Hollywood actor who inspired James Bond character is real life WWII Nazi hunter

Ian Fleming created the famous super-spy James Bond by basing the 007 series on Hollywood actor Christopher Lee.

Sir Christopher Lee plays one of the most iconic Bond villains, Scaramanga, in The Man With The Golden Gun but he is actually step-cousin to Ian Fleming.

Fleming, who was an intelligence officer in the war, admitted that Lee’s days as a spy are what inspired him to create the Bond series.

Before becoming a horror star, Lee served in WWII as an intelligence officer and for a short period as a Nazi hunter.

He spent the final months of the war, assisting in tracing Nazi war crimes suspects.

Lee later starred in many movie roles playing monsters and villains, before he died aged 93 in 2015.

The first book Fleming created was Casino Royale. President Kennedy loved it which made Fleming the biggest-selling crime writer in the US at the time.

In later years, Fleming knew the money was in the movies and cast Roger Moore as his leading super-spy.

The author, who also created the famous Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novel, only lived to see the first two Bond films created and died in 1964.

The latest Bond film No Time to Die starring Daniel Craig is being released on September 30, this will be Craig's final movie as the 007 characters after 15 years.

It’s safe to say that Bond fans have been waiting a long time for No Time To Die to finally see the light of day, but after numerous delays, the release date is finally imminent.

The 2021 movie will introduce the first female 00 agents, played by actress Lashana Lynch.

Daniel Craig’s final adventure as the iconic secret agent is shaping up to be epic, with its 2 hours 43-minute runtime making it the longest ever 007 film.

Multiple bets have already been put on who will replace Daniel in the role.

The 52-year-old admitted that he doesn't think the character should be replaced by a woman as women deserve their own roles designed for them.

Talking in a candid interview with Radio Times, Daniel insisted that the part should go to a male actor next.

The Bond actor said: "There should simply be better parts for women and actors of colour.

"Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?" he questioned.

Die Another Day star and Oscar winner Halle Berry also believes the role should go to a male performer and previously expressed her opinion while on Entertainment Tonight in 2017.

The star said: "That series is steeped in history… you know, Ian Fleming's stories. I don't think you can change Bond to a woman."

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