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<\/p>\nIn 1968, when George Lazenby, now 84, was recruited to play James Bond On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service, he had some very big shoes to fill.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the shoes \u2013 earlier worn by the legendary Sean Connery \u2013 didn\u2019t properly fit the actor who followed some bad advice.<\/p>\n
And when Lazenby\u2019s galactic popularity became history, the real-life playboy then shifted his focus on building a family, later caring for his son, who died in 1994 of a malignant disease.<\/p>\n
Keep reading to learn more about shocking story behind the one-time James Bond actor!<\/p>\n
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Since Dr. No premiered in 1963, the James Bond franchise exploded in popularity, with multiple films spanning five decades and seven actors bringing the fictional character to life.<\/p>\n
The late Sean Connery \u2013 whose profile became synonymous with the secret service agent \u2013 was the first to play the suave and sexy Bond in five films from 1962 to 1967, and then he grew tired of it.<\/p>\n
Speaking with Playboy in 1965 (through Time), Connery said he was \u201cfed up to here with the whole Bond bit.\u201d He added that being identified by fans as the character was \u201ca bit of a bore.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he ended his tenure, the film\u2019s creators had a massive task at hand: they had to find a new actor to live up to the hype of the iconic character.<\/p>\n
In 1968, 29-year-old George Lazenby was an unknown actor in Australia when he was awarded his breakthrough role in the sixth installment of the epic James Bond saga.<\/p>\n
And all it took was a lot of charm, some chocolate and a Broccoli.<\/p>\n
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The model, who was born in 1939, was the star of a series of commercials for Fry\u2019s Chocolate Cream, which attracted the attention of producer Albert R. Broccoli, who through his career produced many James Bond films, including 1969\u2019s On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service.<\/p>\n
According to IMDB, Lazenby went to extreme lengths to get the role that Connery had left behind.<\/p>\n
This included spending his last penny \u201con acquiring a tailor-made suit from Sean Connery\u2019s tailor, which was originally made for Connery, along with purchasing a very Bondish-looking Rolex watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI leaned against the door and said, \u2018I heard you\u2019re looking for James Bond.\u2019 [The casting director] asked, \u2018Who are you?\u2019 And I replied, \u2018Bond, James Bond,\u2019\u201d Lazenby recalls of his first meeting with the team.<\/p>\n
And though the man only had experience as a model and promoting Fry\u2019s Chocolate, he was given an opportunity to audition and the producers \u2013 Harry Saltzman and Broccoli \u2013 had found their next James Bond.<\/p>\n
When On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service was released in 1969, the reviews were scathing and the comparisons to Connery were exhausting.<\/p>\n
Gene Siskel, former critic with the Chicago Tribune, noted that Lazenby \u201cdoesn\u2019t fill Sean Connery\u2019s shoes, Aston-Martin, or stretch pants. The new 007 is more boyish and consequently less of a man. He doesn\u2019t order food with the same verve, and generally lacks the self-satisfied smirk that Connery kept with him and transmitted to his audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referring to the poor reviews, the actor said \u201cI didn\u2019t read them, so I didn\u2019t get upset,\u201d he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n
And the real-life playboy had no idea how bad the reviews were until he bumped into a critic at a nightclub. \u201c\u2026one of the top reporters at the time said to me, \u2018I owe you an apology for writing a bad piece about you, but Broccoli and Saltzman told me it was open season on you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
It was \u201copen season,\u201d he clarifies, \u201cbecause I still hadn\u2019t signed the contract to do more films it was embarrassing for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018Bond was over\u2019
\nDespite the negative reviews, Lazenby was offered $1 million and a contract that would make him James Bond over six more films.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy manager, Ronan O\u2019Rahilly, wasn\u2019t keen. He said, \u2018Don\u2019t do it. There\u2019s a guy called Clint Eastwood over in Italy making Westerns for $500,000 a time. You could do two of those instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lazenby adds, \u201cWe thought Bond was over\u2026We were wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
After refusing to sign the Bond contract, Lazenby said he \u201cwas blacklisted in the movie industry,\u201d because \u201cit was put around that I was difficult.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
After his stratospheric rise and fall, Lazenby spent the next several decades performing smaller roles in films and TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cActing wasn\u2019t my vocation,\u201d he admits, \u201cbut playing Bond was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lady\u2019s man
\nThough he wasn\u2019t a big screen star, the lady\u2019s man \u2013 a persona he kept after Bond \u2013 was still popular with women.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a ladies man is one of the best things in the world,\u201d he told the Telegraph.<\/p>\n
He eventually did settle down in 1971 when he married his first wife, Christina Gannet. Together, the couple share children Melanie (born 1973) and Zachary, who was fighting a malignant brain tumor for eight years, until he passed in 1994.<\/p>\n
According to Gannet, the loss of their son left the \u201cdevastated\u201d dad feeling \u201chelpless and frustrated\u201d about not being able to cure Zack.<\/p>\n
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Sharing a photo of him with Gannet and the two kids on Facebook, the Aussie writes, \u201cThe little boy on my right arm passed away at 19 with a disease. I still tear up whenever I think of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
One year after Zachary died, Lazenby divorced Gannet, and from 2002 until 2011, he was married Pam Shriver, an Olympic Gold medalist in tennis.<\/p>\n
The couple have three children together: George, Jr (born 2004) and twins Kate and Sam (born 2005).<\/p>\n
Though his life today would look very different if he had continued to play James Bond, Lazenby, who turns 85 in September, says his children are his greatest achievement.<\/p>\n
Lazenby writes of his family, who frequently co-star in his social media posts, \u201c[The] real achievements in my life are my kids. Very proud of all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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