facts every james bond fan must know
42 Facts Every James Bond Fan Must Know
For all you James Bond fans out there, here are some unknown and fun facts about James Bond that you ought to know. And you thought you knew it all!
I'm the Real Bond!
Roger Moore has played James Bond in 7 consecutive films, the most by any actor. This was from 1973 to 1985. Sean Connery comes in second.Unknown and Fun Facts About the James Bond Franchise
Evergreen Films
With more than 20 films to boast about, James Bond is one of the longest continually-running film series ever. The franchise started production way back in 1962, and has only become a bigger brand name as time has gone by.
Gold Mine
All together, James Bond films have grossed $6 billion till date, making this franchise the third-highest as far as box office collections are concerned. But when adjusted for inflation, Eon Productions' 007 films become the highest-grossing series ever, at $13 billion, even surpassing Harry Potter and The Avengers.
Odd One Out
Never Say Never again, released in 1983, starring Sean Connery, is unique out of all the Bond films. It's the only Bond movie not to have been produced by Eon Productions.
Money Spinner
Skyfall, released in 2012, starring Daniel Craig, is the highest grossing movie of the franchise, at over $1.1 billion.
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Daniel Craig
Flop Show
The 1989 film Licence to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton, has fared the worst at the box office as far as collections are concerned after taking inflation into account.
Critic Corner
Movie critics, quite often, have different opinions compared to the audience-ruled box office. Dr. No, the first film in this franchise, starring Sean Connery, which was released in 1962, is the best Bond movie according to critics. A View to Kill, starring Roger Moore, released in 1985, is the worst according to them.
Official Rank
James Bond is a 'Commander' in the Royal Navy. Which is why you'd often hear him being addressed as Commander Bond.
True Identity
The real James Bond was actually an ornithologist whose work Ian Fleming (author of the spy novels the movies are based on) quite liked.
007 = Invincible
We all know that Agent 007 is invincible. But in different movies, Agents 002, 003, 004, 006, and 009 lose their lives.
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Remake!
Thunderball, released in 1965, starring Sean Connery, was remade as Never Say Never Again in 1983. Though, as already mentioned, this was not the works of Eon Productions, due to legal reasons.
The Gambler
Everyone thinks Texas Hold 'Em (Poker) is Bond's favorite card came. Wrong. It's Baccarat.
Undercover
Not many would have paid attention to this fact. When James is undercover, he usually poses as working for Universal Exports.
Bond Car
We all know he loves driving his Aston Martins in all his films. But the first Bond car was actually a Chevy. Yeah, a Chevrolet Bel Air.
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Aston Martin at Bond in Motion Exhibition
Excuse Me Bartender!
Shaken, not stirred! How many times have we heard this famous dialog? But in the books, Bond didn't drink martinis. His favorite drink was actually scotch and soda.
007 Scent
Why do you think the ladies are attracted to him? Besides his charm obviously, James Bond 007 cologne is made of apple, lavender, rose, geranium, to name a few.
President Fans
President John F. Kennedy was one of the biggest fans of Agent 007. He has been quoted as saying "I wish I had a James Bond on my staff." President Ronald Reagan too was known to be a great fan.
Top of the Pops
The theme song of A View to Kill (1985), performed by Duran Duran, topped the Billboard's Hot 100 list. This was the only 007 theme to achieve the feat.
Sorry Kiddos!
All James Bond films are rated PG-13.
A Hated James. Really?
George Lazenby, who played the agent in the 1969 movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is arguably not as well-known as all the others. This was his only Bond film. He was not even popular with his own crew. The director refused to speak to him directly, and everyone else said that he was pretty difficult to work with.
American or British?
James Bond is British. No arguments there. But in the CBS produced Casino Royale, American actor Barry Nelson portrayed 'Jimmy Bond'. And then, the CIA agent of the book was changed into an MI6 agent. The rest is history.
So Close, Yet So Far!
For different reasons, a whole lot of actors nearly, but never played this MI6 agent. Christopher Lee, Patrick McGoohan, Gerard Butler, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Will Smith, Adam West, and Tom Jones.
Cigars Please!
It's no secret that Bond was a chain-smoker. But Roger Moore took things to the next level. He wanted to be different from Sean Connery. So he said he wanted to smoke cigars. And his love for cigars was well-known. The production house was legally bound to give him an unlimited supply of cigars while on set. The things people get added to their contracts are amazing!
Identity Crisis?
There are many who believed that James Bond was actually British M16 Agent Bill Dunderdale, who was a close friend of Ian Fleming. Quite a few others believed he was British WWII spy William Stephenson.
Killer Bond
Pierce Brosnan has been the most ruthless Bond till date. He has been directly responsible for killing 135 people, the most of any Bonds. He killed 47 in GoldenEye alone.
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Suit Up
Though Pierce Brosnan was long sought after by Eon Productions to play the lead role, when he did sign up to play Bond, he was free to do other movies, but could never wear a tuxedo in them.
Super-Casonova
Bond can't keep his hands, and what not, off women. He has been seeing making love to pretty ladies on a plane, train, iceberg, hospital, stable, forest, dinghy, submarine, and space shuttle. Am sure I've missed out a few here. Talk about adventurous lovers!
Huntress!
It isn't all fun and games for him though. Every 3 out of 4 girls that he has made love to has tried to kill him.
My Address? Your Heart!
Do you know which place he calls home? As in, where is his off-duty residence? I don't know!
Looks are Deceptive
Sean Connery had to wear a toupee in every Bond film. Roger Moore had to have his hair professionally thickened before each take, in his last Bond movie.
This I Call Home
Ian Fleming loved Jamaica, bought a huge plot there after WWII. When he died, the estate there was sold to Bob Marley.
Fine Print
Ian Fleming created the Bond novels on a gold-plated typewriter. In 1995, it was auctioned for £50,000.
Where's the Dough?
Sean Connery returned to play James Bond for a last time in Diamonds are Forever (1971). Why so, after leaving the franchise and Lazenby coming in? Because he was paid a Guinness World Record amount, besides a 12.5% of gross. Sweet!
007 Island
Koh Tapu in Phuket, Thailand, was used as villain Scaramanga's headquarters in The Man with the Golden Gun. It was a remote island then, but is now a major tourist attraction, better known as James Bond Island.
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James Bond Island (Koh Tapu, Phuket, Thailand)
Transgender
Carolyn Cossey, who acted in one of the films, though not in a meaningful role, was actually a man earlier, named Barry, until she decided to get a sex change.
Space Savvy Agent
When For Your Eyes Only was being planned, the movie Star Wars took the world by storm in 1977. As such, the franchise postponed the making of this film, and instead made something space-bound - Moonraker (1979).
Autograph Please!
According to the American Film Institute, James Bond comes third in the list of Top 50 Movie Heroes of All Time.
Gaming
The first video game of this character was Atari's James Bond 007. But the most successful one has been Nintendo's GoldenEye 007.
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GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64)
Bond Vs. Bond
Two Bond movies have actually competed with each other, unintentionally. Sean Connery's Never Say Never Again was still running when Roger Moore's Octopussy was released.
Bloopers
1. In Dr. No, James is correct in guessing that Professor Dent's gun, which is a Smith & Wesson, is out of ammo, since it holds only 6 bullets. Problem is, Professor Dent is shown carrying a seven-shot Colt .45.
2. In Diamonds are Forever, James Bond puts false diamonds made of paste in a smuggler's body. These miraculously survive even the cremation of the smuggler. How? You tell me!
3. Again, we all know how he likes his drink, shaken, not stirred. But in You Only Live Twice, James Bond is offered a stirred martini. And guess what, he takes it. Don't believe me? Go watch the Tokyo scene in this movie.
Whew! This could pass off as a great James Bond Trivia. I am sure you guys didn't know most of these things about our favorite James Bond. Now you can call yourself a true Bond fan. Of course, there might be some other stuff that's worth a mention too. So, if you have something as such to share, feel free to do so in the comments section below. Would love to hear about it. In the meanwhile, I am off to watch Tomorrow Never Dies, or should I pick For Your Eyes Only? No wait, Quantum of Solace is what am in the mood for. God! Spoiled for choice here!