Aussie 007 a model womaniser
His name became a catchphrase for being famous for one big role.
Yet George Lazenby, the Australian model turned actor who played James Bond - once - in 1968's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, admitted he had more fun as Europe's highest-paid male model than he ever did as 007.
"The truth is I did get laid every day while playing Bond," Lazenby chuckled to AAA ahead of his guest appearance at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in *Perth *this month.
"But before I was Bond I was getting laid by three different women a day. I was a handsome guy working with models all day.
"I was a wild Australian putting the hard word on them. Women had just got the pill. There was no AIDS.
"So London and France was wide open.
"It was much more fun than being Bond!"
Now 74, the Aussie Zoolander said he was offered "a million dollars" to return as 007 and a contract for seven more films but his agent convinced him the spy franchise was dead in the free-loving 60s. He's adamant he made the right decision.
"I only wanted to do one, I thought it was Sean Connery's gig and there were other things I could do. It was all a great experience and I'm glad I went the way I went. But it's also a haunting experience in that it won't go away."
George Lazenby as James Bond. Picture: Loomis Dean/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
After playing Bond, Lazenby battled "vodka and marijuana" until a near-death experience set him straight. He went on to act in small roles and marry US tennis star Pam Shriver.
He now attends "one or two" fan conventions per year and jumped at Supanova's invitation as a way to catch up with family and friends in Australia, including his daughter Jennifer, who runs Footwork Dance Company in Safety Bay.
Lazenby will conduct a Q&A session, participate in signing and photo opportunities and catch up with another Supanova guest, former Bond villain Jaws (Richard Kiel).
