Robert Brown

Robert James Brown (23 July 192111 November 2003) was an English actor, best known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond films from 1983 to 1989, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981.

Brown made his first appearance as M in Octopussy in 1983.

Brown was born in Swanage, Dorset, and later died there on November 11, 2003, aged 82. Before appearing in the Bond films, he had a long career as a supporting actor in films and television. He had a starring role in the 1950s television series Ivanhoe, where he played Gurth, the faithful companion of Ivanhoe, played by Roger Moore. He had previously made an uncredited appearance as a castle guard in the unrelated 1952 film Ivanhoe. He had an uncredited appearance as the galley-master in Ben-Hur (1959) and as factory worker Bert Harker in the BBC's 1960s soap opera The Newcomers. In One Million Years B.C. (1966), he played grunting caveman Akhoba, brutal head of the barbaric "Rock tribe". After Lee's death in January 1981, Broccoli and the other producers decided to leave M out of For Your Eyes Only out of respect for Lee, and they assigned his lines to M's Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner. In 1983, Brown was hired to portray M on the recommendation of Bond actor Roger Moore, his Ivanhoe co-star and the father of Brown's goddaughter Deborah. It was never clearly established if Brown was the same M as Lee's character, or a different M, perhaps a promoted Hargreaves. In 1995, Brown was succeeded as M by Judi Dench in GoldenEye. Brown died from cancer in November 2003.

Filmography Altogether, Robert Brown starred in five James Bond films.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Admiral Hargreaves (possibly the same character he played as M in subsequent films) Octopussy (1983) – M A View to a Kill (1985) – M The Living Daylights (1987) – M Licence to Kill (1989) – M

Other films:

The Third Man (1949) – Policeman in sewer (coincidentally Bernard Lee is also in this film) (uncredited) Out of True (1951) – Dr. Dale The Dark Man (1951) – Policeman at Hospital (uncredited) Cloudburst (1951) – Carter Death of an Angel (1952) – Jim Pollard (uncredited) Derby Day (1952) – Foster – Berkeley's Butler (uncredited) Ivanhoe (1952) – Castle Guard (uncredited) Time Gentlemen, Please! (1952) – Bill Jordan The Gambler and the Lady (1952) – John – Waiter at Max's Dive (uncredited) Noose for a Lady (1953) – Jonas Rigg The Large Rope (1953) – Mick Jordan Passage Home (1955) – Shane The Dark Avenger (1955) – First French Knight Helen of Troy (1956) – Polydorus Lost (1956) – Farmer with Shotgun (uncredited) The Man Who Never Was (1956) – French (uncredited) A Hill in Korea (1956) – Private O'Brien Kill Me Tomorrow (1957) – Steve Ryan The Steel Bayonet (1957) – Company Sergeant Major Gill The Abominable Snowman (1957) – Ed Shelley Campbell's Kingdom (1957) – Ben Creasy Passport to Shame (1958) – Mike Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) – First Sergeant 'Black & Tans' Ben-Hur (1959) – Rowing Overseer (uncredited) Sink the Bismarck! (1960) – unnamed officer aboard (uncredited) The Challenge (1960) – Bob Crowther Sands of the Desert (1960) – 1st Tourist A Story of David (1961) – Jashobeam The 300 Spartans (1962) – Pentheus Live Now, Pay Later (1962) – (unconfirmed) Billy Budd (1962) – Arnold Talbot The Double, (Edgar Wallace Mysteries) – Richard Harrison Mystery Submarine (1963) – Coxswain Drage Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963) – Sam Farley The Masque of the Red Death (1964) – Guard Clash by Night (1963) – Mawsley Operation Crossbow (1965) – Air Commodore One Million Years B.C. (1966) – Akhoba Un hombre solo (1969) Private Road (1971) – Mr Halpern Fun and Games (1971) – Ralph Wreck Raisers (1972) – Cox'n Demons of the Mind (1972) – Fischinger Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976) – Otba Jesus of Nazareth (1977, TV Mini-Series) – Pharisee Warlords of Atlantis (1978) – Briggs The Passage (1979) – Major Lion of the Desert (1981) – Al Fadeel The Forgotten Story (1983, TV series) – Captain Stevens Jugando con la muerte (1982) – 2nd bodyguard