Michael Pate

February 26, 1920 - September 1, 2008

Australian actor Michael Pate has died of respiratory failure at age 88. He appeared in over 50 films and was a frequent guest star on Americans television shows during the 1950s and ’60s.

Pate died late Monday at Gosford Hospital on the central coast of New South Wales after being admitted with pneumonia, according to the Associated Press.

To Bond fans, Michael Pate is best known as Clarence Leiter, Jimmy Bond’s British counterpart in the 1954 American television adaptation of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. Clarence Leiter, you ask? 

In 1954, CBS paid Ian Fleming $1,000 to adapt Casino Royale into a television adventure as part of its Climax! series. Since it was for an American audience, CBS turned James Bond into the Americanized Jimmy Bond played by Barry Nelson. CIA ally, Felix Leiter, was turned into Clarence Leiter, a British spy played by Australian actor, Michael Pate.

Pate didn’t play our favorite Leiter but we here at FelixLeiter.com still hold a special place in our hearts for Clarence. If you’ve never seen the Climax! adaptation of Casino Royale, get your hands on the 2002 DVD edition of the 1967 spoof, Casino Royale, because it’s one of the DVD’s special features.

CommanderBond.net has a great article on the Climax! adaptation here.

Last week, I was watching Season 1 of the original Get Smart and noticed Michael Pate in the episode, “Our Man in Leotards.” He was guest starring as Emilio Naharana and I thought it was pretty cool to see him on the show!

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.