Desmond Llewelyn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Desmond Llewelyn
Llewelyn as 'Q' in Sweden while promoting Octopussy in 1983
Born	Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (1914-09-12)12 September 1914 Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died	19 December 1999(1999-12-19) (aged 85) Firle, East Sussex, England
Alma mater	Radley College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1939–1999
Spouse(s)	Pamela Pantlin ​ (m. 1938)​
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit	Royal Welch Fusiliers
Battles/wars	Second World War

Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (born September 12, 1914 – died December 19, 1999) was a Welsh actor. He is most famous for playing the character Q in the James Bond movies. He appeared in 17 Bond films between 1963 and 1999.

About Desmond Llewelyn

His Early Life

Desmond Llewelyn was born in Newport, Wales, on September 12, 1914. His father was an engineer. Desmond first wanted to become a minister. But while he was at Radley College, he started working backstage in school plays. Sometimes, he even got small acting roles.

When he was young, Llewelyn played rugby for a team called Newport RFC. You can see him wearing the club's tie in the movie The Living Daylights. He also wore a tie from Malpas Cricket Club in Octopussy.

Serving in World War II

Desmond's acting career stopped when World War II began in September 1939. He joined the British Army as a second lieutenant. He served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

In 1940, the German Army captured him in France. He was a prisoner of war for five years. He was held in prisons like Colditz Castle in Germany.

His Acting Career

Playing Q in James Bond Films

Desmond Llewelyn was chosen to play Q because he had worked with director Terence Young before. This was for a war movie called They Were Not Divided in 1950.

He started playing Q in 1963 with the movie From Russia with Love. Q is the head of the MI6 gadget lab. This lab is also known as Q Branch. Llewelyn played Q in every EON Bond film until he died. The only movie he missed was Live and Let Die in 1973, because Q was not in that story.

Llewelyn in 1992

Llewelyn was the only actor in the original Bond series to work with five different actors who played James Bond. These actors were Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. He appeared in 17 films, which is more than any other actor in the series.

His last time playing Q was in The World Is Not Enough in 1999. In that movie, Q introduces a new character named R, played by John Cleese. R is meant to take over from Q. The movie hints that Q might retire soon. Bond tells Q he hopes he won't retire yet. Q tells Bond to "always have an escape plan" and then disappears through the floor.

Before he died, Llewelyn said he had no plans to retire. He wanted to keep playing Q "as long as the producers want me." In the next Bond film, Die Another Day (2002), John Cleese's character R becomes the new head of Q branch.

In 1967, Llewelyn also played Q in a TV show called Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond. This show was made to promote the movie You Only Live Twice.

Other Roles

Even though Q was a very famous character, playing him did not make Llewelyn rich. He was paid only for the days he worked on set. He did not share in the money the movies earned. However, because he was so popular with Bond fans, Llewelyn appeared in many commercials. These included ads for the video games GoldenEye 007 and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Llewelyn also acted in other films. He was in the comedy The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and Cleopatra (1963). He had a small role in the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). This movie was based on a children's book by Ian Fleming, who also wrote the Bond books.

He also acted in TV shows like The Adventures of Robin Hood and Follyfoot. In 1995, he was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life.

His Personal Life

Even though Desmond Llewelyn played a genius inventor in the Bond films, he always said he was not good with technology. He found it confusing! A book about his life, called Q: The Biography of Desmond Llewelyn, was released in 1999.

Desmond Llewelyn's birthplace

His Death

On December 19, 1999, Desmond Llewelyn was driving alone after a book signing event. His car crashed into another car near Berwick, England. Llewelyn was badly hurt and was taken to the hospital by helicopter. He died soon after, at 85 years old. The other driver was seriously injured but survived.

Llewelyn's death happened just three weeks after his last Bond movie, The World Is Not Enough, came out. Roger Moore, who played James Bond in many films with Llewelyn, spoke at his funeral. The funeral was held on January 6, 2000.

His wife, Pamela Mary Llewelyn, died in 2001 at the age of 85. His son, Justin Llewelyn, died in 2012.

Selected Filmography

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Desmond Llewelyn para niños