What if I told you, that there was a real James Bond?
Not the fictional character imagined by Ian Fleming who wrote the books. But a man whose real life resembled the fictional character so closely – that many believed he modelled Bond unknowingly after himself.
Sure, Sean Connery was James Bond. After all, he was the first actor who played the British agent and, according to most, he was the best Bond. But Connery was an actor. The real James Bond was a man called Terence Young. Terence who?
Let me explain.
(Terence Young left on the set of Dr. No with Ursula Andress and Sean Connery. Credit possibly Getty Images).
(A publicity poster from Dr. No with Terence Young stated as the director under credits).
Terence Young was a key figure in the James Bond franchise success. Why?
Well, not only did he direct the very first James Bond film, Dr. No, but also directed the first 3 out of the first 4 Bonds films ever. Terence Young together with Ian Fleming and the producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman brought James Bond to life. And I don’t think it was very hard for Terence Young to do this.
That is because his own life story and CV reads like James Bond himself.
(Terence Young and Sean Connery before leaving to Jamaica to film Dr. No. at Heathrow Airport). Credit:007 archives.
Born in Shanghai China in 1915, he was the son of a police commissioner but moved back to England at a young age. Then came: Harrow, Cambridge (where he read oriental history) and the Irish army, serving as a tank commander during the Second World War.
Sounds just like Ian Flemings creation of James Bond? Yup. That’s cause it is. Ian Fleming had James Bond attend Cambridge too in his novels.
(Young next to Paluzzi and Connery during the filming of Thunderball). Credit: Alamy or Getty Images.
When Terence Young was asked by Broccoli to direct Dr. No, he was already a successful director.
Aged 47, dapper and suave, Young moved only in the finest places, wore expensive suits and drank only the best champagne. If James Bond was sophisticated and refined, that is because Terence Young was. He would invite the entire set for Champagne and Caviar when they were finished filming a scene for Bond recounts Ken Adams (the set designer for all the important early Bond movies).
So if you’re wondering how did James Bond know to choose the Beluga Caviar with the Dom Perignon 1955? It is because Terence consumed the stuff almost on a daily basis.
If you ask Mrs Moneypenny aka Lois Maxwell (who played Moneypenny in 14 Bond Films) it was Young who moulded Sean Connery into James Bond. He took him to his personal tailor on Saville Row (Anthony Sinclair). In fact Terence ordered Sean to sleep in his suits to get used to them and how to move around in them. And the famous Turnbull and Asser shirts that Bond wore? Terence Young’s own shirtmaker naturally.
According to another great source the editor of many Bond movies Peter Hunt, Terence Young taught Connery everything. What to say at dinner parties. How to tie a cravat properly. What wine to order with which meal. How to move elegantly. How to talk (Sean Connery used to talk with his hands something that a big pet peeve of Young).
When Young was finished with Sean Connery, Bond became refined, suave and charming.
(Young enjoying the company of French beauty Claudine Auger – far right- and friend during Thunderball). Credit Unknown.
If you think Young was only about sophistication he was not. He was as tough as James Bond too.
While filming a helicopter sequence for a boat scene in From Russia with love, he almost drowned with a helicopter pilot but rather than be checked medically at a local hospital, after 30min he was back on the set ready to film. The more I started to read about Terence Young, the more I realised, that Young was probably creating an image in Bond that actually was of himself. He had his shirts hand made in Italy. Owned a Villa in the South of France, homes in Switzerland and London. Was a connoisseur in wine and champagne. Stayed in the best hotels in the world.
I don’t know, but this sounds much like James Bond himself.
(Terence Young attending the premiere of the movie Thunderball he directed in 1965 with his wife. (Credit: Getty Images).
As you can imagine I was very curious what kind of watch Terence Young would choose to wear. And when I did find a picture, I was most pleasantly surprised.
He wore a Cartier Tank which can be seen in several photographs of him during various Bond films. Below he is wearing his Cartier Tank that seemed to be his only watch he wore on several sets of the James Bond films.
A closer look at the Cartier tank of the man who probably was the real James Bond. Terence Young. Credit: Getty Images.
Why did Young choose a Cartier Tank?
As I mentioned earlier in the story, Young served as a tank commander during the Second World War and maybe this inspired him to wear a Cartier Tank, besides its elegance. As many of you know, Louis Cartier designed the tank watch after seeing a tank in the First World War.
Despite Young wearing a Cartier, Connery wore a Rolex 6538 big crown in the first movie Dr. No. It is still not known today who advised Connery to wear a Rolex, it could have been Young but also Ian Fleming who wore several Rolex watches personally. Also Fleming had Bond wear a Rolex in his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.
It is clear that Terence Young was a central figure that played a major role for the huge success of James Bond.
He directed 3 out of the 4 successful early Bond films. He made Sean Connery be Bond in how he moved, dressed and with his sophistication of ordering caviar and champagne. But rather than take my words for it, I have a far better idea. I will allow the pictures of Terence Young to speak for themselves.
In the pictures below his great style is evident and in my view he was James Bond in real life. Young, for some odd reason remains somewhat forgotten today due to his later non Bond related films not being a real success. Maybe also because he is misunderstood or it is just not a known fact who shaped Bond in the early days.
Terence Young set the style with the first three Bond Films a style which endures today. This post is a tribute to the true James Bond in real life. Thank you for making us dream Terence.
NB: For those who want to learn more about Terence Young, I recommend this video here.
Terence Young on the set of From Russia with Love. Notice his cuffed shirt – he had impeccable style. Credit: Alamy stock.
Young wearing a linen shirt on the set of Dr No. He was known to change his shirts 3 times a day. Connery towards his right. Credit Unknown.
With Bianchi on the set of From Russia with Love. Always dressed to perfection – he was the real life James Bond. Credit: Getty /Keystone images.
On the set of From Russia with Love with Connery. Credit Unknown.
Looking dapper in his tailored suits and coats – many believed that Young modelled James Bond unknowingly after himself. 1965 with Charlotte Rampling. Credit Getty Images / Keystone Images.
My favourite picture showing the true Mr Bond. Young – second from right – while filming Dr. No
