His name is Bond…James Bond. What about the actors who have played him? Well, there is everyone’s favorite: Sean Connery. Portraying Agent 007 in the ‘60s, and then again in 1983, the actor helped establish most of the character’s mannerisms and fashion choices that fans adore. Connery was followed by George Lazenby (the only non-Brit to be offered the part), whofamously tricked his way through the auditionin a way the fictional spy likely would have if he found himself in a similar situation. Then came Roger Moore, who was unfortunate enough to star in many poorly-made Bond movies, but became a darling, nonetheless.
Casino Royale
Timothy Dalton took over in the ‘80s, playing a tough-as-nails version of the character that fans found refreshing. He was then succeeded by Pierce Brosnan in the 1990s. Like Connery, Brosnan was a true talent who continued to shine in other roles, years after hanging up the Agent 007 pistol. Lastly, we’ve had Daniel Craig, the man who helped put a modern spin on the franchise, all while alternating between being a jerk and a gentleman. But is that all? People often forget that Bond was played by David Niven in the little-known 1967 movie,Casino Royale.
Niven’s Bond Drove a Bentley, Married a Real-World Spy, and Ate Royal Jelly
Niven was 56 when he played James Bond, and his version of the character was nothing like what we are used to seeing. His characterization was that ofan elderly, cultured, retired former British spy and war veteran. This Bond was revealed to have won the Victoria Cross during the Second Boer War and married the famousWorld War Ispy Mata Hari (with whom he had a daughter). Additionally, elderly Bond enjoyed playing Claude Debussy on the piano, munching on royal jelly, and planting black roses in his garden.
Niven’s Bond furtherset himself apart with his automotive tastes. Like the literary Bond, he drove a vintage Bentley, rather than the Aston Martin favored by many other screen versions of the British spy. The Aston Martin only became the character’s preferred car because Connery liked it. And, like in the books,Casino Royalemade it clear that once this version of Bond retired, the 007 designation would be passed to another agent. In parts of the fandom, it’s thus assumed that Niven’s Bond was the first, followed by Connery.
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Though hated by critics, the original film is an enjoyable watch. Structured asspy satire,Casino Royaleintroduces us toSir James Bond, who has been retired for 20 years. M implores him to come out of retirement todeal with an evil organization named SMERSH that has been eliminating agents. When Bond refuses, M tries to destroy his estate using a mortar, only for him, himself, to get killed in the process.
Bond is then named the new Head of MI6. But what is really going on? It’s silly, really.All the new agents are hedonists who cannot resist sex. SMERSH is thus using sexy women to lure them. To put an end to this, Bond orders that all remaining MI6 agents be codenamed “James Bond 007” to confuse the enemy, and launches a rigorous program to train male agents to ignore the advances of beautiful women. Will it work?
Niven Was Ian Fleming’s First Choice
According to Jeremy Black’s book,The Politics of James Bond: From Fleming’s Novels to the Big Screen,David Niven was Ian Fleming’s ideal choice if the character were ever to go to the big screen. Still,Eon Productions preferred Connery, so they launched the franchise with him. However,they couldn’t make aCasino Royalemovie since producer Charles K. Feldman owned the rights to the book.
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Feidman approached Eon Production for a collaborative effort, but hecouldn’t strike a dealwith Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Consequently,heteamed up with Columbia Pictures and proceeded to make the movie as a satire. Released in April 1967, two months prior to Sean Connery’s fifth Bond film,You Only Live Twice, Casino Royalewas a box office hit, grossing over $41.7 million globally. Burt Bacharach’s musical score also received an Oscar nomination, but critics were less than enthusiastic.
James Bond fans might not care about David Niven, but hardcore cinephiles do. During his career, he won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role inSeparating Tables. He also received many other award nominations, including at the Emmys and the BAFTAs. Most importantly,Niven was brave and wild, just like Bond.
Niven reportedlyquit the British army in 1933 because he was bored with getting no action. According to his memoir,The Moon’s a Balloon, his choice to resign came after he grew frustrated with a lengthy military lecture on machine guns, which was eating into his dinner plans with a pretty lady. When the speaker (a major general) asked if anyone had a question, Niven asked, “Could you tell me the time, sir? I have to catch a train.”
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Interestingly, Niven went back home andrejoined the British military the day after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939. He did this even though the British Embassy had warned British stars working in Hollywood to stay in America, where it was much safer. The true spirit of Bond, right? Agent 007 would never settle for something boring, so Niven once again rejected his assignment in the motor training battalion, forcing his superiors to transfer him to the Commandos. And like Bond, he came out of all the shootouts without much of a scratch.
Trust Bond to always find himself on Her Majesty’s wrong side from time to time. Niven was the same. It iswidely believed that he never received a British honor from the queen because he chose to live in a chalet in Château-d’Œx near Gstaad in Switzerland, an area that qualified as a tax havenat the time. Andaccording to Niven’s second wife, Hjördis Paulina Tersmeden, a Swedish fashion model, the actor was a privileged man whose boyish obsession with other pairs of pretty legs put a strain on their marriage. His life was one continuous misdemeanor.Hjördis says he had an affair with Princess Margaret(part of the reason the queen hated him). He also slept with every actress, air hostess, and waitress he met.
