USA: Actor George Lazenby - one of the 7 legendary stars who played James Bond - rarely appeared on the street when he walked with a wheelchair to support the elderly.
The 85-year-old artist was seen on the street on February 20 in Santa Monica, California. He wore comfortable clothes, sneakers and walked with the help of a wheelchair. A young woman walked beside him to take care of George.
George Lazenby announced his retirement last July due to old age and wanting to spend time with his family. The star, born in 1939, has been working hard on films for nearly 6 decades, from late 1969 to 2024. His last project was the role of the US President in the film Mundije, which is currently in post-production.
It has been more than 55 years since George Lazenby beat out 400 other actors to replace Sean Connery as agent 007. The film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, adapted from Ian Fleming's 1963 novel, grossed $82 million against a budget of $7 million, and is considered one of the best Bond films of all time. The role earned George Lazenby a Golden Globe nomination, and he was also highly praised by critics. He was the youngest actor to play Bond and was paid $50,000.
Despite his popularity as a spy, George Lazenby refused to sign a contract for seven more films. His agent at the time, Ronan O'Rahilly, convinced him that spy films would become outdated by the 1970s and that the contract was too demanding. George later regretted his decision to leave the Bond franchise, especially when Sean Connery returned to the role for a record $1.25 million in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Sean Connery, who died in 2020 at the age of 90, starred in seven Bond films. Other stars who have played 007 include Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
In addition to Bond, George Lazenby has appeared in many films such as Fox Hunt, Gettysburg, The Kentucky Fried Movie, The Man from Hong Kong, Never Too Young to Die and the Emmanuelle series. The Australian actor has also appeared in episodes of the TV series Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, General Hospital and The Pretender.
In 2017, Josh Greenbaum directed a documentary about George Lazenby's life called Becoming Bond, which was streamed on Hulu.
George Lazenby was born in New South Wales, Australia to a railway worker father and a retail worker mother. He served in the Australian Army and worked as a car salesman in England before being discovered by a talent scout who convinced him to become a model. George rose to fame advertising Frys chocolates and was voted Britain's top model of the year in 1966. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released in 1969, was George Lazenby's film debut.
The actor has been divorced twice and has five children. He currently lives in California, USA. In late 2023, George Lazenby injured himself in a fall and was briefly hospitalized.