Guy Hamilton wanted to cast Burt Reynolds as James Bond in Live and Let Die. This is not as stupid as it sounds because this was Deliverance era Burt Reynolds before he made all those car chase films with a cowboy hat and mustache.
He could have been the first Bond to play it with a tache. He looks a bit naked without it. I heard he was regarded to be too short but he's listed as 5'11. He might be like DC where his official height is falsely bumped up a few inches.