In 1968, George Lazenby, now 85, was cast as James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, taking over a role made famous by Sean Connery. Unfortunately, Lazenby struggled to fit into the iconic character, partly due to poor advice he received. As his fame dwindled, he shifted focus to family life, ultimately facing tragedy with the loss of his son to a malignant brain tumor in 1994.
The James Bond franchise began in 1963 with Dr. No and has since become a cultural phenomenon, featuring numerous films and actors over the decades. Sean Connery, who portrayed Bond in five films between 1962 and 1967, grew weary of the role. In a 1965 interview with Playboy, he expressed his disinterest, stating he was “sick of this Bond thing”, and found the constant association with the character monotonous.
When Connery stepped away, producers faced the daunting task of finding a successor. Lazenby, then a 29-year-old unknown actor from Australia, caught their attention after appearing in commercials for Fry’s chocolate spread. His persistence and charm helped him land the coveted role. Lazenby even spent his last savings on a tailored suit that had originally belonged to Connery.
Upon auditioning, he boldly introduced himself by saying: “I heard you’re looking for James Bond”, and was subsequently offered the part. However, upon the release of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, reviews were mixed, and comparisons to Connery overshadowed Lazenby’s performance. Notably, critic Gene Siskel remarked that Lazenby lacked the suave confidence of his predecessor.
Despite the criticism, Lazenby was presented with a $1 million contract for six more films, but his manager advised against it, suggesting he pursue other opportunities. This decision led to Lazenby being “blacklisted” in Hollywood, with a reputation for being difficult to work with.
After a brief career in film and television, Lazenby shifted to a more private life. He married Christina Gannet in 1971, and they had two children. Tragically, their son Zachary battled a brain tumor for eight years before passing away at 19, leaving Lazenby “devastated”. Gannet shared on social media that losing Zachary was a profound sorrow for them both.
Following his son’s death, Lazenby divorced Gannet and later married Olympic tennis champion Pam Shriver, with whom he has three children. Now, Lazenby reflects on his life and cherishes his role as a father, stating: “The real successes in my life are my children”. Remember Lazenby’s portrayal of Bond? Share your thoughts on his legacy!
People are just learning the brutal reason why you should never declaw your cats
Even though it could be better for your couch, that might not be the best thing for your cat.
Declawing is defined as “the amputation of the last bone of each toe on a cat’s paw” by The Humane Society of the United States, and that definition alone should dissuade you from engaging in the procedure.
Our animal buddies endure great anguish during declawing, as the society compared it to chopping off your finger at the last knuckle.
They continued, giving an explanation: “Using a scalpel or guillotine clipper, amputation is the usual way of declawing. The feet are wrapped, and the incisions are sealed with surgical glue or stitches.”
Recently, the declawing debate has spread to Twitter, largely due to the popular account “non aesthetic things.”
The user wrote, “This is why you shouldn’t declaw your cat,” and included a video that showed what happens to cats who are declawed.
Basically, declawing causes the last bone on a cat’s toes to be severed and removed. This impacts the tendons and ligaments and eliminates the claw entirely.
Cats may feel “extreme pain” when they learn to walk on what are essentially amputated toes, but they do heal eventually.
The movie described how this causes cats to struggle with walking, jumping, and balance, which would ultimately cause them to exhaust their nine lives.
Even in the long run, defewing can have negative effects like arthritis, persistent pain, and limited mobility.
Oh, poor infants.
Many people have flocked to the Twitter video’s comments section, where many have only recently discovered the grim reality of declawing.
One member said, “So declawing your cat is just removing parts of their feet wth.”
One person wrote, “literally, take off our very last finger bone that we literally use to type,” another wrote, “It’s absurd to think that a significant portion of people in the US declaw their cats.” A third person wrote, ” To be honest, I’ve never heard of this outside of the United States.”
Four people said, “Declawing should be banned everywhere, it’s just inhumane!” in the meantime.
Leave a Reply