What Happened to the Original “James Bond” Cast? Inside Their Lives After “Dr. No”
What Happened to the Original “James Bond” Cast? Inside Their Lives After “Dr. No”
Nicole BrieseSat, November 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Sean Connery and Ursula Andress in ‘Dr. No’Credit: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock -
The original James Bond movie, titled Dr. No, premiered in 1962
The film launched Sean Connery into a global star and was the first of his many runs as James Bond
Connery was joined by Ursula Andress, Lois Maxwell, Bernard Lee and more
Few film franchises throughout history can match the impact of James Bond.
Spanning more than 20 films, six leading men and countless Bond Girls, the adventures of the British Secret Service agent make up one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The swanky spy from Ian Fleming’s book series was first brought to life with 1962’s Dr. No. Opening with Sean Connery’s now-famous introduction, ‘Bond. James Bond,’ ” the film presented the character to the public as a modern-day action hero with his sharp sense of style and dark, deadpan humor.
“Humor was one element that was missing from the books of Fleming himself,” Connery, who played the original Bond, previously told IndieWire.
The film was an instant commercial success and launched the careers of several of its stars, including its leading lady, Ursula Andress.
So, what happened to the original James Bond cast? Here’s everything to know about their lives after Dr. No.
01 of 09
Sean Connery
Sean Connery in ‘Dr. No’; Sean Connery at the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Al Pacino at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on June 7, 2007.Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty; Stephen Shugerman/Getty
Dr. No kicked off Connery’s years-long reign as the franchise’s leading man.
While Connery starred in dozens of films before landing the role of Bond, the film launched the Scottish actor to superstardom. “It was refreshing and had a certain kind of style,” he told IndieWire of the movie.
He reprised his role as Bond in the sequels From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Though he took a break for the sixth film, for which the role was played by George Lazenby, Connery returned for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever before passing the Bond torch to Roger Moore. He did, however, return in the 1983 independent film Never Say Never Again, marking his final appearance in the role.
The franchise led to other big roles for the actor, including 1996’s The Rock, 1987’s The Untouchables, for which he won an Oscar, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and more.
Connery was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2000, telling reporters it was one of the “proudest days” of his life, per CBS News. He eventually retired from acting and largely stayed out of the spotlight in his final years.
In his personal life, Connery welcomed a son, Jason Connery, with his first wife, Diane Cilento, whom he divorced in 1973. He then married Micheline Roquebrune and became a stepfather to her three children.
The actor died at age 90 on Oct. 31, 2020. Micheline then shared that Connery had been diagnosed with dementia leading up to his death, telling the Daily Mail that he “got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.”
02 of 09
Joseph Wiseman
Joseph Wiseman in ‘Dr No’Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty
As Bond’s first adversary, Joseph Wiseman’s Dr. Julius No was a memorable character despite getting roughly 20 minutes of screen time in the film, per The Guardian.
Wiseman landed the role after his friend Noël Coward turned it down, per the outlet. “I had no idea what I was letting myself in for,” he said of the villainous No. “I had no idea it would achieve the success it did. … As far as I was concerned, I thought it might be just another grade-B Charlie Chan mystery.”
The actor continued appearing on the big and small screen in the years to follow, gaining acclaim for his roles in 1971’s Lawman and on NBC’s Crime Story in the mid-to-late ‘80s. Wiseman also held many roles on Broadway, his latest role being the 2001 stage adaptation of the 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg.
On Oct. 19, 2009, Wiseman died at 91 at his New York home. According to The New York Times, his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, said his health had been declining at the time.
He shared Martha with his first wife, Nell Kinard. His second wife, Pearl Lang, died just a few months before him in February 2009, per the outlet.
03 of 09
Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress in ‘Dr. No’; Ursula Andress at the 12th Rome Film Fest at Hotel Bernini Bristol in Rome on Nov. 1, 2017.Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Venturelli/Getty
Andress is known as the very first Bond Girl, cementing the actress’ place in film history.
“As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles, and to become financially independent,” Andress said of the role, per Christie’s.
She also addressed her character Honey Ryder’s famed ivory bikini, which later sold for thousands of dollars at auction, saying, “This bikini made me into a success.”
The actress, who won a Golden Globe in 1964 for New Star of the Year for her Dr. No performance, went on to land a role in 1963’s Fun in Acapulco as Marguerita Dauphin alongside Elvis Presley.
She also starred in the 1967 Bond parody Casino Royale and took on leading roles in 1965’s She and 1981’s The Clash of the Titans.
Andress, who divorced actor John Derek in 1966, became romantically involved with costar Harry Hamlin while filming Clash of the Titans. Hamlin played Perseus, while she portrayed Aphrodite.
Their romance led them to welcome a son, Dimitri Hamlin, in 1980, though the couple called it quits by 1983.
Andress eventually retired from filmmaking, with her final role being her portrayal of Madonna in 2005’s St. Francis Birds Tour. By 2018, she had moved to her native Switzerland, where she told The Sunday Post she was still exploring creative pursuits.
“I am much more into art these days, it has always been a first love,” she told the outlet that October. “I like photography too and my photographs have been published in a number of international magazines. I am very proud of that.”
In January 2026, Andress filed a criminal complaint against her late wealth manager Eric Freymond’s estate. She claimed that his estate defrauded her out of $23 million. By March, PEOPLE reported that $20 million of her assets had been recovered.
04 of 09
Lois Maxwell
Lois Maxwell in ‘Dr. No’ (1962); Lois Maxwell in 2001.Credit: Pictorial Press/Alamy; Richard Chambury/Globe Photos/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Lois Maxwell was a mainstay in the Bond universe, reprising her role as M’s secretary Miss Moneypenny 14 times.
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Though she tasted success early on in her career, earning a Golden Globe for Best Performance of the Year by a Newcomer (Actress) for 1947’s That Hagen Girl, she faced struggles through the early 1960s before landing her most famous role of all.
Per The Washington Post, Maxwell, who was married to Peter Marriott, was struggling with a “desperately ill” husband, “two small children and no money” when she called in a favor from director Terence Young.
“I called producers I had worked with before and said, ‘Help me,’ ” she said. Per the outlet, Young gave her the choice of two roles in the first Bond film, and she decided on Moneypenny.
Maxwell made her last on-screen appearance in 2001 in the thriller The Fourth Angel. She died on Sept. 29, 2007, following a cancer diagnosis, per The Washington Post.
05 of 09
Bernard Lee
Bernard Lee in ‘Dr. No’ (1962); Bernard Lee in 1979.Credit: Prime Video; Harry Myers/Shutterstock
As the fictional chief of the secret intelligence service, Bernard Lee’s character “M” also endured throughout much of the film’s franchise.
Lee, who starred in more than 100 films throughout his career, was a well-established actor prior to his work in the Bond series, with credits in films such as 1940’s Spare a Copper and 1961’s Whistle Down the Wind.
The actor had a huge hand in M’s longevity, acting in nearly a dozen Bond films between 1962 and 1979.
Following a cancer diagnosis, he died at 73 in January 1981 and was survived by his wife, Ursula, per The New York Times. He also had a daughter from his first marriage.
06 of 09
Jack Lord
Jack Lord in ‘Dr. No’; Jack Lord at the Regency Hotel in New York City.Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jack Lord, who was born John Joseph Patrick Ryan, was the first of several actors to play the role of CIA operative Felix Leiter in an Eon Productions Bond film.
Lord’s most famous role came after Dr. No when he landed the leading role of Detective Steve McGarrett in the CBS hit Hawaii Five-0.
“This show will be it for me. I’ll never leave the islands. They’ll have to carry me out,” the actor, who also directed some episodes, told TV Guide in 1971, per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
When the series ended in 1980 after twelve seasons, Lord starred in and directed M Station: Hawaii, a failed CBS pilot that aired in 1980 as a TV movie.
In his later years, he painted, traveled and became involved with causes such as Save the Whales while continuing to live in Hawaii.
After living with Alzheimer’s disease for at least seven years, Lord died from congestive heart failure in January 1998 at age 77. He was survived by his second wife, Marie de Narde, whom he married in 1949.
He was previously married to Ann Willard and they welcomed a son, John Joseph Ryan Jr., who died at age 13.
07 of 09
John Kitzmiller
John Kitzmiller in ‘Dr. No’Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
John Kitzmiller portrayed Quarrel, a local boatman who aids Bond’s character in Dr. No.
Kitzmiller, a World War II veteran, was involved in over 40 films in Italy through his decades-long career.
Shortly after marrying Dusia Bejic, Kitzmiller died in 1965 following a liver ailment, per Jet Magazine.
08 of 09
Zena Marshall
Zena Marshall in ‘Dr. No’; Zena Marshall in London on Oct. 5, 2008.Credit: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Shutterstock
Zena Marshall played Miss Taro, a secretary who works as a spy for Dr. No and has an affair with Bond.
The British actress had several credits prior to landing the part, including roles in 1949’s Meet Simon Cherry and 1953’s Deadly Nightshade, but continued acting after her portrayal of Miss Taro. Five years after Dr. No was released, Marshall appeared in her last film, 1967’s The Terrornauts.
In her personal life, the actress married her third husband, producer Ivan Foxwell, in 1991. They remained married until his death in 2002, per The Guardian.
Marshall died on July 10, 2009.
09 of 09
Anthony Dawson
Anthony Dawson in ‘Dr. No’Credit: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock
Scottish star Anthony Dawson’s character Professor R.J. Dent met his untimely demise at the hands of Bond in Dr. No, but not before sneaking a venomous tarantula into the hero’s room.
Dawson was a regular in director Young’s projects, starring in 1950’s They Were Not Divided and 1966’s Triple Cross, among others.
He also worked with Alfred Hitchcock, starring alongside now-Princess Grace Kelly in 1954’s Dial M for Murder.
Though his character was killed in the first film, Dawson returned for several more Bond movies in other roles and capacities.
Dawson died at age 75 in January 1992.
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