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Born: September 12, 1914 – Died: December 19, 1999
Desmond Llewelyn, a celebrated actor born in South Wales in 1914, was the son of a coal mining engineer. His early passion for the stage was evident in high school, where he worked as a stagehand and took small acting parts. Despite his family's efforts to steer him away from acting, Llewelyn's uncle, a high-ranking police officer, arranged for him to take a police exam, which he failed due to an eye test. This failure led him to contemplate a career in the ministry, but a retreat made it clear that his heart was set on acting.
Early Life and Career
Llewelyn was accepted into the Royal Academy for the Dramatic Arts in the mid-1930s, but his acting career was interrupted by World War II . He served as a second lieutenant in the British army and was captured by the Germans, spending five years as a prisoner of war.
After the war, Llewelyn returned to London and revived his acting career. His most iconic role was as 'Q' in the James Bond film series, beginning in 1963 with "From Russia with Love." He appeared as 'Q' in every Eon Productions Bond film, except "Live and Let Die." Llewelyn's portrayal of 'Q', the head of Q branch (the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service), was beloved by fans for his dry wit and ingenious spy gadgets.
Llewelyn's acting career spanned over 50 years with more than 140 acting credits. He was known for his roles in "The Spy Who Loved Me," "Octopussy," and "GoldenEye." Despite his extensive filmography, his total on-screen time in the Bond series was just over 30 minutes.
In his personal life, Llewelyn was married to Pamela Mary Pantlin from 1938 until his death in 1999, and the couple had two children. Known for his humility and gentle nature, Llewelyn was not involved in any major scandals or controversies.
Llewelyn died in a road accident in East Sussex, England, in 1999. His legacy in the film industry, particularly as 'Q' in the James Bond series, cemented his status as an iconic figure in Hollywood. His contributions to the Bond series and his enduring appeal to audiences of multiple generations have made him a revered figure in the world of cinema.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Reach Electric Toothbrushes Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q | Self |
| 1999 | License to Thrill (Short) | Q |
| 1999 | Die Millennium-Katastrophe - Computer-Crash 2000 (TV Movie) | Peregrin Morley |
| 1999 | The World Is Not Enough | Q |
| 1999 | Heineken 'The World Is Not Enough' Television Commercial (Video) | Q |
| 1998 | James Bond Prop Replicas Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q | Self |
| 1998 | Tomorrow Never Dies: The Mission Continues Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Commercial (Video) | Q | Self |
| 1997 | TV3 007 Bondfever Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q |
| 1997 | LG Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q |
| 1997 | Tomorrow Never Dies | Q |
| 1997 | Visa 'Tomorrow Never Dies' Television Commercial (Video) | Q |
| 1997 | Taboo (Short) | Unknown |
| 1996 | Hyundai Elantra Kombi Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q |
| 1996 | GoldenEye Sell-Thru Video Release Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q | Self |
| 1995 | GoldenEye | Q |
| 1993 | Merlin | Professor Mycroft |
| 1990 | James Bond: Q's Armoury (Video Game) | Q (voice) |
| 1990 | James Bond 007 Action Pack (Video Game) | Q (Q's Armoury) (voice) |
| 1990 | Highland Superstores Desmond Llewelyn 'Q' Television Commercial (Video) | Q | Self |
| 1989 | Licence to Kill | Q |
| 1988 | Prisoner of Rio | Commissioner Ingram |
| 1987 | The Living Daylights: The Computer Game (Video Game) | Q (voice) |
| 1987 | The Living Daylights | Q |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Q |
| 1983 | Octopussy | Q |
| 1982 | Play for Today (TV Series) | Official in Dream |
| 1981 | For Your Eyes Only | Q |
| 1981 | The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (TV Mini Series) | Lord Lansdowne (as Desmond Llewellyn) |
| 1979–1980 | BBC2 Playhouse (TV Series) | Papa | Major Bill Whittall |
| 1980 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (TV Movie) | Sir Danvers Carew |
| 1979 | The Golden Lady | Professor Dixon |
| 1979 | Moonraker | Q |
| 1979 | Hazell (TV Series) | Bell |
| 1978 | Lillie (TV Mini Series) | Lord Dudley |
| 1978 | Wilde Alliance (TV Series) | Colonel Thripp |
| 1977 | Eustace and Hilda (TV Series) | Sir John Staveley |
| 1977 | The Spy Who Loved Me | Q |
| 1976 | The Onedin Line (TV Series) | President |
| 1976 | Wodehouse Playhouse (TV Series) | Rev. Sidney Gooch |
| 1975 | A Man in the Zoo (TV Movie) | Chairman |
| 1975 | The Love School (TV Series) | Thomas Combe |
| 1974 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 'Q' |
| 1974 | The Pallisers (TV Mini Series) | Speaker |
| 1974 | The Nine Tailors (TV Mini Series) | Sir Charles Thorpe |
| 1973 | Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (TV Series) | Air Commodore Drew |
| 1971–1973 | Follyfoot (TV Series) | The Colonel |
| 1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | 'Q' |
| 1971 | Softly Softly: Task Force (TV Series) | Somers |
| 1971 | Doomwatch (TV Series) | Thompson |
| 1970 | Codename (TV Series) | Barrett |
| 1969 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 'Q' |
| 1968 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Coggins |
| 1960–1968 | Dixon of Dock Green (TV Series) | Dr. Pearce | Bank Manager | Det. Insp. Jones |
| 1968 | City '68 (TV Series) | Headmaster |
| 1968 | Virgin of the Secret Service (TV Series) | Count Kolinsky |
| 1967 | Mickey Dunne (TV Series) | Lord Boutard |
| 1967 | You Only Live Twice | 'Q' |
| 1967 | Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond (TV Movie) | Q |
| 1961–1967 | Emergency-Ward 10 (TV Series) | Constable | Fergus de la Roux |
| 1965 | Thunderball | 'Q' |
| 1965 | Moulded in Earth (TV Series) | Squire |
| 1965 | The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders | Jailer (uncredited) |
| 1965 | Secret Agent (TV Series) | Charles - Doorman |
| 1964 | Gideon C.I.D. (TV Series) | Commander - Traffic Division (uncredited) |
| 1964 | The Sullavan Brothers (TV Series) | Colonel Barlow |
| 1964 | *Goldfinger* | 'Q' |
| 1964 | The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (TV Series) | Member of Council |
| 1964 | The Plane Makers (TV Series) | John Webb |
| 1963 | Silent Playground | Dr. Green |
| 1959–1963 | No Hiding Place (TV Series) | Murgatroyd | Supt. Hitchcock |
| 1963 | From Russia with Love | Boothroyd |
| 1963 | Suspense (TV Series) | Company Spokesman | Ian MacDonald | President of the Court |
| 1963 | Cleopatra | Senator (uncredited) |
| 1962 | Probation Officer (TV Series) | Mr. Forbes |
| 1962 | The Pirates of Blood River | Tom Blackthorne (uncredited) |
| 1962 | The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (TV Movie) | Frank Misquith, QC, MP |
| 1962 | Only Two Can Play | Clergyman on Bus (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Stryker of the Yard (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1961 | The Curse of the Werewolf | 1st Footman (uncredited) |
| 1961 | Deadline Midnight (TV Series) | Police Sergeant |
| 1961 | The House Under the Water (TV Mini Series) | Colonel Tregaron |
| 1960 | Sword of Sherwood Forest | Wounded Fugitive (uncredited) |
| 1960 | Garry Halliday (TV Series) | Psychiatrist |
| 1960 | Saturday Playhouse (TV Series) | Sergeant Harris |
| 1960 | How Green Was My Valley (TV Mini Series) | Mr. Evans |
| 1959 | Private Investigator (TV Series) | Police Constable Jones (as Desmond Llewellyn) |
| 1959 | Call Me Sam (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1959 | Sapphire | Police Constable (uncredited) |
| 1959 | A Farthing Damages (TV Movie) | O'Connor |
| 1959 | ITV Play of the Week (TV Series) | John Redmond |
| 1958–1959 | Murder Bag (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1959 | Barbed Wire and Bracken (TV Movie) | The Rector |
| 1958 | Corridors of Blood | Assistant at Operations (uncredited) |
| 1958 | The Invisible Man (TV Series) | Det. Sergeant |
| 1958 | Further Up the Creek | Chief Yeoman (uncredited) |
| 1958 | Queen's Champion (TV Mini Series) | Lord Bretherton |
| 1958 | The Sky Larks (TV Series) | Police Sgt. Ryan |
| 1958 | A Night to Remember | Seaman at Steerage Gate (uncredited) |
| 1958 | The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV Series) | Two Fingers |
| 1958 | Black Furrow (TV Movie) | Fuller |
| 1957 | Thunder in the West (TV Series) | King James II |
| 1957 | Escape (TV Series) | Group Captain Cassidy, DSO, MC |
| 1957 | Boyd Q.C. (TV Series) | McCracken |
| 1957 | The Soldier and the Gentlewoman (TV Movie) | Philip Vaughan |
| 1955 | The Leakage (TV Movie) | Wing-Commander Stone |
| 1955 | Spider's Web (TV Movie) | Constable Jones |
| 1955 | Tim Driscoll's Donkey | Dr. Murphy (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Devil's Jest | Policeman on Bicycle |
| 1954 | Patrol Car (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1954 | The Gentle Falcon (TV Series) | Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk |
| 1954 | Tyrant's Tower (TV Movie) | 2nd Surveyor |
| 1953 | Bunty Wins a Pup (Short) | Mr. Brown |
| 1953 | Stryker of the Yard | Unknown |
| 1953 | Operation Diplomat | Police Constable at barrier (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Knights of the Round Table | A Herald (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Valley of Song | Lloyd - Schoolmaster |
| 1953 | Both Sides of the Law | Police Constable (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Huckleberry Finn (TV Series) | Harvey Wilks |
| 1952 | My Wife Jacqueline (TV Series) | Keith Appleyard |
| 1952 | How Does It End? (TV Series) | Sydney Carton | Charles Darnay |
| 1952 | The Locked Room (TV Movie) | Stephen Amesbury |
| 1952 | The Twelfth Brother (TV Movie) | Reuben |
| 1952 | BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (TV Series) | Pandimiglio |
| 1951 | The Lavender Hill Mob | Customs Officer (uncredited) |
| 1950 | The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (TV Movie) | Mr. Hyde |
| 1950 | They Were Not Divided | '77 Jones |
| 1950 | Guilt Is My Shadow | Pub customer (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Amazing Mr. Beecham | First Guardsman (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Adam and Evalyn | Barman in Restaurant (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Good Companions (TV Movie) | Policeman at Ribsden | Mr. Gooch |
| 1948 | *Hamlet* | Extra (uncredited) |
| 1948 | A Comedy of Good and Evil (TV Movie) | Owain Flatfish |
| 1947 | A Midsummer Night's Dream (TV Movie) | Theseus |
| 1947 | Saloon Bar (TV Movie) | Peter | Police Constable |
| 1947 | Captain Boycott | Gentleman on Train (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Murder Rap (TV Movie) | Inspector Fearon |
| 1946 | A Midsummer Night's Dream (TV Movie) | Theseus |
| 1946 | As You Like It (TV Movie) | Duke |
| 1939 | Ask a Policeman | Headless Coachman (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Campbell of Kilmhor (TV Movie) | Captain Sandeman |