1. Desmond Llewelyn was best known for his role as Q in 17 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1999.
21 Facts About Desmond Llewelyn
1. 2.
In 1937 Desmond Llewelyn found work with a number of small stage roles, working with Matthew Forsyth and the Forsyth Players, and it was through this company that Desmond Llewelyn met Pamela Mary Pantlin whom he married in 1938.
3.
Desmond Llewelyn's nascent acting career was paused by the outbreak of war in 1939, when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
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Desmond Llewelyn spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps, first at Laufen, before he was transferred to Colditz Castle following his attempted escape from Laufen by tunnelling out.
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Desmond Llewelyn remained imprisoned at Colditz until it was liberated by Allied forces in 1945.
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Desmond Llewelyn acted on stage with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, before appearing in Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet.
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Desmond Llewelyn continued to gain work in television, notably portraying Mr Hyde in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, as well as roles in TV series My Wife Jacqueline, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Invisible Man.
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In 1950, Desmond Llewelyn drew on both his war experience and Welsh background to play a supporting role as "'77 Jones" a Welsh tank commander in the film They Were Not Divided directed by Terence Young.
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In 1963, Terence Young asked Desmond Llewelyn to read for the part of Quartermaster Major Boothroyd in the second official film in the Bond film series, From Russia with Love.
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Desmond Llewelyn disagreed, persuading them that the character should have an upper-class English accent.
11.
Desmond Llewelyn would become a staple of the film series for over thirty years, playing 'Q' the quartermaster of the MI6 from 1963 until 1999.
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Desmond Llewelyn appeared in every EON film production except 1973's Live and Let Die, in which the character did not appear.
13.
In 1967, Desmond Llewelyn portrayed 'Q' alongside Lois Maxwell's Miss Moneypenny in an EON produced television documentary entitled Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond.
14.
Nevertheless, because Desmond Llewelyn was considered one of the franchise's major institutions and immensely popular among Bond fans, Desmond Llewelyn starred in several commercials, including ones to promote the video games GoldenEye 007 and Tomorrow Never Dies.
15.
Desmond Llewelyn would appear as Geoffrey Maddocks in the British television series Follyfoot from 1971 to 1973, and the BBC Wales production The Life and Times of David Lloyd George with Philip Madoc.
16.
The Bond film Live and Let Die was filmed during the third series of Follyfoot, and Desmond Llewelyn was written out of the series for three episodes so he could appear in the film.
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Desmond Llewelyn was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1995 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at London's Hyde Park Hotel, during a press launch for the new Bond film, GoldenEye.
18.
Desmond Llewelyn married Pamela Mary Pantlin in Kensington in May 1938.
19.
On 19 December 1999, Desmond Llewelyn was driving alone from a book signing event when his Renault Megane collided head-on with a Fiat Bravo on the A27 near the village of Berwick, East Sussex.
20.
Desmond Llewelyn sustained massive internal injuries and was airlifted by helicopter to Eastbourne District General Hospital, where he died soon afterward at the age of 85.
21.
Desmond Llewelyn's death occurred three weeks after the premiere of The World Is Not Enough.