George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby (/ˈleɪzənbi/; born 5 September 1939)[1] is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Since he appeared in only one film, Lazenby's tenure as Bond is the shortest among the actors in the series.
This article is about the actor. For the early Australian settler, see George Lazenby (cabinetmaker).
George Lazenby
Actor
1965–present
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Chrissie Townson(m. 1973; div. 1995)
6 (1 deceased)
Lazenby began his professional career as a model and had only acted in commercials when he was cast to replace the original Bond actor, Sean Connery.[2] He declined to return for subsequent Bond films and instead pursued roles in Universal Soldier (1971), Who Saw Her Die? (1972), The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974), The Man from Hong Kong (1975), and The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). After his career stalled in the late 1970s, he moved into business and invested in real estate.
Lazenby later appeared in roles that parodied James Bond. In 2017, a Hulu docudrama film, Becoming Bond, featured Lazenby recounting his life story and portrayal of Bond.
Personal life[edit]
While working as a car salesman at the age of 21, Lazenby fathered a daughter, Jennifer, with Maureen Powell, who was then an Australian army sergeant and a physical education and fitness instructor at Royal Military College, Duntroon.[71]
In 1973, Lazenby married his girlfriend of three years, Christina Ross "Chrissie" Townson (later Matser), an heiress of the Gannett family.[44] They subsequently had two children, daughter Melanie Andrea Lazenby, born on 13 September 1973, and son Zachary "Zack" Lazenby, born on 9 November 1974, at Woden Valley Hospital (now Canberra Hospital) in Garran, Canberra, ACT.[72] Zachary was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour when he was 11 and died at age 19 in 1994. The two divorced shortly after, in 1995. Melanie is a real estate broker in New York, working for Douglas Elliman.[73][74]
In 2002, Lazenby married former tennis player Pam Shriver and they had three children.[75][76] The family lived in Brentwood, California.[75] In August 2008, it was reported that Shriver had filed for divorce from Lazenby, citing "irreconcilable differences".[77] Their divorce was finalized in May 2011.[78]
In late 2023, Lazenby was injured in a fall and was briefly hospitalized.[79][80] On 18 December, he returned home.[81]