August 24, 2012
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John Gavin was James BondAfter On Her Majesty’s Secret Service finished production, Sean Connery’s replacement for the role of 007 George Lazenby, decided not to do another Bond movie. This, once again left the role open.
In 1971, the 6′ 4″ ex-Universal contract actor John Gavin was signed to be the next James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever.
Gavin is best known today as Janet Leigh’s boyfriend in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and as Julius Caesar in the Kirk Douglas production of Spartacus.
The 007 producers gave Gavin $50,000 in advance and he signed the contract to be the 3rd James Bond. Gavin didn’t just come close to the part, for a while, he was James Bond.
However, when Sean Connery was lured back to play Bond by offering him 1.25 million dollars (astronomical for the times), the producers told Gavin to keep his advance and he stepped aside. He went on to be the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971 to 1973 and play more roles in films and TV.
In 1981, President Ronald Eagan appointed Gavin as Ambassador to Mexico, serving for five years. Gavin’s mother was of Mexican descent and his father was descended from a high ranking family in Spain, so John Gavin grew up completely bilingual in English and Spanish.
When asked if he regretted losing out on the role of 007, Gavin said, “No, because it might have prevented me from fulfilling my real childhood dream, to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.”
This all proves that if we persevere though disappointments and life changes, we can ultimately achieve the larger dream that is inside us.
And speaking of our ‘ultimate dream’, that’s what the James Bond Lifestyle is all about.
You can read the first 30 pages at Amazon Kindle. 342 pages of techniques. Updated and expanded for 2012. http://amzn.to/JYG7y1
