Desmond Llewelyn as "Q", MI6's trusted quartermaster and gadgeteer
Nassau, Summer 1965
Film:Thunderball Release Date: December 29, 1965 Director: Terence Young Wardrobe Designer: Anthony Mendleson
Background
Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn, best known for his portrayal of the steadfast "Q" in 17 James Bond films over 36 years, was born 110 years ago today on September 12, 1914. Llewelyn may have been destined to be indelibly intertwined with James Bond's world of gadgetry, as his father purchased the first production Bentley in 1921, decades before Ian Fleming assigned agent 007 a Bentley 4½ Litre in his early novels.
After serving in the Royal Welch Fusiliers during World War II, Llewelyn resumed his acting career, which consisted largely of uncredited bit parts in films such as Hamlet (1948) and A Night to Remember (1958). His big break came when director Terence Young invited him to audition for the role of MI6's equipment officer in the second Bond film, From Russia With Love (1963). Both Young and Fleming envisioned the character of Major Boothroyd—named after firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd—with a Welsh accent, although Llewelyn believed the character should speak with the upper-class accent that he ultimately adopted for the role. Although the name Boothroyd was occasionally referenced (most notably in The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977), the character became widely known as "Q," a nod to his title as quartermaster and head of MI6's "Q branch."
Llewelyn returned for Goldfinger (1964), where he and Sean Connery established Bond and Q's signature relationship, marked by affectionately antagonistic banter during the now-iconic scenes where Q introduces Bond to his latest innovative gadgets—often destined for considerable abuse. This playful dynamic continued in Thunderball (1965), during a memorable scene where a tropically dressed Q arrives in the Bahamas to equip his most troublesome agent with a selection of pocket-sized gadgets... provided Bond has a convenient pocket, of course.
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