A tradgic accident occured after Desmond Llewelyn, who played gadgetry expert "Q" in a
string of James Bond films, was killed in a car crash Sunday, November 19, 1999. It was said
that he was driving home from a booksigning to promote his autobiography in East Sussex,
south of London, when his car collided head-on with another. Desmond suffered massive multiple
injuries. He was airlifted from the scene and, along with two others, was taken to hospital,
where he died.
Llewelyn co-starred with four of the five Bonds in 17 of the 19 Bond films, including the
latest, ``The World is Not Enough.'' He made the part his own, becoming an institution almost
better loved than Bond himself. He debuted in the 1963 film ``From Russia With Love,'' with
the first of his gadgets, a booby-trapped suitcase. But Llewelyn himself hated contraptions.
``I loathe gadgets,'' he admitted at a promotion for the latest Bond movie. ``They always go
wrong. I'm just hopeless with gadgets.''
Connery Was ``Perfect'' Bond
Of the five actors to play Bond, Llewelyn picked Sean Connery as perfect in the part. ``George
Lazenby played it straight and well. Roger Moore was much lighter and more jokey. It was a
rather camp portrayal, with a lot more emphasis on humour, but it worked,'' he said. ``Timothy
Dalton was Ian Fleming's Bond -- a real character. His confidence and surliness were straight
from the books. It was brave but people didn't like it.'' And of current 007, Pierce Brosnan,
he said: ``He is extremely good. He has the right look and manner.''
Llewelyn's character was due to be retired from Her Majesty's Secret Service and written out of
the Bond films. Signing off in ``The World is Not Enough,'' he will be replaced by sidekick R,
played by John Cleese.
Lovable Q
Q's character solidified into one of rattled impatience and quiet desperation and the scripts
were generous with witty one-liners. But the role remained little more than a bit part, though
with the gadets becoming even more important accessories than the Bond women, Q became the
best-loved role. ``What you saw in the films is what he was. He was a kind, very lovable man,
and as a father he was great,'' Llewelyn's son Ivor told Sky Television on Sunday. ``He always
wanted to be an actor, from about age 16. He had some opposition from his parents so he tried
being an accountant but wasn't cut out for it -- so he went to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic
Arts) when he was 20. Llewelyn, the son of a Welsh coalminer, was alone in the blue Renault
Megane when it crashed. The two others hurt in the accident, a 35-year-old man and his female
companion, were still in hospital with minor injuries. ``Weather wasn't a factor in the
accident,'' the police spokeswoman said, declining to comment on a possible cause of the crash.
Llewelyn endured five years as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War Two. He is survived
by his wife of 61 years, Pamela, mother to his two sons. She has Alzheimer's disease and lives
in a nursing home.