Desmond Llewelyn played "Q," the crusty purveyor of secret-agent gadgets, in 17 James Bond films. Llewelyn first played Q in From Russia With Love in 1963, and then appeared in every Bond film through Tomorrow Never Dies (1999), except for 1973's Live and Let Die (which had no part for the character). Llewelyn was typically on-screen only briefly, instructing Bond on the latest deadly gadgets and expressing exasperation at Bond's raffish disregard for government property. Despite his limited screen time, Llewelyn's long run as Q made him a favorite with fans of the Bond film series. Prior to his acting career, Llewelyn served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during World War II and spent five years in a German prisoner of war camp. In 1999 he collaborated with author Sandy Hernu on an authorized biography titled Q: The Biography of Desmond Llewelyn.
Died: Dec 19, 1999 in outside Firle, East Sussex, England
Occupation: Actor
Active: '50s-'90s
Major Genres: Spy Film, Action
Career Highlights: Prisoner of Rio
First Major Screen Credit: Prisoner of Rio (1988)
Biography
"Bond -- James Bond," would have been nothing without Llewelyn -- Desmond Llewelyn. Llewelyn played the tweedy technophile who invented the bizarre gadgetry 007 used to thwart the sinister machinations of Dr. No, Goldfinger, and other dastardly villains in 17 Bond movies. Llewelyn's character was named Geoffrey Boothroyd, but no one in the Bond movies called him that. Instead, they called him "Q," short for "quartermaster." Like an army quartermaster who equips troops, Q equipped Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and other Bonds with the supplies of the espionage trade.
Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn was born in South Wales on September 12, 1914, the son of a Welsh coal-mining engineer. Interested in acting at an early age, he first studied accounting and law enforcement before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Arts at age 20. After joining the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at the onset of World War II, he fought in France as a second lieutenant and fell into enemy hands after a two-day battle with a German panzer division. He spent the next five years in German POW camps at Rottenburg, Laufen, and Warburg. He once tried to tunnel his way to freedom, but failed.
Llewelyn returned to acting and began his film career in 1950 with a part in They Were Not Divided, then went on to appear in 31 other films, including the Bond films. Among the non-Bond films he appeared in, sometimes in quite minor roles, were Cleopatra (1963), Silent Playground (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Merlin (1992), and Taboo (1997). Between 1963 and the year of his death, 1999, he played in all but two of the Bond films -- more than any of the actors who starred as James Bond, including Connery, Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. As Q, Llewelyn was always irascible and cranky in response to 007's carefree nonchalance. Like a professor with a flippant student, he scolded Bond to pay attention and tutored his charge in the use of "Q toys," as his booby-trapped marvels came to be known. Still, Q was a master of mischief, a gray-haired boy who concocted an endless variety of spy paraphernalia and bizarre weapons, like the Rolex watch that could alter the path of a speeding bullet; the pen grenade that, with three clicks of a button, could be set to detonate in four seconds; the key ring that could open almost any lock in the world, release nerve gas, or simply explode; and the Lotus sports car that doubled as a submarine, complete with torpedoes and surface-to-air missiles.
In real life, Llewelyn was all thumbs when it came to technology, and he was kind and gentle to all he encountered. On the movie set, his co-workers and other fans crowded around to observe when it came time for him to introduce his new marvel to the Bond de jour, and he spent as long as it took to sign autographs for anyone who wanted one. Ironically, it was an automobile, a blue Renault Megane, that killed Llewelyn. He died in a hospital shortly after the Renault collided with another car near Firle in East Sussex, England, on December 19, 1999. The crash site was not far from his home, Bexhill-on-Sea, south of London. He was survived by his wife Pamela, whom he married in 1938, and two sons. His son Ivor told Britain's Sky Television, "He was a kind, very lovable man, and as a father he was great." ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Llewelyn was born in Newport, Wales, the son of Mia and Ivor Llewelyn,[5] who was a coal mining engineer. He originally wanted to be a minister, but during his education at Radley public school, he worked as a stagehand in the school's productions and occasionally picked up small roles.
He was brought up in Blan-y-Pant house situated on Bettws Lane, Bettws. The house is now used as a care home for the elderly.
World War II
The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 halted his acting career; Llewelyn was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British army, serving with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. In 1940, he was captured by the German army in France, and was held as a POW for five years.
His last appearance as Q prior to his death was in The World Is Not Enough in 1999. During his briefing of 007 in the film, Q introduces John Cleese's character, R, as his heir presumptive, and the film alludes to Q's retirement—which Bond, after seeing R, expresses his hope that it won't be any time soon. Q's response is to admonish Bond to "always have an escape plan", after which he lowers himself through the floor of his lab. Llewelyn had stated not long before his death that he had no plans to retire and that he would continue playing Q "as long as the producers want me and the Almighty doesn't."[6]
In the 2002 film Die Another Day, John Cleese's character is the head of Q branch, having inherited the title of quartermaster from his predecessor. In all, Llewelyn appeared in 17 Bond films, more than any other actor, and worked with the first five James Bond actors. He also portrayed Q in a 1967 EON-produced made-for-television special entitled "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond", which was included in the 2006 special edition DVD release of You Only Live Twice.
Other work
Although one of British cinema's most recognisable characters and an important and long-standing element in the 'Bond' franchise, 'Q' did not make Desmond Llewelyn rich—the actor was merely paid 'by the day' for his few hours of work on-set, and did not share in the money made by the films. Nevertheless, because Llewelyn was considered one of the franchise's major institutions and he was immensely popular among Bond fans, Llewelyn starred in several commercials, most recently to promote the video gamesGoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies.
Llewelyn appeared in other films such as the Ealing comedy The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and the 1981 PBS production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he had a small role in the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) which was itself based on a children's book written by none other than Bond author Ian Fleming. He also acted on stage with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh (appearing as an extra in Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet) and appeared as Geoffrey Maddocks ('The Colonel') in the British television series Follyfoot from 1971 to 1973. The Bond film Live and Let Die was filmed during the third series of Follyfoot and Llewellyn was written out of the series for three episodes to appear in the film. However, the Bond producers ultimately decided to leave the character out of the film anyway, much to Llewellyn's annoyance.[7]
Personal life
Contrary to his gadget-expert character in the Bond films, Llewelyn always maintained that he was totally lost in the world of technology, a trait that also plagued his successor, John Cleese.
Death
Aged 85, Llewelyn was in a car accident on 19 December1999, as he was returning home from a book signing event. Driving alone, his Renault Meganecollided head-on with a Fiat Bravo driven by a 35-year-old man on the A27 near the village of Berwick, East Sussex. He died shortly thereafter. The other driver was seriously injured.[8] The following Monday, Llewelyn was due to sign copies of "Q: The Biography of Desmond Llewelyn" at Forbidden Planet in New Oxford Street, central London. Roger Moore, who starred with Llewelyn in six Bond movies, spoke at his funeral.
His widow, Pamela Mary Llewelyn, died in East Sussex in 2001, aged 88.[9]
References
^ GRO Register of Births: DEC 1914 11a 490 NEWPORT M. - Desmond W. Llewelyn, mmn = Wilkinson
^ GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 2000 A70E 247 EASTBOURNE - Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, DoB = 12 Sep 1914, aged 85
