George Lazenby, renowned for his role as James Bond in the 1969 film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," has announced his retirement from acting.
In an update Thursday, the 84-year-old actor shared that "getting older has taken its toll." His message came in a heartfelt post on X in which he reflected on his career, calling it a "fun ride" while sharing his hopes to spend more time with his family.
"This hasn't been an easy decision but it's time to announce my retirement from work," he said.
"Therefore, I won't be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs as of today. It's been a fun ride but getting older is no fun."
Lazenby went on to thank his manager and friend, Anders Frejdh, "for helping me since 2013," noting that he was "the best representative I ever had."
"I can now concentrate on spending more time with my family. I sincerely thank everyone out there for your love and support over the years. It has meant a lot to me. George xx," he said.
Lazenby was the second actor to play the famous MI6 agent James Bond, following Sean Connery. Lazenby only played the role for a short time before Connery returned for "Diamonds Are Forever" in 1971, Deadline reported.
Acclaimed filmmakers including Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderbergh however, have sung their praise for Lazenby's performance in the film, the Daily Mail reported.
Lazenby stood out because he was the second actor to portray Agent 007 and at age 29, he was the youngest, the outlet noted, adding that he received $50K for the film.
He was offered a contract for six more Bond movies but turned it down on the advice of his agent, Ronan O'Rahilly, the Daily Mail reported.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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