Jeremy Brett

Many names have been considered for the role of James Bond, but the late Jeremy Brett almost got there after Connery. In the end, Brett's homosexuality counted against him, which is our loss as this clip shows how good he might have been. Brett was no maverick muscle man, but he was a great actor and had both malevolence and charm in spades.



Incidentally, this episode of The Baron was written by Terry Nation, creator of Dr Who's Daleks,Blake's 7 and many other British television series.

ambler wrote:

Incidentally, this episode of The Baron was written by Terry Nation, creator of Dr Who's Daleks,Blake's 7 and many other British television series.

Including Survivors - I got the box set of the original series for Christmas.

Jeremy Brett was a brilliant actor, but I found his Sherlock Holmes grated after a while. It may have been so many people insisting how brilliant he was at it, because I'm nothing if not contrary. I preferred Christopher Plummer in Murder By Decree.

Ravenstone wrote:

Survivors - I got the box set of the original series for Christmas.

In which a plague wipes out the plebs and only the middle classes are left. Oh, how simply awful!

Thing with Brett is that there was a cruelty about him which would have been just right for 007. Bond's not supposed to be part of the armed wing of Oxfam sorting out the evils of capitalism - he's an establishment flunky.

ambler wrote:

In which a plague wipes out the plebs and only the middle classes are left. Oh, how simply awful!

Yeah, but I have this 'thing' for Ian McCulloch....

Agreed Jeremy Brett had a cruelty about him which would have been good. Also the Hoagy Carmichael look.

Ravenstone wrote:

Yeah, but I have this 'thing' for Ian McCulloch.....

Ah yes, The Killing Moon...



;)

ambler wrote:

Ravenstone wrote:

Yeah, but I have this 'thing' for Ian McCulloch.....

Ah yes, The Killing Moon...
;)

Yes. It does rather put paid to any decent Google searches for the man in question

Brett was a terrific actor. Wonderfully mannered delivery and commanding presence. Very funny. In my opinion the finest Holmes. A tortured, manic depressive, eccentric opium-junkie.

He came onto my dad at a pub once, but Maggie Smith stopped him.

Your dad must be very attractive.

If he'd have been Bond - he might well have been a pre-Dalton Dalton. Personally, I think he made a terrific Sherlock though - and was probably more suited to that than Bond. But one of those - we'll never knows... Certainly - he was a worthy contender for the role...

He's the man who should have been James Bond in On her Majesty's secret service and its sequel. He'd have added another dimension to the character. Sometimes in my mind I change every James Bond films I redo the castings, I dream about another order of adaptations of Ian Fleming's novels, and I've noticed that, with my mindset, I'd have never kept an actor more than two films for the character. If I had been a Bond producer in 1967, Jeremy Brett would have been my choice for adapting both On her Majesty's secret service and You only live twice. Harry Saltzman wanted him after having seen him in My fair lady anyway.

I think for some time now I'd have passed on his Holmes if he'd been Bond, simply born to be a double-0. Given the latent homophobia he'd have had a hard time. But I'm sure he'd given any six pack of straight actors a run for the money. It's a SHAME he couldn't give us a Bond performance.

He was well sexy and would have made a great Bond. Proper missed opportunity.

An outstanding Holmes and I think he would have been an exceptional Bond had he been given the chance.