Fleming's Spy Background Created James Bond
Sir James Bond serves as Agent 007 of the British Secret Intelligence. The world was introduced to Bond in Ian Fleming’s first novel titled “Casino Royale” in 1953. “Shaken not stirred” vodka martinis, “Morland Specials” cigarettes and women have become his most recognizable traits.
It is strongly determined by biographers and Bond fans alike that Ian Fleming highly characterized Bond after himself, starting with his WW II background of British Intelligence. In his earlier years, Fleming was briefly educated at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. During this hiatus between education and career, Fleming studied foreign languages, particularly French and German; likewise Bond can speak fluent German along with his native English. During The Depression, Fleming worked as a stockbroker and as a journalist until 1939 when he joined the British Naval Intelligence. He started as a personal assistant to Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence. Fleming had numerous accomplishments while working in espionage, including forming a team called “30 AU” – the Assault Unit; Fleming called them “The Red Indians.” As a result, he quickly rose to the rank of Commander, of which he shares the rank with his literary creation.
After the war, Fleming settled down in Jamaica where he bought an estate and called it “Goldeneye”; a name recognizable by the Bond film of the same title. From his tropical home, Fleming wrote his novels – one for each year until his death in 1964.
When asked in a Reader’s Digest interview how he came up with the name, Fleming responded with, “I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, ‘James Bond’ was much better than something more interesting, like ‘Peregrine Carruthers.’”
From Fleming’s creation, spawned twenty-two classic films featuring the character, starting with “Dr.No” (1962). Fleming’s life also inspired two bio-films. One released in 1990, titled “Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming,” starred Jason Connery, son of the most beloved actors to play Bond, Sean Connery.
It is strongly determined by biographers and Bond fans alike that Ian Fleming highly characterized Bond after himself, starting with his WW II background of British Intelligence. In his earlier years, Fleming was briefly educated at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. During this hiatus between education and career, Fleming studied foreign languages, particularly French and German; likewise Bond can speak fluent German along with his native English. During The Depression, Fleming worked as a stockbroker and as a journalist until 1939 when he joined the British Naval Intelligence. He started as a personal assistant to Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence. Fleming had numerous accomplishments while working in espionage, including forming a team called “30 AU” – the Assault Unit; Fleming called them “The Red Indians.” As a result, he quickly rose to the rank of Commander, of which he shares the rank with his literary creation.
After the war, Fleming settled down in Jamaica where he bought an estate and called it “Goldeneye”; a name recognizable by the Bond film of the same title. From his tropical home, Fleming wrote his novels – one for each year until his death in 1964.
When asked in a Reader’s Digest interview how he came up with the name, Fleming responded with, “I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, ‘James Bond’ was much better than something more interesting, like ‘Peregrine Carruthers.’”
From Fleming’s creation, spawned twenty-two classic films featuring the character, starting with “Dr.No” (1962). Fleming’s life also inspired two bio-films. One released in 1990, titled “Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming,” starred Jason Connery, son of the most beloved actors to play Bond, Sean Connery.
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