Aviva Trivia

Although the first James Bond film appeared in 1962, our favorite spy had already been capturing imaginations on the pages of Ian Fleming’s novels.  Even today, the Bond phenomenon continues with books and movies galore!  The following offerings are bits of Bond facts and trivia about a British hero with timeless appeal.

Beginning with the first film, Dr. No, Bond became a fashion connoisseur sporting a tuxedo created specially for him by Pierre Lorillard of New York’s Tuxedo Park fame along with his classy tailored shirts with turnback cuffs by Turnbull and Asser.

Sean Connery played the first screen Bond to popular acclaim. 

Ursula Andress, that first Bond girl of white bikini fame, put the swimsuit up for auction through Christies of London.  It sold to the owner of Planet Hollywood for a cost of 41,125 pounds.

Bond’s first villain, Dr. No, was played on screen by Joseph Wiseman.

The television premier of Dr. No was on November 10, 1974 by ABC.

From Russia With Love raked in 78.9 million at the box office worldwide.  The third film, Goldfinger, aspired to 124.9 million worldwide.

Singer Tom Jones performed the title track of the same name for Thunderball; it reached number 25 in the U.S. on Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart.  “A View to a Kill” of Duran Duran reached number one.

The Spy Who Loved Me was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Song and Best Art Direction.

The first “authorized” biography of James Bond was penned by John Pearson in 1973.

The beautiful KGB spy in The Spy Who Loved Me was played by Barbara Bach, wife of Beatle Ringo Starr.

Roger Moore first appeared as Bond in Live and Let Die, a voodoo-ridden plot, starring Jane Seymour, one of the youngest Bond girls to co-star.

Fleming first penned Live and Let Die in 1953.

Daniella Biachi, Bond girl of From Russia With Love, was 1960’s Miss Italy.

Never Say Never Again was the first film title not taken from an Ian Fleming novel.

Sean Connery suffered a broken wrist while preparing for Never Say Never Again.  The perpetrator-Steven Seagal who was training Connery in martial arts.

The last James Bond film directed by Lewis Gilbert was Moonraker.

Bond girl beauty Maud Adams appeared in two Bond movies – The Man With the Golden Gun and Octopussy.

Timothy Dalton played the charismatic spy in The Living Daylights when Pierce Brosnan could not play the role.

Pierce Brosnan finally took over the helm as Bond in the movie GoldenEye.

A woman is the main culprit for the first time in Bond film, The World is Not Enough.

The title for Die Another Day was actually taken from a poem by poet A. E. Houseman.

Halle Berry is the first Bond woman to have won an Academy Award.  She acted in Die Another Day.

Other famous Bond girls include: Brit Ekland, Kim Basinger, Lynn-Holly Johnson and Tanya Roberts.

Roger Moore’s daughter makes a cameo as a stewardess in Die Another Day.

Daniel Craig is set to replace Pierce Brosnan as Bond.