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Bernard Lee

Highest Rated: 100% The Fallen Idol (1948)

Lowest Rated: 40% The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)

Birthday: Jan 10, 1908

Birthplace: Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK

An English actor whose screen career spanned more than 100 roles on film and television over nearly five decades, Bernard Lee was best remembered for his recurring appearances as 'M," the no-nonsense head of the British Secret Service in the first 11 James Bond films. The son of a music hall performer, Lee trained with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art prior to launching a prolific stage career in London's West End. Early film roles usually saw him cast as either a policeman or military officer in such features as "The Third Man" (1949) and "Seagulls over Sorrento" (1954), but it was with a relatively minor appearance as Bond's superior in "Dr. No" (1962) that indelibly linked him to Ian Fleming's legacy. For most of the two decades that followed, Lee steadily took on roles in projects like "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965), but increasingly it appeared as though audiences and producers alike only saw him as the authoritarian MI6 chief. Two years after appearing as M for the final time in "Moonraker" (1979), Lee succumbed to cancer. Although he was eventually replaced in the role, for the majority of die hard Bond fans, Bernard Lee would always be considered the one true personification of the man known as M.

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Highest rated movies

100% 88% The Fallen Idol
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100% 77% Last Holiday
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99% 93% The Third Man Watchlist
99% 89% 007: Goldfinger
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97% 84% From Russia With Love
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95% 82% Dr. No
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92% 91% Whistle Down the Wind
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86% 82% The Spy Who Came in From the Cold Watchlist
85% 73% Thunderball
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83% 69% The Blue Lamp
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective Sergeant Ben (Character) - 1981
59% 43% Moonraker M (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Present (Character) - 1977
82% 77% The Spy Who Loved Me M (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Christmas Carol Unknown (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Beauty and the Beast Edward Beaumont (Character) - 1976
63% 49% Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell Tarmut (Character) - 1974
40% 55% The Man With the Golden Gun M (Character) - 1974
67% 64% Live and Let Die M (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Man Who Died Twice Francis Cumberland (Character) - 1973
64% 57% Diamonds Are Forever M (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet 92% Long Ago Tomorrow Uncle Bob (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dulcima Mr Gaskain (Character) - 1971
81% 64% On Her Majesty's Secret Service M (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet 16% Crossplot Chilmore (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Clue of the Twisted Candle Supt. Meredith (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet 17% Operation Kid Brother Commander Cunningham (Character) - 1967
74% 69% 007 - You Only Live Twice M (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Legend of Young Dick Turpin Jeremiah (Character) - 1966
86% 82% The Spy Who Came in From the Cold Patmore (Character) - 1965
85% 73% Thunderball M (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Man in a Looking Glass Morgan Travis (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Place to Go Matt Flint (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Saturday Night Out George Hudson (Character) - 1964
99% 89% 007: Goldfinger M (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ring of Treason Henry Houghton (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Who Was Maddox? Superintendent Meredith (Character) - 1964
97% 84% From Russia With Love M (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fury at Smugglers Bay Black John (Character) - 1963
67% 83% The L-Shaped Room Charlie (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Brain Dr. Frank Shears (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Share Out Supt. Meredith (Character) - 1962
95% 82% Dr. No M (Character) - 1962
92% 91% Whistle Down the Wind Bostock (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Partners in Crime Inspector Mann (Character) - 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cone of Silence Capt. George Gort (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Trouble in the Sky Capt. George Gort (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Clue of the Silver Key Supt. Meredith (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet 17% The Secret Partner Det. Supt. Frank Hanbury (Character) - 1961
80% 79% The Angry Silence Connolly (Character) - 1960
No Score Yet 53% Kidnapped Captain Hoseason (Character) - 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Beyond This Place Patrick Mathry (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet Web of Evidence Patrick Mathry (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 50% Breakout Lt. Col. Huxley (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Man Upstairs Inspector Thompson (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 73% Dunkirk Charles (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 58% The Key Cmdr. Wadlow (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 70% Nowhere to Go Victor Sloane/Lee Henderson (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 28% Fire Down Below Dr Sam (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 85% Across the Bridge Chief Inspector Hadden (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet Out of the Clouds Customs Officer (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 44% The Spanish Gardener Leighton Bailey (Character) - 1957
82% 70% Pursuit of the Graf Spee Captain Dove (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 56% The Ship That Died of Shame The Customs Officer (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Crest of the Wave Seaman `'Lofty'` Turner (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet 61% The Purple Plain Dr. Harris (Character) - 1954
57% 62% The Detective Inspector Valentine (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Yellow Balloon Constable Chapman (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 30% The Gift Horse A.S. "Stripey" Wood (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet Island Rescue Brigadier (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 0% Calling Bulldog Drummond Col. Webson (Character) - 1951
100% 77% Last Holiday Inspector Wilton (Character) - 1950
83% 69% The Blue Lamp Inspector Cherry (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 50% Odette Jack (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cage of Gold Inspector Grey (Character) - 1950
99% 93% The Third Man Sergeant Paine (Character) $447.0K 1949
100% 88% The Fallen Idol Detective Hart (Character) $58.1K 1948
No Score Yet 62% Quartet Prison Visitor (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet Elizabeth of Ladymead John Beresford in 1903 (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Courtney Affair Colonel Gascoyne (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet No Score Yet Spare a Copper Jake (Character) - 1940
No Score Yet No Score Yet Murder in the Night Roy Barnes (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Let George Do It Oscar (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Frozen Limits Bill McGrew (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Terror Ferdy Fane (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rhodes Cartwright (Character) - 1936

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Man in a Suitcase Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rheingold Theatre Rudi Lankert (Character) 1955