UNPUBLISHED: James Bond Auditions

[Blowfeld]

TIME
Exclusive
UNPUBLISHED: James Bond Auditions

Who Would Be James Bond?
In the early '60s, movie producers adapting Ian Fleming's novels about a suave British spy named James Bond plucked a relative unknown, Sean Connery, out of obscurity and offered him the role of a lifetime. And when Connery left the franchise after five movies, the hunt for Bond was on again. LIFE sent photographer Loomis Dean to the final casting sessions for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (released 40 years ago this week), and the magazine published a handful of those photos. But some of the choicest frames — Bond wannabes suiting up, holding guns, drinking martinis, wooing women — have never been seen…until now. Meet each of the five top candidates (including ultimate choice George Lazenby, bottom right in this composite image), and check out their best moves.
Photo: Loomis Dean
Dec 09, 2009

FINALIST NO. 1: John Richardson
Of the five Bond hopefuls (narrowed down from nearly 400), 34-year-old Richardson probably boasted the most experience, having acted opposite such beautiful women as Ursula Andress (in 1965's She) and Raquel Welch (in 1966's One Million Years B.C.).

Assuming the Position
On Her Majesty's Secret Service director Peter R. Hunt oversees a test love scene between Richardson and an actress, moving her leg just so.

Martini. Shaken, Not Stirred.
Richardson kicks back with Bond's beverage of choice.

The Other Lean Meat
As seen in profile, getting his makeup retouched, Richardson is well defined but not as physically solid as Connery, who had once been a bodybuilder. (Also: Could those shorts be any smaller?)

Careful, James!
Richardson reacts as his screen-test costar pulls out a gun. Photographer Loomis Dean included no notes in his files about the shoot, so it's unclear exactly what scene from the film is being performed — but it's very likely a moment from the beginning of Secret Service, when the lovely but troubled Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo aims at 007 in a hotel room. (Later in the movie, Tracy becomes Bond's only wife.)

Chemistry Check
Director Hunt studies the actors as they get closer, and closer, and closer. . .

She's Into It — but Producers Weren't
Richardson continued to act after he lost out on the role, appearing in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and a string of Italian movies.

FINALIST NO. 2: Anthony Rogers
Before he screen-tested for Bond, Rogers played an alien in five episodes of TV's Doctor Who, a physician in the John Wayne/Robert Mitchum Western El Dorado (1966), and Sir Dinadan, a Knight of the Round Table, in Camelot (1967). He looks markedly older than his competitors, although LIFE put the average age of all five at 32.

C'mon, Love… Put Down the Gun
In his screen test, Rogers persuades an actress to lower her defenses.

Is That a Morland Special?
Smoke and shadows lend Rogers the requisite air of mystery. In Fleming's novels, Bond has a 60-cigs-a-day habit; he prefers potent "Morland Specials," a blend of Balkan and Turkish tobacco. In the movies, his habit changes — 007 smokes cigarettes in the films starring Connery, Lazenby, and Timothy Dalton; puffs on the occasional cigar during Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan's tenure; and hasn't lit up at all so far under Daniel Craig.

Ready for His Close-Up
What happened to Rogers after his Bond test? Apparently, he disappeared — according to his entry on IMDb, he never had another acting credit.

FINALIST NO. 3: Robert Campbell
Was he the most attractive candidate? That's open to debate — but many of the photos from Campbell's test indicate he was concerned about getting the Bond look just right...

Suiting Up
Director Hunt helps Campbell get into a shoulder holster.

FINALIST NO. 4: Hans de Vries
The year of his audition, de Vries had a bit part in Shalako (coincidentally starring Sean Connery). He also had a previous connection to the Bond franchise: He played "Control Room Technician" in You Only Live Twice.

FINALIST NO. 5: The Winner, George Lazenby
He was a 28-year-old Australian model living in London, with virtually no acting experience outside TV commercials. But there was something about George Lazenby that placed him a notch above his competitors. Particularly impressive was his physical prowess: In a subsequent audition to test his fighting skills, Lazenby reportedly broke a stuntman's nose. That clinched it.

Notes From the Director
Lazenby fiddles with a knife while chatting with Peter R. Hunt. "He was a great looking guy and he moved along very well," the director, who died in 2002, once said in an interview with Retro Vision magazine. "I think if things had gone the other way, he would have gone on to be a very good Bond."

Confident, Playful
Lazenby goofs off behind the scenes of his screen test, boxing with an unidentified man."“I was so naïve, so green," the actor reminisced in a 1992 interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I was a country boy from Australia, basically, who walked into a Bond role."

Awaiting Direction
Lazenby twirls a gun beside potential Bond girl Marie-France Boyer. "I'm really looking forward to being Bond, for the bread and the birds," he told LIFE after his casting.

Bedside Manner
The actor looks comfortable beside Bond-girl hopeful Agneta Eckemyr — but once filming began, rumors sprouted that Lazenby had personality conflicts with the woman ultimately cast as his love interest Tracy, Avengers star Diana Rigg. Opinions about the movie they made are split — initially there was much grumbling about Lazenby's performance as compared with Connery's, but the years have been kind to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Entertainment Weekly ranks it the sixth best of the franchise).

Hitting the Pub
Long and strong, Lazenby leans against a bar in what appears to be a moment away from auditions. Bond producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman told LIFE that the new 007 would be "an instant millionaire" — so imagine their shock when Lazenby quit after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, passing up a seven-year contract because he thought the emerging counterculture meant the spy franchise was passé.

George Lazenby: A Career Come and Gone
"First I was very humble about it and naïve, and then I kinda got on the bandwagon and sort of said, 'I must be who they say I am,' and got carried away and demanded limousines and did the whole bit," Lazenby said in the '92 interview, regarding his behavior after his casting. "[It] was obnoxious and arrogant and all the things you hate about those people. And I got what I deserved." (That would be roles in B-movies and Bond parodies.)

[katied]

# 2 seems a bit old to play Bond, and the rest-save for Lazenby-(IMO) don't really have the right look.

[Captain Nash]

Wow, just wow.
I must confess that I do give you guys alot of stick from time to time.
(I'm sure you haven't noticed)
But this is fantastic. I love this kind of Bond stuff. Old photos, the could've beens...it's just...wonderful to read.
I love this aspect of the world of OO7, the trivia.
Great find and thanks for sharing Blowers.

[FormerBondFan]

Lazenby was 28 when chosen to replace Connery yet he's looked older than 28.

[katied]

I dunno..Lazenby looks older, but not as wizened as some of the former Bonds(That being said,Pierce still looks very good. )

[Roger Devereau]

Lazenby was 28 when chosen to replace Connery yet he's looked older than 28.

People always looked older than they were in the sixties. This is probably due to diet, fashion and other factors.

[FormerBondFan]

Lazenby was 28 when chosen to replace Connery yet he's looked older than 28.

People always looked older than they were in the sixties. This is probably due to diet, fashion and other factors.

And same with Connery. He was 31 when he did Dr. No yet he looked older than that.

[James]

That's fascinating stuff with the photographs and I can see why they went for George. I'd love to see more from all the tests they've done over the years.

[katied]

That's fascinating stuff with the photographs and I can see why they went for George. I'd love to see more from all the tests they've done over the years.

I like to think they were being somewhat open minded when it came to casting James Bond that time.Of course, they went with George Lazenby.Good choice.

[FormerBondFan]

That's fascinating stuff with the photographs and I can see why they went for George.

They were trying to look for someone who like Sean.

[carl stromberg]

That's fascinating stuff with the photographs and I can see why they went for George.

They were trying to look for someone who like Sean.

Let's hope they don't make a big effort to find someone who looks like Daniel in a few years.

[katied]

Let's hope they don't make a big effort to find someone who looks like Daniel in a few years.

I think most of the people here agree with that sentiment!

[Dr. No]

Cool!! Thanks for posting this!

[FormerBondFan]

That's fascinating stuff with the photographs and I can see why they went for George.

They were trying to look for someone who like Sean.

Let's hope they don't make a big effort to find someone who looks like Daniel in a few years.

Someone like him?

[Kristatos]

^Looks like Glen Beck on steroids^

[katied]

^Looks like Glen Beck on steroids^

Glenn Beck would make a great Bond villain!