What actors do you see when reading the novels?

That old discussion again. What actors do you see in the novels? Would it be those who played in the film counterpart or is it someone who never starred in the films at all?

Years ago when I first read the novels I mostly envisioned Connery as Fleming Bond. This time however, starting with CR I envisioned Craig in the role but once I started on FRWL I went back to seeing Connery in it and still do with Dr. No at the moment.

With other characters it's all over the place. In CR I see Eva Green as Vesper. In LALD I saw Solitaire as no actress, instead going by Fleming's descriptions of the character. In DAF I saw Tiffany as someone like January Jones and then with FRWL it's Daniela Bianchi despite not looking like her counterpart. With Leiter I first thought of Jack Lord years back when I first read them. Since rereading I saw Jeffrey Wright in CR, then switched to David Hedison. Now with Honey Rider I'm thinking more of the way Fleming describes her, I can't quite see Undress in it.

For Vesper Lynd I see Corinne Drewery and hear Nikki van der Zyl.

I picture the actors from the films when reading the characters of Goldfinger, Mr. Big, Honey Rider, Oddjob.

And Bernard Lee I will always see as M.

As for Bond, I guess I see myself in the role, but isn't that what Fleming intended. Keep the character vague, with just enough insight and introspective to make the reader own the character. That was the genuis of the novels. It made you step inside Bond's skin, and become Bond, with all his thoughts, fears, feelings, when he showers, what he eats, what he wears.

Just thinking about this makes me want to go on holiday and read a Bond novel by the pool, while drinking a few ice cold beers.

Agree completely on Bernard Lee.

It's hard not to imagine him in the novels. He's one of the actors that perfectly matched what Fleming wrote, along with Pedro Armendáriz as Kerim Bey.

Don't really see any of the Bond actors. I guess the closest in appearance to the dude I see is Connery sans bushy eyebrows.

Bernard Lee is there when I picture M though. Perfect piece of casting.

Another bit of great casting is Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No. No one could have done it better.

I think it's too bad he's not in the film enough.

Agree with the last two posts.

And I always picture Ferzetti as Draco when reading OHMSS. Steppat as Bunt too.

When I read OHMSS I pictured Pedro Amandariz Sr as Draco... after picturing him as Kerim Bey too

I tend to come up with my own image based off the descriptions/my imagination. I do hear Bernard Lee's voice with M, though.

Visualise Illse Steppat quite easily for Bunt. As I've said before it's like she stepped from the book into the film well.

For Bond tends to be a blur. Can't explain but never picture anyone definite. Daltonesque actor really.

Don't know about actors, but whenever I think of Sir Hugo Drax I see Angela Merkel with a strap-on.

I'm thinking of reading a novel while seeing the next film. Not sure which one though, could do with a suggestion.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Don't know about actors, but whenever I think of Sir Hugo Drax I see Angela Merkel with a strap-on.

Goes to show how far beyond rescue your mind really is. Next time you post something like that you better put it inside spoiler tags and warn against serious damage to people's visual cortex.

6of1 wrote:

I'm thinking of reading a novel while seeing the next film. Not sure which one though, could do with a suggestion.

In Praise of Older Women: The Amorous Recollections of Andras Vajda by Stephen Vizinczey.

Sharky wrote:

6of1 wrote:

I'm thinking of reading a novel while seeing the next film. Not sure which one though, could do with a suggestion.

In Praise of Older Women: The Amorous Recollections of Andras Vajda by Stephen Vizinczey.

Deal

Savourer you are.

Glad we got that sorted.

Always used to envision Jacqueline Bisset as Vesper, but after TAILOR OF PANAMA decided Catherine McCormarck would be perfect.

Wanted Welles as LeChiffre even before (and after) seeing 67 CR.

Maybe because I watched a lot of TREK growing up, but I always thought CATSPAW's Theo Marcuse (who also played a Devil's Island commandant on TIME TUNNEL) looked like Blofeld from the books, expecially YOLT.

I usually see Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan, while for M I always see Berard Lee, though sometimes when I first read "M" I think to Judi Dench, then my mind realizes M is a man, so it gets to Bernard Lee.
About voice, I imagine Pino Locchi's (Sean Connery italian's official voice).

Well, it very much depends the novel I'm reading. I imagine Sean in FRWL and Roger in LALD, for instance. As for DMC and Carte Blanche, I imagined Craig. With LICENCE RENEWED (I'm reading it now) I imagine Yaroslav Horak's Bond from the strips.

On the first page's posts about perfect 'from book to screen' casting ... I'd include Lotte Lenya as Klebb.

Like Hilly, I don't really picture any of the screen Bonds when reading a Bond novel.

So, I found out that I see the following:

James Bond:

A black-hair man who looks like Sean Connery, but isn't him: every Fleming novel, LTK novelization and Carte Blanche
George Lazenby (who alternates to the Bond above) in OHMSS
Roger Moore and Pierce Brosan in their movies' novelizations

M:
Bernard Lee (male)
Judi Dench (female)

Q: Desmond Llewelyn

Blofeld: Telly Savalas

All of the other non-recurring characters: movies' actors

Having read COLONEL SUN, I pictured the title character as Ken Wantanabe. I think that's mainly because of how the character gets excited over the prospect of breaking Bond, that I can see Wantanabe pull off that kind of glee.