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Bernard Lee (10 January 1908 – 16 January 1981) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
, best known for his role as M
M (James Bond)

M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. M has been portrayed by Judi Dench since 1995....
 in the first eleven James Bond
James Bond

James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
 films.

in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain....
. During the 1930s he acted mostly on stage, but after World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 developed a successful film career, including The Third Man
The Third Man

The Third Man is a Cinema of the United Kingdom film noir directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles....
 (1949), The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp

The Blue Lamp is a United Kingdom crime film released in early 1950 in film by Ealing Studios directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Balcon....
 (1950), Beat the Devil (1953), The Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate (film)

The Battle of the River Plate is a war film by the Cinema of the United Kingdom director-writer team of Powell and Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch....
 (1956), The Spanish Gardener
The Spanish Gardener (film)

The Spanish Gardener is a 1956 in film film based on The Spanish Gardener by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1950. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley, and was directed by Philip Leacock....
 (1956), Dunkirk
Dunkirk

Dunkirk is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France.It lies 10 kilometres from the Belgium border. Population of the city at the 1999 census was 70,850 inhabitants ....
 (1958), Web of Evidence
Web of Evidence

Web of Evidence is a 1959 in film British film based on the novel, Beyond This Place, by A. J. Cronin. It was directed by Jack Cardiff and stars Van Johnson and Vera Miles....
 (1959), Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (film)

Whistle Down the Wind is a 1961 in film British film, directed by Bryan Forbes, screenplay by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, from the novel by Mary Hayley Bell....
 (1961) and The L-Shaped Room
The L-Shaped Room

The L-Shaped Room is a 1962 in film UK drama film, film director by Bryan Forbes, which tells the story of a young France woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a London apartment building, befriending a young man in the building....
 (1962).

Lee also starred in the 1976 television show Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale . The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune am?ricaine, et les contes marins in 1740....
 with George C. Scott
George C. Scott

George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, film director, and Film producer. He was best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of General George S....
.






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Encyclopedia


Bernard Lee (10 January 1908 – 16 January 1981) was an English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
, best known for his role as M
M (James Bond)

M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. M has been portrayed by Judi Dench since 1995....
 in the first eleven James Bond
James Bond

James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
 films.

Biography

Born in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain....
. During the 1930s he acted mostly on stage, but after World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 developed a successful film career, including The Third Man
The Third Man

The Third Man is a Cinema of the United Kingdom film noir directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles....
 (1949), The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp

The Blue Lamp is a United Kingdom crime film released in early 1950 in film by Ealing Studios directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Balcon....
 (1950), Beat the Devil (1953), The Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate (film)

The Battle of the River Plate is a war film by the Cinema of the United Kingdom director-writer team of Powell and Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch....
 (1956), The Spanish Gardener
The Spanish Gardener (film)

The Spanish Gardener is a 1956 in film film based on The Spanish Gardener by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1950. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley, and was directed by Philip Leacock....
 (1956), Dunkirk
Dunkirk

Dunkirk is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France.It lies 10 kilometres from the Belgium border. Population of the city at the 1999 census was 70,850 inhabitants ....
 (1958), Web of Evidence
Web of Evidence

Web of Evidence is a 1959 in film British film based on the novel, Beyond This Place, by A. J. Cronin. It was directed by Jack Cardiff and stars Van Johnson and Vera Miles....
 (1959), Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (film)

Whistle Down the Wind is a 1961 in film British film, directed by Bryan Forbes, screenplay by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, from the novel by Mary Hayley Bell....
 (1961) and The L-Shaped Room
The L-Shaped Room

The L-Shaped Room is a 1962 in film UK drama film, film director by Bryan Forbes, which tells the story of a young France woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a London apartment building, befriending a young man in the building....
 (1962).

Lee also starred in the 1976 television show Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale . The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune am?ricaine, et les contes marins in 1740....
 with George C. Scott
George C. Scott

George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, film director, and Film producer. He was best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of General George S....
. A year later he starred in the television show A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas is a book by Charles Dickens that was first published on December 19, 1843 with illustrations by John Leech ....
 as the Ghost of Christmas Present. He is the grandfather of British actor Jonny Lee Miller
Jonny Lee Miller

Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an England actor....
.

Death

In January 1981, Lee died in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 after a battle with stomach cancer
Stomach cancer

Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs and the liver....
, while preparing for For Your Eyes Only
For Your Eyes Only (film)

For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
. Out of respect, no new actor was hired to take over the role of M. In the film, M's lines were transferred to the Minister of Defence and Bill Tanner
Bill Tanner

Bill Tanner is a fictional character in the James Bond film and novel series....
, M's Chief of Staff.

Filmography


James Bond films

In the Bond films, Lee's character, M
M (James Bond)

M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. M has been portrayed by Judi Dench since 1995....
, is Admiral Sir Miles Messervy (only ever named, besides as 'M', as 'Admiral' and 'Miles' on screen in his appearances), Bond's irascible boss who sends him out on assignments. He also portrays M along with Lois Maxwell
Lois Maxwell

Lois Maxwell was a Canadian actress.Maxwell began her film career in the late 1940s, and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress for her performance in That Hagen Girl ....
 as Moneypenny in the 1975 French comedy Bons baisers de Hong Kong
Bons baisers de Hong Kong

Bons baisers de Hong Kong is a 1975 French film directed by Yvan Chiffre. It is a parody of James Bond film series featuring Les Charlots. Several actors from official James Bond movies played their role in this comedy notably Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell, stars of the James Bond films who appeared as M and Moneypenny respectively....
. Lee was succeeded by Robert Brown
Robert Brown (actor)

Robert James Brown was an England actor known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond movies, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981.Brown was born and died in Swanage, Dorset, England....
, though not necessarily playing the same character (Brown had played another admiral in the series previously). Judi Dench
Judi Dench

Dame Judith Olivia Dench, Order of the Companions of Honour, Order of the British Empire, Royal Society of Arts is an England actress. She has won nine BAFTAs, seven Laurence Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards's and a Tony Award....
, a friend of Lee's, would later take over the role of a brand-new M, starting in 1995 with some references to her predecessor, including an oil painting of Lee in the role seen in MI6's secondary HQ (a Scottish castle).

Bernard Lee starred in eleven James Bond films.
  • Dr. No
    Dr. No (film)

    Dr. No is the first James Bond , and the first to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1962
    1962 in film

    The year 1962 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • From Russia with Love
    From Russia with Love (film)

    From Russia with Love is the second spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1963
    1963 in film

    The year 1963 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Goldfinger
    Goldfinger (film)

    Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1964
    1964 in film

    The year 1964 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Thunderball
    Thunderball (film)

    Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond James Bond Dr. No , From Russia With Love and Goldfinger , and the fourth to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1965
    1965 in film

    The year 1965 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • You Only Live Twice
    You Only Live Twice (film)

    You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1967
    1967 in film

    The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film....
    )
  • On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , based on the On Her Majesty's Secret Service of the same name by Ian Fleming, and the only one to star George Lazenby as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1969
    1969 in film

    The year 1969 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Diamonds Are Forever
    Diamonds Are Forever (film)

    Diamonds Are Forever is the seventh spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the sixth to star Sean Connery as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1971
    1971 in film

    The year 1971 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Live and Let Die
    Live and Let Die (film)

    Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1973
    1973 in film

    The year 1973 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • The Man with the Golden Gun
    The Man with the Golden Gun (film)

    The Man with the Golden Gun is the ninth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1974
    1974 in film

    The year 1974 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • The Spy Who Loved Me
    The Spy Who Loved Me (film)

    The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1977
    1977 in film

    The year 1977 in film involved some significant events....
    )
  • Moonraker
    Moonraker (film)

    Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond James Bond , and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional character Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (1979
    1979 in film

    The year 1979 in film involved some significant events....
    )


Other films

  • The Third Man (1949)
  • The Blue Lamp
    The Blue Lamp

    The Blue Lamp is a United Kingdom crime film released in early 1950 in film by Ealing Studios directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Balcon....
     (1950)
  • Morning Departure
    Morning Departure

    Morning Departure is a 1950 in film British naval film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring John Mills, Nigel Patrick, Peter Hammond , George Cole, Bernard Lee and Richard Attenborough....
     (1950)
  • The Yellow Balloon
    The Yellow Balloon (film)

    The Yellow Balloon is a 1953 in film British drama film starring Kenneth More, Bernard Lee, Andrew Ray, Kathleen Ryan and Sid James....
     (1953)
  • The Battle of the River Plate
    The Battle of the River Plate (film)

    The Battle of the River Plate is a war film by the Cinema of the United Kingdom director-writer team of Powell and Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch....
     (1956)
  • The Spanish Gardener
    The Spanish Gardener (film)

    The Spanish Gardener is a 1956 in film film based on The Spanish Gardener by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1950. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley, and was directed by Philip Leacock....
     (1956)
  • Fire Down Below
    Fire Down Below (1957 film)

    Fire Down Below is a 1957 in film drama film starring Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon and Robert Mitchum....
     (1957)
  • Across the Bridge (1957)
  • High Flight
    High Flight (film)

    High Flight is a 1957 in film British war film drama film directed by John Gilling and featuring Ray Milland, Bernard Lee and Leslie Phillips....
     (1957)
  • Dunkirk
    Dunkirk (film)

    Dunkirk is a World War II film made in 1958 in film, starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee....
     (1958)
  • The Key
    The Key (1958 film)

    The Key is a 1958 in film war film set in 1940 during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic . It was based on the novel Stella by Jan de Hartog....
     (1958)
  • Web of Evidence
    Web of Evidence

    Web of Evidence is a 1959 in film British film based on the novel, Beyond This Place, by A. J. Cronin. It was directed by Jack Cardiff and stars Van Johnson and Vera Miles....
     (1959)
  • Whistle Down the Wind
    Whistle Down the Wind (film)

    Whistle Down the Wind is a 1961 in film British film, directed by Bryan Forbes, screenplay by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, from the novel by Mary Hayley Bell....
     (1961)
  • A Place to Go
    A Place to Go

    A Place to Go is a 1963 in film British film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Bernard Lee, Rita Tushingham and Michael Sarne. Set in contemporary Bethnal Green in East London, England it charted the dramatic changes that were happening in the lives of the British working-class at the time, fitting into the kitchen sink realism schoo...
     (1963)
  • Ring of Spies
    Ring of Spies

    Ring of Spies is a 1964 in film British spy film based on the real case of the Portland Spy Ring. It was directed by Robert Tronson and featured Bernard Lee, William Sylvester, Margaret Tyzack, David Kossoff, Nancy Nevinson and Thorley Walters....
     (1964)
  • Saturday Night Out (1964)
  • The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
    The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)

    The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 in film film adaptation of the The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carr?. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper....
     (1965)
  • OK Connery
    OK Connery

    OK Connery is a 1967 in film Italy Eurospy Parody of the James Bond series of films. It was retitled Operation Kid Brother in the United States and is also known as Operation Double 007 and Secret Agent 00....
     (1967) (Bond parody)
  • Crossplot
    Crossplot (film)

    Crossplot was a 1969 film staring Roger Moore. Italy actress Claudia Lange was also featured in her largest English-speaking role. Bernard Lee, famous for his role as M in the James Bond films, also appeared....
     (1969)
  • Danger Point (1971)
  • The Raging Moon
    The Raging Moon

    The Raging Moon is the name of a British film from 1971 in film based on the book by Peter Marshall and starring Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman....
     (1971)
  • Dulcima (1971)
  • Percy's Progress
    Percy's Progress

    Percy's Progress is a 1974 in film British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was written by Sid Colin, Harry H. Corbett and Ian Le Frenais....
     (1974)
  • From Hong Kong with Love (1975)


External links