Desmond Llewelyn

Biography

He professed to have no mechanical ability in real life and hated the involved scientific dialogue he was required to deliver, but beloved Welsh character actor Desmond Llewelyn was recognized worldwide as the prime gadget master of spy cinema.

He was a face in the crowd before being cast in the second James Bond thriller, "From Russia with Love" (1963) as the MI6 quartermaster later known as "Q." Proud of his ingenious and deadly creations and appalled by Bond's frequent destruction of Crown property, Q quickly became a favorite of fans who looked forward to his inevitable appearance in each installment.

The character's importance to the 007 formula became apparent early on to series' producer Albert R. Broccoli, resulting in Llewelyn appearing in 18 of the 19 subsequent Bond outings. Although he rarely set foot outside the lab, Q invariably played a key role in the success of 007's missions, and Llewelyn's unforced likeability more than compensated for the fact that he spent his time inventing ways to kill people.

"The World is Not Enough" (1999) established that the character would soon be leaving the series, something that sadly happened for certain when Llewelyn was killed in a car accident shortly after that entry's release. Although other actors took over Q's duties, none matched the degree of personality and charm that Llewelyn brought to a part he truly made his own.