Why Kerry Parnell wishes ‘Aussie Bond’ George Lazenby a happy retirement

Kerry Parnell is still reeling from the shock at the seismic news the Aussie James Bond is retiring from the world of espionage.

The aftershock of the announcement of the retirement of an iconic statesman has been reverberating all week. What does this mean for international relations? Will it impact globally? No, I’m not talking about Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, but the seismic news the Aussie James Bond is retiring from the world of espionage. Actor George Lazenby announced he’s quitting showbiz, saying, “It’s been a fun ride but getting older is no fun”.

George, 84, posted on X, “This hasn’t been an easy decision but it’s time to announce my retirement. Therefore, I won’t be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews, or signing any more autographs as of today.

“I can now concentrate on spending more time with my family. My sincere gratitude to everyone out there for your love and support over the years. It has meant a lot to me.”

It’s 55 years since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service came out in 1969, starring the Aussie model who, on his own admission, blagged his way into the role and then blew it. I chatted to George a couple of years ago and he made me hoot with laughter at his tales and no-nonsense approach to life. Married and divorced twice, to Chrissie Townson and tennis player Pam Shriver, the legend goes he had 1000 partners, to which he told me, “I never counted. I used to hide; a man can only do it so many times”.

George Lazenby has retired and will no longer travel the world talking to fans about his time as James Bond 007.

His big break came while working as a car salesman in London. Scouted as a model, he became the face of Fry’s Chocolate and, when Sean Connery left the role of 007, he bought one of his cast-off suits from his tailor, for £100 – “in those days, 10 weeks’ wages”. Despite having never acted, George landed the biggest role in film, partly, he says, because he was “so s--t-sure of himself”, and partly because he knocked out Bond villain and wrestler, Yuri Borienko, in the audition.

Diana Rigg and George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

He did his own stunts, because “he thought every actor did” and behaved very badly on set, leading co-star Diana Rigg to label him “bloody impossible”, “stupid” and “ghastly”.

Certainly, his decision to turn down a second movie was probably not his best, but George maintains he had no regrets.

“They offered me millions to do another one but I turned it down because hippies were in – I thought it was all over,” he said, adding he’d make the same decision today. “I’d still do one, which I did – but I still wouldn’t do another one, which I didn’t. I don’t regret that at all – I have had a great life. I wouldn’t have had the kids I have, or the friends I had – you meet different people when you are famous and wonder why they want to know you.”

It’s a good outlook. Whatever life throws at us, we may be shaken, but not stirred. His grit came from his childhood, he said, after having a kidney removed aged three and doctors giving him a bleak prognosis. “Some kid at school sang, ‘You’re the guy who’s going to die’, so I thought there’s no way I’m going to die,” he said.

Like Bond, that could be for another day. Happy retirement, George.

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