The GEORGE LAZENBY Appreciation thread - Discuss His Life, His Career, His Bond Films

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited September 2017 Posts: 13,978
    Happy birthday George. I haven't always appreciated what he brought to the role, but over time, my feelings have changed. Damn good Bond, shame he didn't stick around to grow into the role.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Happy Birthday George.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    Ah, happy birthday Mr. Lazenby! A great Bond who, rather unfortunately, never had enough time to solidify himself in the part.
  • Posts: 19,339
    "Maybe he should have been gift-wrapped"...
  • Posts: 12,526
    Happy Birthday George Lazenby!! A real good guy to have a chat with !
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    On a celebrity net worth site we get this. Highlights in bold are mine.

    George Lazenby Net Worth: George Lazenby is an Australian actor and former model who has a net worth of $100 million. He was born George Robert Lazenby on September 5, 1939, in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. He enjoyed worldwide fame for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Prior to becoming Bond, George Lazenby was the highest-paid model in the world throughout the 1960's. He had the chance to reprise the iconic film role of superspy 007 in 1977's "Diamonds Are Forever" he ended up ceding the role to Roger Moore. Even though he performed in other films like Kentucky Fried Movie (1974), Master Ninja II (1984) and Fatally Yours (1995), Lazenby's acting career never really flourished. Eventually, he turned to business and real estate investments that earned him spacious mansions in Hawaii, Brentwood, California, Australia, a ranch estate in Valyermo, California, as well as a port-side penthouse apartment in Hong Kong and an estate home in Maryland. As for his personal life, it includes two marriages and three children. Tragically, his child with first wife Christina Gannett Lazenby died of brain cancer in 1994. He has three children with his second wife, former tennis player Pam Shriver. Today, Lazenby enjoys practicing his numerous hobbies like sailing, motorcycle racing, car racing, reading, watching movies, and of course, playing golf and tennis.

    Not sure we can accept this net worth when so much information is incorrect
    - Incorrect information about Diamonds Are Forever
    - Master Ninja was a TV series and GL was in one episode
    - Confusion over how many children with his first wife (two in fact)

    And who knows what else is incorrect? Either way I know GL has a few bucks to his name, but I do wonder how his wealth compares to the other Bond actors?
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    Got Becoming Bond for my birthday the other day. Loved it straight away. Very funny and it was great to see Jane Seymour pop up too (i'd forgotten she was in it).

    However much of it actually true is irrelevant but nonetheless George is a great storyteller and the re-enactments often had me laughing out loud.

  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Does he come out of it with credit, or is he made to look like a second class Bond?
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    He's portrayed as someone who simply did the best he could and acted as HE wanted rather than tried to please the masses. Probably a bit naive but someone who you could relate to all the same. They don't comment much on his actual performance in the film though.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    I think I will still get it. Sounds good.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited November 2017 Posts: 5,185
    NicNac wrote: »
    Does he come out of it with credit, or is he made to look like a second class Bond?

    Well, he is narrating the whole movie, so any opinion stated is his own.
    I felt he was a bit too self deprecating in parts but so was Roger all the time.
    i don't think it takes anything away from enjoying OHMSS.

    On a more general note, as this is my first post in this particular Thread, i would like to state that George should always be mentioned in the upper echelon of Bond actors, simply because that guy WAS Bond.
    I like acting and all, but if you can literally find a guy who IS James Bond (depends of your definition of who James Bond is of course) then you have a clear winner. If your idea of James Bond is a tall, handsome care free Playboy who is a man of the world and could literally pick out any women out of a crowd he wants to sleep with and seduce her, and who also knows how to beat his way out of any tough situation, then Lazenby is your man.

    The guy was picked out of hundreds of "actors" for good reason. He just had the right feel about him. You can't buy that stuff for money or study it. Lazenbys acting was good enough to not hide those qualities of his.
    Todays Bond actos have to bust their behinds to look super confidend and in control all the time, his job was just to sound as british as possible, the rest came naturally
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    He definitely had a youthful devil-may-care confidence about him. But I'm not entirely certain he had a "man of the world" quality to him at that point. @RC7 once put it nicely by saying he had "an aura of simple-mindedness" and it does kind of show in the film at times.

    He was someone strutting around acting cool but lacked a certain maturity. Without Rigg and Savalas, his inexperience would be more of an issue.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    00Agent wrote: »
    NicNac wrote: »
    Does he come out of it with credit, or is he made to look like a second class Bond?

    Well, he is narrating the whole movie, so any opinion stated is his own.
    I felt he was a bit too self deprecating in parts but so was Roger all the time.
    i don't think it takes anything away from enjoying OHMSS.

    On a more general note, as this is my first post in this particular Thread, i would like to state that George should always be mentioned in the upper echelon of Bond actors, simply because that guy WAS Bond.
    I like acting and all, but if you can literally find a guy who IS James Bond (depends of your definition of who James Bond is of course) then you have a clear winner. If your idea of James Bond is a tall, handsome care free Playboy who is a man of the world and could literally pick out any women out of a crowd he wants to sleep with and seduce her, and who also knows how to beat his way out of any tough situation, then Lazenby is your man.

    The guy was picked out of hundreds of "actors" for good reason. He just had the right feel about him. You can't buy that stuff for money or study it. Lazenbys acting was good enough to not hide those qualities of his.
    Todays Bond actos have to bust their behinds to look super confidend and in control all the time, his job was just to sound as british as possible, the rest came naturally

    Well, I agree with all of that. Well put @00Agent
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited November 2017 Posts: 5,185
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    He definitely had a youthful devil-may-care confidence about him. But I'm not entirely certain he had a "man of the world" quality to him at that point.

    He was someone strutting around acting cool but lacked a certain maturity.
    He was a bit rough around the edges, sure.
    But the man of the world quality i was talking about came literally from having seen the world at a young age. He traveled from Australia to London with nothing in his pockets. A couple years later he was living as a Model in Paris and jet setting between Paris and London all the time and other countries like Spain.
    I can highly recommend to watch Becoming Bond just to get a better picture of all that.

    He was a self made man in the truest sense just like Connery, but overall made some bad decisions here and there unfortunately.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    Even if he's not the greatest of actors, I've always felt he has a bit of a stuntman vibe about him (I mean that in a good way). It says something that the stuntman on the film (the bloke who played the thug and would-be killer in the PTS) was impressed by him.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    00Agent wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    He definitely had a youthful devil-may-care confidence about him. But I'm not entirely certain he had a "man of the world" quality to him at that point.

    He was someone strutting around acting cool but lacked a certain maturity.
    He was a bit rough around the edges, sure.
    But the man of the world quality i was talking about came literally from having seen the world at a young age. He traveled from Australia to London with nothing in his pockets. A couple years later he was living as a Model in Paris and jet setting between Paris and London all the time and other countries like Spain.
    I can highly recommend to watch Becoming Bond just to get a better picture of all that.

    He was a self made man in the truest sense just like Connery, but overall made some bad decisions here and there unfortunately.

    I have seen Becoming Bond and I get what you mean.

    Still, there's a slightly amateur feel about him at times in the actual film.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    by the way, have you guys seen this?
    i was astonished to find this a couple weeks ago.
    It features a lot of good pictures of the deleted scene that was never released before

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Yes, it was posted a couple of years ago.
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 4,622
    thought I would add that I watched the famous George Lazenby Baywatch episode the the other day.
    Laz plays Mitch Buchanan's (Hasselhoff's) former Navy Seal commander. Mitch invites him to Baywatch so he can re-unite with his estranged daughter. Mitch is very helpful that way.
    ========
    The Big Blue
    Baywatch episode
    Mitch tries to patch things up between a military officer and his daughter; Cody meets a beautiful diver.

    Baywatch Season 9
    Episode number:
    12
    Air date:
    January 11, 1999

  • edited November 2017 Posts: 11,189
    @timmer Watching the first 2 minutes. That blonde girl is awful :))

    Is Lazenby's character's daughter called Tracey? :)) :))
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    @timmer Watching the first 2 minutes. That blonde girl is awful :))

    Is Lazenby's character's daughter called Tracey? :)) :))

    Awful? She wasn’t that good BAIN! ;)

    George struggled with his accent it has to be said
  • edited November 2017 Posts: 4,622
    NicNac wrote: »
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    @timmer Watching the first 2 minutes. That blonde girl is awful :))

    Is Lazenby's character's daughter called Tracey? :)) :))

    Awful? She wasn’t that good BAIN! ;)

    George struggled with his accent it has to be said

    That's the famous Brooke Burns! One of the many inheritors to the Pamela Anderson legacy.
    It's in the Baywatch code I believe. Each season must have a Pam-worthy blonde.
    Brooke does fill out the red swimsuit very nicely.
    She was no doubt hand-picked by the Hoff himself!

    Nice job by Laz, when he finally turns up later in the episode! He looks to be in top shape.
    The reunion with daughter is heartwarming.
  • Have to say it he was a dreadful bond and he never been big since 1969, he's unfortunately completely forgotten except the knowledgeable bond fans
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,119
    Have to disagree, brilliant Bond in a brilliant Bond film. Brought a humanity to Bond which was much-needed for this film.
  • Posts: 4,622
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Have to disagree, brilliant Bond in a brilliant Bond film. Brought a humanity to Bond which was much-needed for this film.

    Yes, Laz was a very convincing Bond in OHMSS which is maybe the most Fleming worthy of all the Bond films, along with DN, FRWL, GF & TB
    Laz's performance was 2nd only to Connery's best work IMO.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Laz is basically a stuntman trying to be an actor. Sometimes he works, sometimes his inexperience shows. But physically he is certainly very convincing.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    BAIN123 wrote: »
    Laz is basically a stuntman trying to be an actor. Sometimes he works, sometimes his inexperience shows. But physically he is certainly very convincing.
    Yep!
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    Posts: 1,756
    Becoming Bond is a great film. I saw it yesterday, started it quite sleepy thinking I'd maybe see half and I ended up watching the whole thing wide awake. George's journey is truly inspiring. It makes me love OHMSS all the more.
  • Posts: 12,466
    Becoming Bond is a great film. I saw it yesterday, started it quite sleepy thinking I'd maybe see half and I ended up watching the whole thing wide awake. George's journey is truly inspiring. It makes me love OHMSS all the more.

    I will have to give it a watch sometime. I know some sfuff about his past and how he was a longshot to become Bond. OHMSS is kind of the miracle Bond film of the series I think. Lazenby may be a one-hit wonder, but OHMSS is as good as it gets for Bond films.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The story of Lazenby just adds another layer of cool to an already perfect Bond film.
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