Bernard Lee, a renowned character player in British films, etched his mark on the industry throughout the 1950s and 1960s, primarily as 'M' in the iconic James Bond films. Born into a theatrical family, he made his stage debut at the tender age of six and later attended the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
He first appeared on the West End stage in London in 1928, and his theatrical career spanned the 1930s, with occasional film roles. However, it wasn't until after World War II that he devoted his energies to the cinema, becoming a sought-after figure in British films of the 1950s, often portraying friendly authority figures, including army sergeants, police detectives, and navy officers.
Detectives became a specialty of sorts, with Lee playing the role in over a dozen films, including The Blue Lamp (1950),Beat the Devil (1953),and The Detective (1954). In the early 1960s, he made regular appearances as police detectives in The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959) second feature series, often portraying "Inspector Meredith." He also made memorable appearances in The Third Man (1949),Operation Disaster (1950),Glory at Sea (1952),Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956),Dunkirk (1958),and Whistle Down the Wind (1961).
Lee was cast against type in only two films, as the union agitator in The Angry Silence (1960),and as a disgruntled civil servant who becomes a spy for the Russians in Ring of Treason (1964).
In 1962, he made his debut as the head of the British secret service in the inaugural James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). He went on to feature in the next ten films in the series, appearing alongside Sean Connery, George Lazenby, and later, Roger Moore as Bond, cementing his status as the definitive "M" in the eyes of many Bond fans.
