Cec Linder

March 10, 1921 – April 10, 1992

Cec Linder, the second actor to play Felix Leiter, was born 89 years ago today. He was no Jack Lord but he was still a great Felix in 1964! The following dialogue is from one of my favorite Leiter scenes in Goldfinger:

Bond: Special plane, lunch at the White House… how come?

Leiter: The President wants to thank you personally.

Bond: Oh, it was nothing, really.

Leiter: I know that, but he doesn’t.

Bond: I suppose I’ll be able to get a drink there.

Leiter: I told the stewardess liquor for three.

Bond: Who are the other two?

Leiter: Oh, there are no other two.

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]]> http://www.felixleiter.com/2010/03/10/cec-linder-born-89-years-ago-today/feed/ 1 http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/09/06/happy-54th-birthday-raymond-benson/ http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/09/06/happy-54th-birthday-raymond-benson/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:57:44 +0000 Chris Wright http://www.felixleiter.com/?p=1621

Raymond Benson turns 54 years old today and all of us at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish him a wonderful happy birthday!

Mr. Benson is a lifelong Bond fan and the official James Bond continuation author from 1997 to 2002. During his tenure, he penned six original James Bond novels (Zero Minus Ten, The Facts of Death, High Time to Kill, Doubleshot, Never Dream of Dying, The Man with the Red Tattoo), three movie novelizations (Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day), and three short stories (“Blast from the Past”, “Midsummer’s Nights Doom”, “Live At Five”).

Since his departure from the James Bond literary series, Raymond has published five successful original novels, two novels in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series, and Metal Gear Solid, the first novelization based on the hit video game series of the same name.

Last year, FLc had the chance to interview Mr. Benson. Check it out here!

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“Get me a make on a white pimpmobile!”

David Hedison, two-time Felix Leiter, turns 82 years old today and all of us here at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish him a wonderful happy birthday!

Mr. Hedison appeared in 1973′s Live and Let Die and 1989′s Licence to Kill. He was the first actor to portray the cinematic Leiter twice, a record he now shares with Jeffrey Wright. Many Bond fans consider him their favorite interpretation of Felix Leiter and many wish he had been given the opportunity to play the character more. I too share this sentiment and wish he had at least returned in 1987′s The Living Daylights. I don’t dislike John Terry in that film but I think we can all agree that David Hedison IS Felix Leiter! Mr. Terry was merely filling in for him until he returned two years later in Licence to Kill as far as I’m concerned.

I had the opportunity to meet him as well as Priscilla Barnes (Della Leiter) at the first annual International Sports & Entertainment Festival in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2006. I shared my experience at this event in this article at CommanderBond.net. Mr. Hedison was the first actor from a James Bond film that I had ever met and I will always remember that experience.

Thank you for being a class act and FLc hopes you have many more happy birthdays to come!

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Rik Van Nutter

May 1, 1929 – October 15, 2005

Rik Van Nutter, the third actor to play Felix Leiter, was born 79 years ago today. I recently watched Thunderball and I really enjoyed his portrayal of our favorite CIA agent. He was certainly better than his predecessor, Cec Linder, and I wish he had returned in Diamonds Are Forever instead of Norman Burton. Not just for the sake of continuity (which there had been none of in the Leiter role at the time) but because Burton wasn’t that great.

Ever wonder how Van Nutter got the role? Check out 00Twelve’s An Uncommon Opportunity: How Rik Van Nutter Got the Role. It’s a fascinating read!

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]]> http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/05/01/rik-van-nutter-born-80-years-ago-today/feed/ 0 http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/04/20/happy-56th-birthday-sebastian-faulks/ http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/04/20/happy-56th-birthday-sebastian-faulks/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:06 +0000 Chris Wright http://www.felixleiter.com/?p=1547

Sebastian Faulks, author of the latest adult James Bond novel Devil May Care, turns 56 years old today and all of us at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish him a wonderful happy birthday!

SebastianFaulks.com

Cec Linder

March 10, 1921 – April 10, 1992

Cec Linder, the second actor to play Felix Leiter, was born 88 years ago today. He was no Jack Lord but he was still a great Felix in 1964! The following dialogue is from one of my favorite Leiter scenes in Goldfinger:

Bond: Special plane, lunch at the White House… how come?

Leiter: The President wants to thank you personally.

Bond: Oh, it was nothing, really.

Leiter: I know that, but he doesn’t.

Bond: I suppose I’ll be able to get a drink there.

Leiter: I told the stewardess liquor for three.

Bond: Who are the other two?

Leiter: Oh, there are no other two.

Watch this video to see Bond ditch his dinner plans with Linder’s Leiter for Jill Masterson. Poor Felix…

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]]> http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/03/10/cec-linder-born-88-years-ago-today/feed/ 0 http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/02/26/michael-pate-born-89-years-ago-today/ http://www.felixleiter.com/2009/02/26/michael-pate-born-89-years-ago-today/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:00:06 +0000 Chris Wright http://www.felixleiter.com/?p=1059

Michael Pate

February 26, 1920 – September 1, 2008

Australian actor 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 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.

Mr. Pate passed away last September.

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John Terry turns 59 years old today and all of us here at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish him a wonderful happy birthday!

Mr. Terry played Felix Leiter in 1987′s The Living Daylights opposite Timothy Dalton’s 007. He is arguably the most underrated Felix Leiter ever, receiving only one vote in the CommanderBond.net Forums’ poll, Favourite Felix Leiter II. According to this poll, Terry is in the same league as Norman Burton (one vote) and Cec Linder (two votes) among Bond fans. After Rik Van Nutter, John Terry was the second youngest Leiter ever at 37 years old.

“What the hell are you trying to do, start World War III?”

John Terry wasn’t the worst Felix Leiter ever but he wasn’t the most memorable either. Ideally, Eon Productions should have cast David Hedison in the role for two reasons (1) Continuity and (2) Because they casted him two years later in Licence to Kill. Had Terry been cast in Licence to Kill, I believe he would have more support among Bond fans today. Historically, the more screen time a Leiter actor has, the more beloved he is. David Hedison and Jeffrey Wright are perfect examples of this phenomenon.

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Priscilla Barnes (Della Leiter in Licence to Kill) and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter in Casino Royale & Quantum of Solace) are celebrating their 53rd and 43rd birthday, respectively, today and all of us here at FelixLeiter.com would like to wish them a wonderful happy birthday!

Happy 53rd Birthday, Priscilla Barnes!

Most people know Priscilla Barnes from her stint as Terri Alden on Three’s Company but Bond fans know her as Della Churchill, Felix Leiter’s bride in 1989′s Licence to Kill. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the International Sports and Entertainment Festival in June 2006. She’s very nice and I’ll never forgot the joke she played on me.

After autographing a picture of her as Della for me, she asked, “Would you like a condom?” I was shocked, speechless and probably turned a little red. Is Priscilla Barnes advocating safe sex or does she want me to play the role of Felix in her hotel room later on? I thought. She then pulled out plastic protection in the form of a slipcase for the picture she had just signed! Make sure to visit her if she ever comes to a convention in your town because she’s awesome.

Happy 43rd Birthday, Jeffrey Wright!

After being absent from the big screen for 17 years, Felix Leiter returned in 2006′s Casino Royale in the form of Jeffrey Wright. Before Jeffrey Wright was cast, I was against the notion of an African American actor playing Felix Leiter onscreen and had never liked Bernie Casey being cast in the role in Never Say Never Again (1983).

To my surprise, I was indifferent to Wright’s cast; I figured I’d give him a chance since Eon Productions had never let me down before. When I saw Casino Royale for the first time, I was blown away by Wright’s performance. Not since Jack Lord had the character been so cool! I enjoyed Wright’s portrayal and lines so much that he immediately became my favorite cinematic Felix Leiter. Leiter is supposed to be the United States’ version of James Bond and Wright’s portrayal definitely lives up to that expectation. I hope he stays in the role for many years to come (or at least as long as Daniel Craig plays 007).

I’m such a big fan of Jeffrey Wright and his Leiter that I plan on naming my first son Jeffrey Wright (my last name is Wright, FYI). No joke.

Wright’s latest film, Cadillac Records, hit US theaters on Friday so I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a Yank!

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Norman Burton

December 5, 1923 – November 29, 2003

Last week, FelixLeiter.com posted a tribute to Mr. Burton on the fifth anniversary of his death. Today would have been his 85th birthday. Please read our tribute to him if you have not already done so.

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