Bernard Lee

John Bernard Lee, known as Bernard Lee, is best remembered for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. His acting legacy traverses the years from 1934 to 1979, starting his career on stage at the tender age of six. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he appeared in over a hundred films, stage plays, and television serials. He was highly recognized for portraying authoritative roles, often depicted as military characters or policemen in such films as 'The Third Man', 'The Blue Lamp', 'The Battle of the River Plate', and 'Whistle Down the Wind'. Despite his professional setback between 1940 to 1946 due to his military service during the Second World War, he managed to act in several films released between 1939 and 1943. A personal tragedy in 1972, the loss of his first wife in a house fire, sent Lee into a depressive and financially destabilizing period. A kind act from Richard Burton, who he happened to meet in a pub, helped him recover and return to his acting career. He continued working until 1979, in roles which included reprising his famed characterization of M for the James Bond films. He died from stomach cancer in 1981.