James Bond events
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23 MAY 2013
THE OTHER FELLA BY GEORGE LAZENBY |
 One-time James Bond actor George Lazenby is coming out with his autobiography, the same year that the literary James Bond turned 60.
The book will be titled The Other Fella, after the fourth-wall breaking line Lazenby's Bond utters in the opening sequence of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - his sole outing as Ian Fleming's spy in 1969.
His literary agent AP Watt sold the title's world rights to publisher Charter at the industry's big annual trade event held in Frankfurt in early October 2010.
The book is touted as "a brilliantly frank tale of how he bluffed his way into the role of James Bond, and what he did afterwards."
Synopsis:
George Lazenby was born in 1939, in a small Australian town called Goulburn. He moved to London into the swinging late sixties and worked as a car salesman and model before wangling his way in to see the casting director of the new James Bond film. The audition process consisted of George swimming, fighting, riding horseback and kissing Diana Rigg.
From nowhere, he was then catapulted into international fame as the new James Bond, where but for the advice of his agent, he would have remained for a further seven films. It is an epic story of rags to riches, extreme hedonism, and some very questionable decisions.
Book details:
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Century
ISBN-10: 184605902X
ISBN-13: 978-1846059025
George Lazenby biography (thanks to Bondstars)
A native of Queanbeyan City, Australia, George Lazenby landed the most prized role in filmdom in 1968 when he was cast as James Bond 007.
George came to the UK in the early ‘60s and from being a high class car salesman in Park Lane, was offered a modelling contract – one assignment earning him more than he earned in a year selling cars!
He became one of the UK’s hottest models, and often travelled into Europe for assignments too. He was the highest paid male model in European modelling history. Perhaps his biggest break then came when he landed the role of the “Big Fry Man” for a series of chocolate commercials.
When Sean Connery hung up his Walther PPK after You Only Live Twice (1967), the canny Australian secured himself a meeting with the film’s producers. Urged on by his agent Maggie Smith who believed his arrogance would surely win him the role, the producers were said indeed to admire his charm and his cheek.
George bought a suit that had been made for Sean Connery, and wore it with a Rolex watch. He also drove an Aston Martin.
During an audition, a fight sequence was arranged. George was so eager and enthusiastic that he broke a stuntman’s nose! He beat 413 other contenders for the role, during 4 months of auditions, to become 007.
His film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is hailed by fans as being the best in the series. However, changing attitudes in the late 1960s (when Easy Rider was the type of film topping the box office and the hippie culture was permeating society) and bad advice from his ‘publicist’ Roland O’Reilly, saw George quit the role. He believed Bond to be Sean Connery’s gig, and the character’s cinematic adventures over. George has since admitted to regretting his decision and listening to the advice that was offered.
He turned down Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and the seven-film contract offered by EON Productions.
A series of martial arts films in Hong Kong followed (George holds black belts in more than one of the martial arts, and trained under Bruce Lee).
There was a rumour that producer Kevin McClory was considering casting George in Never Say Never Again (1983), but then Sean Connery agreed to return.
George has appeared in a number of spy-type films playing Bond like characters. He also appeared in top soap General Hospital for six months in 1982, and won critical acclaim for roles in Gettysburg and a more recent film Four Dogs Playing Poker. His most recent tv series was The Pretender.
Other interesting biographies featured on From Sweden with Love:
>Alan Hume (official)
>Albert R. Broccoli (official)
>Bert Luxford (official)
>Christopher Lee (official)
>Christopher Wood (official)
>Daniel Craig (unofficial)
>Derek Meddings (unofficial)
>Desmond Llewelyn (official)
>Dolph Lundgren (official)
>Eunice Gayson (official)
>George Lazenby (official)
>Gloria Hendry (official)
>Ian Fleming (official)
>James Bond (official)
>Jane Seymour (official)
>Joanna Lumley (official)
>John Barry (unofficial)
>John Glen (official)
>Judi Dench (official)
>Ken Adam (official)
>Ken Wallis (official)
>Kingsley Amis (official)
>Leslie Bricusse (official)
>Lewis Gilbert (official)
>Nikki van der Zyl (official)
>Pierce Brosnan (unofficial)
>Richard Kiel (official)
>Robert Dix (official)
>Roger Moore (official)
>Sean Connery (official)
>Shane Rimmer (official)
>Shirley Eaton (official)
>Syd Cain (official)
>Tom Mankiewicz (official)
>Vic Armstrong (official)
>Vic Flick (official)
Order George Lazenby's autobiography The Other Fella from Amazon UK: |
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www.amazon.co.uk
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