Michael Gregg Wilson, (born January 21, 1942) is an American-British screenwriter and film producer, best known for his association with the
''James Bond'' film series.
Background
Wilson was born in New York City, the son of
Dana (née Natol) and actor
Lewis Wilson. His father was the first actor to play the
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
in live action, which he did in the 1943 film serial ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
''. He is the stepson of the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
producer
Albert R. Broccoli and half-brother to Bond co-producer
Barbara Broccoli. Wilson graduated from
Harvey Mudd College in 1963 as an electrical engineer. He later studied law at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. After graduating, Wilson worked for the United States government and later a firm located in Washington, D.C. that specialized in international law.
Wilson was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the
2008 New Year Honours and
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE) in the
2022 New Year Honours for services to film, drama, philanthropy and skills, both alongside Barbara Broccoli. Wilson was awarded the
British Film Institute Fellowship in 2022. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are founders of th
London Screen Academy
In 2010, Wilson was given The
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...
's award for Outstanding Service to Photography, which carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of The Society. in 1998 Wilson and his wife Jane founded the Wilson Centre of Photography, a facility for research on the history, aesthetics and preservation of photographs. The Centre has an active programme that includes exhibition collaborations and loans for international museums and galleries.
Wilson is Honorary Vice President of the
Science Museum Foundation, Fellow of the
Science Museum London, as well as Trustee for the
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science, also known as Carnegie Science and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is an organization established to fund and perform scientific research in the United States. This institution is headquartered in W ...
and Harvey Mudd College.
James Bond franchise
In 1972, Wilson joined
Eon Productions
Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK.
''James Bond'' films
Eon wa ...
, the production company responsible for the James Bond film series dating back to 1962, beginning with his stepfather
Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli and
Harry Saltzman. Wilson specifically worked in Eon Productions' legal department until taking on a more active role as an assistant to Cubby Broccoli for the film ''
The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977). In 1979 Wilson became executive producer of the film ''
Moonraker'' and since has been an executive producer or producer in every James Bond film, currently co-producing with his half-sister Barbara Broccoli.
Wilson collaborated five times with veteran Bond screenwriter
Richard Maibaum
Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 – January 4, 1991) was an American screenwriter, film producer, and playwright, best known for his work on the James Bond films. He wrote 13 of the 16 Eon Productions Bond films produced between 1962 and 1989, be ...
, starting in 1981 with ''
For Your Eyes Only''. In 1989, Wilson was forced to finish the screenplay to ''
Licence to Kill
''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond (literary character), J ...
'' alone due to a strike by the
Writers Guild of America West
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 me ...
which prevented Maibaum from having any further involvement. For both, this was their final James Bond script, as Maibaum died in 1991 and Wilson ceased writing, although he outlined a never-produced film in the series with writer Alfonse Ruggiero, scrapped due to internal legal issues between Eon and
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(the following film, ''
GoldenEye
''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...
'', being a completely different story written by
Michael France).
In addition to his production duties, Wilson has also made many cameo appearances (speaking and non-speaking) in the Bond films. His first appearance, long before becoming a producer, was in ''
Goldfinger'' in which he appeared as a soldier. Wilson has made cameo appearances in every Eon-produced Bond film since 1977. In February 2025, Wilson and Broccoli announced that they would be ceding creative control of the Bond franchise to Amazon MGM Studios for a reported $1 billion, forming "a new joint venture to house the James Bond intellectual property rights".
Personal life
Wilson and his wife Jane have two sons: A younger son, Gregg Wilson,
and an older son, David G. Wilson, both of whom work at
Eon Productions
Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK.
''James Bond'' films
Eon wa ...
.
Filmography
Executive producer
*''
Moonraker'' (1979)
*''
For Your Eyes Only'' (1981)
*''
Octopussy
''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond filmography, J ...
'' (1983)
*''
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool'' (2017)
Producer with Albert R. Broccoli
*''
A View to a Kill
''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film, the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from ...
'' (1985)
*''
The Living Daylights'' (1987)
*''
Licence to Kill
''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond (literary character), J ...
'' (1989)
Producer with Barbara Broccoli
*''
GoldenEye
''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...
'' (1995)
*''
Tomorrow Never Dies
''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...
'' (1997)
*''
The World Is Not Enough
''The World Is Not Enough'' is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent Jam ...
'' (1999)
*''
Die Another Day'' (2002)
*''
Casino Royale'' (2006)
*''
Quantum of Solace
''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy thriller film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, Robe ...
'' (2008)
*''
Skyfall
''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy thriller film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, ...
'' (2012)
*''
Spectre'' (2015)
*''
The Rhythm Section'' (2020)
*''
No Time to Die'' (2021)
Screenwriter (with Richard Maibaum)
*''
For Your Eyes Only'' (1981)
*''
Octopussy
''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond filmography, J ...
'' (1983)
*''
A View to a Kill
''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film, the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from ...
'' (1985)
*''
The Living Daylights'' (1987)
*''
Licence to Kill
''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond (literary character), J ...
'' (1989)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
The Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli TributeLos cameos de Michael G. Wilson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Michael G.
1942 births
Living people
American film producers
English theatre managers and producers
Harvey Mudd College alumni
Stanford Law School alumni
James Bond
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
British film producers
American theatre managers and producers