Desmond Llewelyn

Desmond Llewelyn played "Q," the crusty purveyor of secret-agent gadgets, in 17 James Bond films. Llewelyn first played Q in From Russia With Love in 1963, and then appeared in every Bond film through Tomorrow Never Dies (1999), except for 1973's Live and Let Die (which had no part for the character). Llewelyn was typically on-screen only briefly, instructing Bond on the latest deadly gadgets and expressing exasperation at Bond's raffish disregard for government property. Despite his limited screen time, Llewelyn's long run as Q made him a favorite with fans of the Bond film series. Prior to his acting career, Llewelyn served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during World War II and spent five years in a German prisoner of war camp. In 1999 he collaborated with author Sandy Hernu on an authorized biography titled Q: The Biography of Desmond Llewelyn.

Extra credit: Llewelyn played Q opposite five different Bonds: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan... The first Bond film, Dr. No, featured actor Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd, the forerunner of Q... Comic actor John Cleese succeeded Llewelyn as Q in the Bond film Die Another Day (2002, with Pierce Brosnan).