado (1966), and Sir Dinadan, a Knight of the Round Table, in Camelot (1967). He looks markedly older than his competitors, although LIFE put the average age of all five at 32. 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 (2, 3).



Hans De Vries had a string of roles in TV and films behind him. The year of his audition, de Vries had a bit part in Shalako (coincidentally starring Sean Connery). He also had a previous connection to the Bond franchise: He played "Control Room Technician" in You Only Live Twice. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and De Vries went on to work Michael Caine in Ken Russell's The Billion Dollar Brain, before having a career as a character actor in film and TV.

After the (relative) failure of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, EON was desperate to get Sean Connery back to save the series. When he refused, the producers considered Burt Reynolds (director Guy Hamilton's choice) and Roger Moore.

"Cubby Broccoli asked to see me. He was having problems with Sean Connery, and felt I should be the next James Bond. I was flattered, but felt no one would accept an American as Bond. They were very kind, thanked me, and cast George Lazenby. I think I was right, but who knows what would have happened had I taken the road well travelled."
- Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds again: "I told Dinah (Shore) about my turning down the James Bond role. I could've played the hell out of it. Whenever I chided myself for making such a poor decision, Dinah reminded me that a singer always learned more from singing a bad song than a good one."

"Cubby was the man who vetoed Burt Reynolds. I must say, most people at the time were voting for Burt Reynolds...Cubby was the one who had the veto power and put his foot down and said Bond has to be played by an Englishman and that's that. They had, obviously, a giant investment in the Bond pictures and an interest in making sure there was a continuing series of them. Burt Reynolds was just at that point where he was really getting hot and he would entertain the proposition of doing a Bond, so they thought about it seriously."
- Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz to Richard Schenkman for BONDAGE magazine in 1979

Timothy Dalton (Bond in The Living Daylights and License To Kill) was approached, but he refused because he didn't want to commit professional suicide by taking over from Connery. "I guess I must have been about 25," he said, and he felt he was too young to be accepted in the role.

John Gavin was signed to play 007 in 1970, but stepped aside when Connery was wooed into a comeback. Gavin went on to become the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan Administration.

"When I came on Diamonds are Forever. Sean was not definitely set yet and they had John Gavin in the box, waiting. They had a deal with him that he was going to play It if Sean didn't." - Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz to Richard Schenkman for BONDAGE magazine in 1979

Heavier and even more bored, Connery retired once again, reportedly turning down an offer of over five million from the studio. So the search was on again. Roger Moore of TV's The Saint was considered the front runner, but UA still wanted an American to play Bond: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Robert Redford were all considered.

"Even if you pay me $10 million I wouldn't do it. No one can follow Connery."
- Clint Eastwood

Michael Billington (right) of the TV show UFO screen-tested for Bond in Live and Let Die. Later he played Sergei Barsov, a Russian agent killed by Moore's 007 in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Another actor who made an impression was Julian Glover, who told Starlog Magazine that he was one of many to try out for Bond in LALD. But he admitted, "we all knew Roger would get it." Maybe he impressed them in the wrong way: they hired him to play a villain instead (Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only).

"It's the sort of role you cannot afford to turn down, but I think if I had got it, it would have ruined my life."
- Jeremy Brett (left), who would go on to portray the definitive Sherlock Holmes, tested for Bond.

Glover was right: Roger Moore got the part, and reigned as Bond for almost fifteen years. But occasionally he and the producers would have a falling out (ie: "I want more money") and other actors would be tested.

Roger Moore had expressed a desire to stop playing James Bond. His original contract had been for three films, which was fulfilled with The Spy Who Loved Me. Subsequent films were negotiated on a film-by-film basis. In 1979, Moore nearly quit during the pre-production of For Your Eyes Only, and new actors (including Timothy Dalton again) were considered. A new teaser scene at Tracy Bond's gravesite was added to introduce the new man. Finally the studio came through with more (Moore?) money, and Roger starred - with the new scene still in place.

With Moore's reluctance to return to the role for Octopussy, the producers engaged in a semi-public quest for the next Bond, with both Timothy Dalton (again) and 43 year-old American actor James Brolin being suggested.

Brolin's three screentests were publicly released for the first time as a special feature named "James Brolin: The Man Who Would Be Bond" in the Octopussy Ultimate Edition DVD. Brolin acted in a screen test opposite Maud Adams in a scene from From Russia with Love, as well as a scene with co-star Vijay Amritraj (at right), and a generic fight scene. Later he played a Bond-like cameo in Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

However, when the rival Never Say Never Again was announced, the producers re-contracted Moore in the belief that an established actor in the role would fare better against Sean Connery.

Moore finally retired from Bond in 1986, and the search for a new Bond was on. Early favorites included Mel Gibson, Andrew Clarke, Pierce Brosnan Bryan Brown and Sam Neill (audition shown, below) who went on to star in Jurassic Park).

In an interview with The Guardian in 2008, Neill revealed that he never actually wanted to play the part and that he would have made a horrible Bond. Why? His own words: "Let me list the ways..."

Then on April 27th, the news was leaked through the British newspaper Mail on Sunday -- the new 007 would be... Finlay Light? Light was a former model and TV commercial actor, who was reported to have signed a ten-year, five film contract, making him a multi-millionaire. He said: "The Bond contract is pretty good. I think it will work out fine for me." Eon later denied the signing, and some say he never actually existed. However, Finley Light (some sources spell it Finlay with an a). Light has an imdb page which lists him as having one screen acting credit for a single episode of an Australian television series titled Case for the Defence, broadcast in 1978 and there appears to be some information on Light at the National Library of Australia although unfortunately its not digitized, and I can’t find any photos of Mr Light..

Other contenders incuded Lambert Wilson and Mel Gibson (who claims to have turned he role down more than once) but Timothy Dalton was out due to theatrical commitments. Other potential Bonds included suave British actor Simon MacCorkindale, actor and model Anthony Hamilton and Neil Dickson. British actor Mark Greenstreet admitted testing for The Living Daylights in an interview with Terry Wogan. Eventually it was New Zealander Neill who nearly bagged the part. His screentest went well and the television series Reilly, Ace Of Spies suggested he was capable of filling 007's shoes.

More British candidates included Michael Caine, Lewis Collins, and Ian Ogilvy (who took over the TV role of The Saint after Roger Moore). Ogilvy said: "I could well be the only actor in Britain to state that he is not going to be James Bond."

They were all beaten out by Brosnan -- who promptly lost the job because of a TV contract. So EON then hired long-time candidate Timothy Dalton as the new 007.

In 1994, Dalton retired from Bond. The usual manhunt started again. Leading contenders were now considered to be Mel Gibson and Pierce Brosnan. Gibson turned the role down, but Brosnan made it clear that he wanted the part. Still, other actors were considered:

Ralph Fiennes auditioned to play 007 in Goldeneye on the strength his Oscar nomianted role in Schindler's List. He wanted the role badly, but after several meetings with Cubby Broccoli, the verdict was that he was still too young, and his vision of the role as a "killer for hire" was too extreme. Fiennes went on to star in The English Patient and finally became "M" in Skyfall.

Conversely, Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral) rejected the role because of the violence (publicity he later recieved for being caught with a hooker on Hollywood Boulevard would've put Lazenby's bad press relations to shame, anyway). Not wanting to offend his core audience with a revisionist Bond, Broccoli looked for someone in his late thirties/early forties, who would be easily accepted by American audiences as Bond, and could play the role in a more traditional way. So Pierce Brosnan, who had spent ten years grumbling about his missed opportunities to play Bond in The Living Daylights, and in both a new film project with Thunderball producer Kevin McClory called Warhead 8, and a James Bond TV series with McClory and Al Ruddy, finally got his wish, in GoldenEye.

For 2006's Casino Royale, In 2005, Sam Worthington, Alex O'Lachlan, and Goran Visnjic tested for Bond. Dominic West, who has narrated several Bond audiobooks, has spoken openly of testing. James Purefoy spoke of meeting the producers again in 2005, as well. New Zealand actors Antony Starr and Martin Henderson were both under consideration at some point, as was the British actor Rupert Friend. Ewan Mcgregor's friend Charley Boorman let slip on their motorcycle travel programme that Mcgregor met with the Bond producers to discuss replacing Brosnan early in the casting process. Welsh actor Geraint Owen admitted to a newspaper that he made it through five auditions (for a possible 007 screentest) in the Casino Royale casting call. Irish actor Chris Feeney claims on his website to have made the final selections for the part in 2005. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tested for the part earlier but did not feature in the final shake-up. Matthew Goode and Luke Mably were both leaked as early candidates being sized up for a 'young' Bond. Ioan Gruffudd was linked to the role in 2004 but appears not have tested or been seriously considered. Hugh Jackman and Clive Owen did not come into serious consideration for Casino Royale in the end (again anyone's guess if either were interested, approached or simply turned the part down) and Gerard Butler and Julian McMahon appear not to have tested with the final candidates. Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell and Orlando Bloom were considered but rejected. In the end a shortlist of two emerged -- Daniel Craig and newcomer Henry Cavill. The pair were auditioned again and tried on tuxedos to see how they would look in the quintessential Bond clothing.

According to a leaked memo from film producers, Craig was head and shoulders above his rivals for the part. Hugh Jackman, it read, was "too fey", Colin Farrell "too sleazy", Eric Bana "not handsome enough" - and Ewan McGregor "too short" at 5ft 10. The email, from Eon Productions, added that Barbara Broccoli had championed Craig.

Actor Clive Owen revealed he repeatedly turned down the role of James Bond -- because he reckons no-one can top Sean Connery.

The 41-year-old heart-throb was tipped to be the next 007 before Daniel Craig signed up to be the first blond Bond.

But in an interview with Glamour magazine, Owen said: "Playing James Bond would have been like entering a golden prison, and I doubt that would have suited me. I may be the only actor who consistently said, 'No, no and no'.

"I never understood what I would have been able to add to the role, or how I could play a character who has already been defined in the past. For me, Sean Connery is the real James Bond."

FROM LATINO REVIEW's interview with Martin Campbell:
Latino Review: There were a lot of rumors on who was going to play Bond and what not. Who actually was in contention for the role?
Martin Campbell: "We had that very young chap named Henry Cavill who was really good but I think at the end he was too young, he's 22. But Henry believe me he is going to be a big talent, very good looking, very strong physically and a good actor but he's too young for this Bond basically that was it. When he gets a little more acting experience under his belt he'll be terrific."

Latino Review: Was he the only on in the running for the role?

Martin Campbell: He was the only serious one in the running, yeah.

Latino Review: Cause there were rumors of Hugh Jackman turning down the role and Eric Bana and so on.

Martin Campbell: Well Hugh Jackman and Eric Bana were never approached. Those were just all rumors.

Latino Review: So was Clive Owen ever approached?

Martin Campbell: No he was never approached, I mean the press talks about but I don't remember ever having a conversation about Clive Owen or the other names you mentioned.

And the next Bond actor will be...?



Bonds


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