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Q (James Bond)
Q is a character in the James Bond films and novelisations. Q is the head of Q Branch (later Q Division), the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service charged with oversight of top secret field technologies. Q (standing for quartermaster), like M, is a job title rather than a name. The use of letters as pseudonyms for senior officers in the British Secret Service was started by its first director, Captain Sir Mansfield George Smith-Cumming (1859–1923), who signed himself with a C written in green ink. Q has appeared in 22 of the 25 Eon Productions James Bond films, the exceptions being '' Live and Let Die'' (1973), '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and '' Quantum of Solace'' (2008). Q also featured in both non-Eon Bond films, ''Casino Royale'' (1967) and '' Never Say Never Again'' (1983). Between 1963 and 1999, Q was portrayed in the Eon films by Desmond Llewelyn until his death in late 1999. He was played in subsequent films first by John Cleese ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desmond Llewelyn
Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (; 12 September 1914GRO Register of Births: DEC 1914 11a 490 NEWPORT M. – Desmond W. Llewelyn, mmn = Wilkinson – 19 December 1999GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 2000 A70E 247 EASTBOURNE – Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn, DoB = 12 September 1914, aged 85) was a Welsh actor. He was best known for his role as Q in 17 of the ''James Bond'' films between 1963 and 1999. Biography Early life Llewelyn was born on 12 September 1914 at Blaen-y-Pant House in Bettws in Newport, the son of Mia (née Wilkinson) and Ivor Llewelyn. Desmond's father was a coal mining engineer, who notably purchased the first Bentley production automobile, a Bentley 3-litre from W. O. Bentley in 1921. His paternal grandfather, Llewelyn Llewelyn of Kings Hill was the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire as well as General Manager of the Powell-Dyffryn Steam Coal Company. While Llewelyn originally wanted to be a minister, he became involved in theatrical productions during his education at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casino Royale (1967 Film)
''Casino Royale'' is a 1967 spy parody film originally distributed by Columbia Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, the first novel to feature the character James Bond. The film stars David Niven as the "original" Bond, Sir James Bond 007. Forced out of retirement to investigate the deaths and disappearances of international spies, he soon battles the mysterious Dr. Noah and the ruthless counter-intelligence agency SMERSH, inspired by actual organizations in the USSR. The film's tagline: "Casino Royale is too much... for one James Bond!" refers to Bond's plan to mislead SMERSH in which six other agents are pretending to be "James Bond", namely, baccarat master Evelyn Tremble ( Peter Sellers); millionaire spy Vesper Lynd ( Ursula Andress); Bond's secretary Miss Moneypenny ( Barbara Bouchet); Bond's daughter with Mata Hari, Mata Bond ( Joanna Pettet); and British agents Cooper ( Terence Cooper) and the Detainer ( Daliah Lavi). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early Middle Ages, medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Kingdom of France, France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the English Navy of the early 16th century; the oldest of the British Armed Forces, UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the early 18th century until the World War II, Second World War, it was the world's most powerful navy. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing and defending the British Empire, and four Imperial fortress colonies and a string of imperial bases and coaling stations secured the Royal Navy's ability to assert naval superior ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. SOE personnel operated in all territories occupied or attacked by the Axis powers, except where demarcation lines were agreed upon with Britain's principal Allies of World War II, Allies, the United States and the Soviet Union. SOE made use of neutral territory on occasion, or made plans and preparations in case neutral countries were attacked by the Axis. The organisation directly employed or controlled more than 13,000 people, of whom 3,200 were women. Both men and women served as agents in Axis-occupied countries. The organisation was dissolved in 1946. A memorial to those who served in SOE was unveiled in 1996 on the wall of the west cloister of Westminster Abbey by the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Mother, and in 2009 on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Scientist
''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishes a monthly Dutch-language edition. First published on 22 November 1956, ''New Scientist'' has been available in online form since 1996. Sold in retail outlets (paper edition) and on subscription (paper and/or online), the magazine covers news, features, reviews and commentary on science, technology and their implications. ''New Scientist'' also publishes speculative articles, ranging from the technical to the philosophical. ''New Scientist'' was acquired by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) in March 2021. History Ownership The magazine was founded in 1956 by Tom Margerison, Max Raison and Nicholas Harrison as ''The New Scientist'', with Issue 1 on 22 November 1956, priced at one shilling (). An article in the magazi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Fraser-Smith
Charles Fraser-Smith (26 January 1904 – 9 November 1992) was an author and one-time missionary who is widely credited as being the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond quartermaster Q. During World War II, Fraser-Smith worked for the Ministry of Supply, fabricating equipment nicknamed "Q-devices" (after Q-ships) for SOE agents operating in occupied Europe. Prior to the war, Fraser-Smith had worked as a missionary in North Africa. After the war he purchased a dairy farm in Burrington, Devon, where he died in 1992. Early life Charles Fraser-Smith was the son of a solicitor who owned a wholesale grocery business; he was orphaned at age seven. He was then brought up by a Christian missionary family in Croxley Green in Hertfordshire. He went to school at Brighton College, where he was described as "scholastically useless except for woodwork and science and making things." [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carte Blanche (novel)
''Carte Blanche'' is a James Bond novel written by Jeffery Deaver. Commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications, it was published in the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton on 26 May 2011 and was released in the United States by Simon & Schuster on 14 June 2011. ''Carte Blanche'' is the thirty-seventh original James Bond novel and the first to have a contemporary setting since '' The Man with the Red Tattoo'' by Raymond Benson was published in 2002. The title and cover artwork were unveiled on 17 January 2011, at a special launch event at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai. Background ''Carte Blanche'' updates James Bond's backstory to fit with the 21st century setting. Jeffery Deaver has stated that his James Bond will have been born in 1979, making him a veteran of the war in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) instead of a World War II veteran and Cold War secret agent as originally conceived by creator Ian Fleming. Plot Set in mid-2011, the story takes place over the course of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeffery Deaver
Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He later practiced law before embarking on a career as a novelist. He has been awarded the Steel Dagger and Short Story Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association and the Nero Award from The Wolfe Pack. He is also a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year and a winner of the British Thumping Good Read Award. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including ''The New York Times'', ''The Times'', Italy's '' Corriere della Sera'', ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', and the ''Los Angeles Times''. Life and career Deaver was born near Chicago in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His mother was an artist, and his father an advertising writer. His sister Julie Deaver is an author of y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Bond (literary Character)
Commander (Royal Navy), Commander James Bond is a character created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the protagonist of the ''James Bond'' series of List of James Bond novels and stories, novels, James Bond in film, films, James Bond (comics), comics and James Bond in video games, video games. Fleming wrote twelve Bond novels and two short story collections. His final two books—''The Man with the Golden Gun (novel), The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1965) and ''Octopussy and The Living Daylights'' (1966)—were published posthumously. The character is a Secret Intelligence Service, Secret Service officer, code number 00 Agent, 007 (pronounced "double-O[]-seven"), residing in London but active internationally. Bond was a composite character who was based on a number of British Commandos, commandos whom Fleming knew during his service in the Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom), Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson (born 1955) is an American writer known for his James Bond novels published between 1997 and 2003. Early life and education Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary school Benson took an interest in the piano which would later in his life develop into an interest in composing music, mostly for theatrical productions. Benson also took part in drama at school and became the vice president of his high school's drama department, an interest that he would later pursue by directing stage productions in New York City after attending and receiving a degree in Drama Production—Directing from the University of Texas at Austin. James Bond works In 1984, Benson wrote '' The James Bond Bedside Companion'', a book dedicated to Ian Fleming, the official novels, and the films. The book was updated in 1988 and has since been re-released digitally without further updating. It was nominated for an Edgar Award by Mystery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Gardner (British Writer)
John Edmund Gardner (20 November 1926 – 3 August 2007) was an English writer of spy and Thriller (genre), thriller novels. He is best known for his James Bond (literary character), James Bond continuation novels, but also wrote a series of Boysie Oakes books and three novels containing Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional villain, Professor Moriarty. During the Second World War, Gardner joined the Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard at the age of 13, served in the Fleet Air Arm and subsequently joined the Royal Marines: he later described himself as "the worst commando in the world". After demobilisation, he followed his father into the Church of England, studying theology at St John's College, Cambridge, and being ordained as a priest in 1953. After losing his faith, he left the church in 1958 and took a job as a drama critic at the ''Stratford-upon-Avon Herald.'' Gardner's literary career began in 1964 with the autobiographical ''Spin the Bottle' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Wood (writer)
Christopher Hovelle Wood (5 November 1935 – 9 May 2015) was an English screenwriter and novelist, best known for the ''Confessions'' series of novels and films which he wrote as Timothy Lea. Under his own name, he adapted two James Bond novels for the screen: '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977, with Richard Maibaum) and '' Moonraker'' (1979). Wood's many novels divide into four groups: semi-autobiographical literary fiction, historical fiction, adventure novels, and pseudonymous humorous erotica. Life and career Family Christopher Wood was born in the London borough of Lambeth, son of Walter Leonard Wood and Audrey Maud, née Hovell. Wood had three children, one of whom is film producer and literary agent Caroline Wood. Wood died at his apartment in southwest France on 9 May 2015, and was survived by his son and daughter. His death was not widely known until Sir Roger Moore paid tribute to him later that year on Twitter on 17 October. Education, military experience and wr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
