George Lazenby, who is now 84 years old, had a tall order when he was cast as James Bond on Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1968.
The actor took some poor advise and ended up wearing shoes that were meant for the late, great Sean Connery.
The real-life playboy moved his attention to starting a family as Lazenby’s meteoric rise to fame faded into oblivion. He cared for his kid until his death in 1994 from a brain tumor.
The James Bond film series has been a smashing success from its 1963 debut, with seven actors bringing the fictional character to life over seven films that span five decades.
From 1962 to 1967, the iconic actor Sean Connery played the iconic role of James Bond in five films before he became bored with the role. His name became instantly associated with the secret service agent.
In 1965 (via Time), Connery expressed his frustration with the entire Bond saga in an interview with Playboy. He went on to say that it was “a bit of a bore” when fans recognized him as the character.
After his career ended, the film’s producers faced a monumental challenge: casting a new actor worthy of the legendary role.
He wed Christina Gannet, his first wife, in 1971, marking the beginning of his settled life. Melanie, born in 1973, and Zachary, who battled a cancerous brain tumor for eight years before passing away in 1994, are the children of the couple.
Gannet claims that the “devastated” father felt “helpless and frustrated” after losing his son and realizing they couldn’t cure Zack.
“The little boy on my right arm passed away at 19 with metastasized brain tumors,” the Australian says on Facebook, beside a photo of himself with Gannet and the two children. Every time I think about it, it makes me cry.
In the year following Zachary’s passing, Lazenby filed for a divorce from Gannet. He wed Pam Shriver, a tennis Olympic gold champion, from 2002 until 2011.
George, Jr. (born in 2004) and twins Kate and Sam (born in 2005) are the couple’s children.
The life Lazenby leads now would be drastically different if he hadn’t stopped playing James Bond, but the man, who will be 85 years old in September, claims that his children are his proudest accomplishment.
“[The] real achievements in my life are my kids,” Lazenby writes about his family, who are often featured in his social media posts. I am quite proud of everyone.”