Late Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn was best known as Q in 17 of the James Bond films from 1963 to 1999. He served Great Britain as a second lieutenant in the British Army during the Second World War, but was captured by the German Army in France and was held in prison for five years.
Desmond Llewelyn's Early Life
Welsh actor Desmond Wilkinson was born Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn on 12 September 1914 in Newport, Wales. He was born to father Ivor Llewelyn, a coal mining engineer, and mother, Mia Wilkinson. He was British as per his nationality.
Llewelyn studied at the Radley College. He wanted to be an engineer during his early teen, however, he was fascinated by acting while he worked as a stagehand in the school's productions and performed some small roles occasionally.
Desmond Llewelyn's Career
Desmond Llewelyn's growing career in acting halted during the Second World War when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the British Army He served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, but within a year, the German Army captured him in France and was held as a prisoner in Colditz Castle in Germany for five long years.
A few years after he was released from the prison, he was cast in the 1950 war film They Were Not Divided, in which he played a tank gunner. His work with director Terence Young in the film earned him his breakthrough role of Q. Starting from From Russia with Love in 1963, he was cast as Q in every EON Bond film except the 1973's Live and Let Die in which the character Q didn't appear.
His last work in the James Bond movies came in The World Is Not Enough in 1999. He shared the screen with actors Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and others in the James Bond films.
Besides his work in James Bond movies, he played in some television series that included an episode of The Adventures of Robin Hood. His other film credits included The Lavender Hill Mob, Cleopatra, Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde, and The Curse of the Werewolf.
Desmond Llewelyn's Personal Life And Death
Desmond Llewelyn was one of the most admired television and film actors in the 80s and the 90s. Despite his overwhelming popularity, he had maintained a secret lifestyle. He was married to his sweetheart Pamela Mary Pantlin from 1938 to his death.
The then-lovebirds got married before Llewelyn was deployed as the second lieutenant in the world war. They gave birth to two children in their sweet and romantic married life that spanned through six decades.
Death
Llewelyn was driving to his home from a book signing event on 19 December 1999, when his blue Renault Megane collided with a bronze Fiat Bravo on the A27 in East Sussex.
Llewelyn was swiftly taken to the Eastbourne District General Hospital in a helicopter where he died shortly after at the age of 85. The 35-year-old driver in the Fiat was seriously injured.
His wife, Pamela Llewelyn died two years later in East Sussex at 85, and in 2012, his son Justin Llewelyn died aged 59.
Desmond Llewelyn's Net Worth
Desmond Llewelyn was hugely appreciated for his role in the James Bond franchise. According to the sources, he was not paid great, however, through his extensive acting career, he earned a good sum of money which, at the time of his death, can be estimated to range in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In 2016, Daily Mail reported Desmond Llewelyn's Bexhill-on-sea mansion was up for sale. According to its report, the five bedrooms and two bathrooms mansion was listed for £625,000 ($782,909).
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