Who Am I – And What Didn’t I do?

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I’m sure that most of these faces are instantly reasonable. The main question is – what do these people have in common?

Araminta has the prize! They were all considered for the part of James Bond – and none of them actually starred in any of the films…

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1. Richard Todd (1919-2009)
1961 – Ian Fleming’s first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it.

2. Patrick McGoohan (1928-2009)
1961 – Refused the role as being too promiscuous.

3. Patick Mower (1940)
1967 – Reason unknown.

4. Tom Jones (1940)
1971 – Reason unknown.

5. Colin Firth (1960)
2004 – Not interested in the role.

6. Hugh Grant (1960)
2005 – Reason unknown.

7. Will Smith (1968)
2010 – Previous actor (Daniel Craig) returned to the role.

8. Christopher Lee (1922)
1961 – Ian Fleming’s choice.

9. Mel Gibson (1956)
2009 – Too short and too well known for the part.

10. Rex Harrison (1908-1990)
1962 – Turned down in favour of Sean Connery.

11. Cary Grant (1908-1986)
1961 – He felt he was too old for the role and only wanted to do one film.

12. Rod Taylor (1930)
1961 – Felt the role was beneath him.

13. Richard Burton (1925-1984)
1959, 1961, 1968 – Felt the role was a new untested concept and wanted more than the producers would pay.

14. Burt Reynolds (1936)
1968 – Felt Bond must be British.

15. Clint Eastwood (1930)
1971 – Felt Bond must be British.

From Wiki

38 thoughts on “Who Am I – And What Didn’t I do?”

  1. 4. Tom Jones
    9 Mel Gibson
    11 Carry Grant
    14 Burt Reynolds.

    As to what they didd’t do I haven’t a clue. Just a wild guess, take out American Citizenship?

  9. 13 Richard Burton.

    they didn’t submit photos to JM’s August comp, gosh I’m embarrassed I forgot 😳

  16. Christopher

    I think that may be true… although that’s not what I’m after. But, you are on the right track!

  25. 5 – Colin Firth
    8 – Christopher Lee (who played baddie Scaramanga in the Man with the Golden Gun – my favorite Bond Movie!)

  30. There’s only one James Bond in my book – Sean Connery. How could anyone have considered Hugh Grant or Will Smith ? And Tom Jones, the singing Secret Service?

    13 – Patrick Mower?

  33. I make a point of claiming that George Lazenby was the best 007, but only because it so annoys the person asking the question. Truthfully, though, I thought Casino Royal with Daniel Craig was the best Bond movie. Though Connery was probably very good in his day, those films are so dated now. I did not see them when they first came out, so the impact was lost on me. Of course Roger Moore turned the whole franchise into a farce, with the corny jokes and puerile sexual innuendo.

  35. Good morning, JM. I’ve just been looking at Scotland on Sunday on the Edinburgh tram debacle. One comment suggested that Brad Pitt had chosen the wrong city in which to film his zombie movie. Now I could see Brad or Bruce Willis as a credible James Bond.

    Sipu, the fact that the Bond films with Sean Connery are now dated does nothing to diminish the man’s appeal, but I think you are the wrong gender to appreciate it fully!

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