Robert Brown (British actor)
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| Robert Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown as M in Licence to Kill, 1989 |
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| Born | Robert James Brown 23 July 1921 Swanage, Dorset, England |
| Died | 11 November 2003 (aged 82) Swanage, Dorset, England |
| Years active | 1949–1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Rita Becker (1955-2003) (his death) 2 children |
Robert James Brown (23 July 1921 – 11 November 2003) was an English actor known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond films, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981.
Lee's final appearance was in Moonraker in 1979. He had been too ill to appear in For Your Eyes Only which was released during 1981; he died before the filming was complete.[1]
Brown made his first appearance as M in Octopussy in 1983.
Brown was born and died in Swanage, Dorset, England. Before appearing in the Bond films, he had a long career as a bit-part actor in films and television. He had a starring role in the 1950s television series Ivanhoe where he played Gurth, the faithful companion of Ivanhoe, played by Roger Moore. He had an uncredited appearance in Ivanhoe (1952). He also had an uncredited appearance as the galley-master in Ben-Hur (1959) and as factory worker Bert Harker in the BBC's 1960s soap opera The Newcomers. In One Million Years B.C. (1966), he played grunting caveman Akhoba, brutal head of the barbaric "Rock tribe".
Brown first started in the James Bond franchise in the film The Spy Who Loved Me as Admiral Hargreaves. After Lee's sudden death in 1981, the producers, instead of hiring a replacement, decided to leave M out of For Your Eyes Only out of respect for the actor and trade his lines with M's Chief of Staff Bill Tanner. In 1983, they cast Brown to portray M. It is not clear as to whether he was the same character as Lee's M or a different M, perhaps a promoted Hargreaves. He would later be succeeded by Judi Dench in the film GoldenEye (1995).
Filmography [edit]
Altogether, Robert Brown starred in five James Bond films.
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Admiral Hargreaves (same character possibly later promoted as M in his future Bond roles)
- Octopussy (1983) – M
- A View to a Kill (1985) – M
- The Living Daylights (1987) – M
- Licence to Kill (1989) – M
Other films:
- The Third Man (1949) – uncredited (coincidentally Bernard Lee is also in this film)
- Out of True (1951) - Dr. Dale
- Derby Day (1952)
- Time Gentlemen, Please! (1952)
- Ivanhoe (1952) - uncredited
- The Dark Avenger (1955) - First French Knight
- A Hill in Korea (1956) – Private O'Brien
- The Man Who Never Was (1956) – uncredited
- The Steel Bayonet (1957) - Company Sergeant Major Gill
- Campbell's Kingdom (1957) - Ben Creasy
- Passport to Shame (1958)
- Ivanhoe (1958 TV series)
- Ben-Hur (1959) – uncredited
- The Challenge (1960) - Bob Crowther
- The 300 Spartans (1962) - Pentheus
- Billy Budd (1962) – Arnold Talbot
- Mystery Submarine (1963) - Coxswain Drage
- Clash by Night (1963) - Mawsley
- Operation Crossbow (1965) - Air Commodore
- One Million Years B.C. (1966) – Akhoba
- Private Road (1971)
- Demons of the Mind (1972) - Fischinger
- Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976) – Utba
- Warlords of Atlantis (1978) - Briggs
