007 moneypenny yacht

James Bond 007 location traveling since 2010.

Visiting Bond boat “Manticore” from GoldenEye

Manticore is a luxury yacht seen in “ GoldenEye ” (1995). But what is it for real and where is it now? 007 Travelers found out.

In “ GoldenEye ” Moneypenny ( Samantha Bond ) tells Bond ( Pierce Brosnan ): “Yacht “Manticore” is leased to a known Janus corporate front.” And Bond receives a message which says: “Manticore is possibly heavily armed to military level 248-(AZ)”.

Manticore’s real name is Northern Cross and it is a motor yacht with a length of 43.25m. The yacht’s builder is Marinteknik Verkstads AB from Sweden who delivered superyacht Northern Cross in 1991. The superyacht has a beam of 7.98m, a draft of 1.5m and a volume of 330 GT.

The Northern Cross features exterior design by  Tor Hinders , with naval architecture by Marinteknik Verkstads AB. Up to 10 guests are accommodated on board the superyacht Northern Cross, and she also has accommodation for 8 crew members including the captain of Northern Cross. The yacht Northern Cross has a aluminium hull and aluminium superstructure. She is powered by 2 Caterpillar Inc engines, which give her a cruising speed of 18.0 kn and a top speed of 24.0 kn. The yacht has a speed of 18.0 kn. The yacht carries 36,000 liters of fuel on board, and 8,000 liters of water.

In the movie “ GoldenEye ” the yacht is located in the harbour of Monaco and Bond first sees it in the evening, when he is following Xenia Onatopp ( Famke Janssen ) after she leaves Monte Carlo Casino. Bond is observing her with his binoculars standing in Fort Antoine Theatre. More about that filming location here

Next morning Bond visits inside the yacht and finds the the dead body of Admiral Chuck Farrell ( Billy J. Mitchell ) who is killed by Xenia,.

007 Travelers found the yacht in the summer of 2022 at the harbour of Mariehamn (Maarianhamina), Finland.

Mariehamn  Finnish:  Maarianhamina is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded by Jomala, the second largest municipality in Åland in terms of population; to the east it is bordered by Lemland. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language. Read more here (Wikipedia)

See more OTHER 007 RELATED NEWS here

About The Author

Pirita and Mika travel around the world searching for James Bond filming locations. Since 2010.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pirita and Mika, Finland´s first James Bond bloggers, visiting 007 filming and book locations.

007 Travelers respects your privacy. All the collected information at this site will be kept confidential.

Your email or any other information you give to 007 travelers will be held with the utmost care, and will not be used in ways that you have not agreed to..

Moneypenny looking back at the fleet pre-start | Credit: CYCA/Salty Dingo

Rolex Sydney Hobart – Spirits remain high on URM Group in tight race for third

The fight for third place on Line Honours in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is unravelling into a thriller, with URM Group looking ahead and behind at their rivals.

While buoyed after taking third place on line from the RP66 Alive (Tas) shortly before midday, the URM Group, an RP72, is also wary about the danger of the Moneypenny.

URM Group and Alive had been in a close fight for third place all morning, but looming behind them and closer to shore in fifth place was Moneypenny, a RP69.

At 1430hrs, URM Group, Alive and Moneypenny were 124, 127 and 111 nautical miles south east of Gabo Island respectively. Eleven nautical miles separated the three boats.

Meanwhile, Andoo Comanche and LawConnect were continuing their close tussle in first and second place, positioned 115 and 130 nautical miles east of Eddystone Point.

URM Group navigator, Alice Parker, was in high spirits, despite her own struggle with some sea sickness in the tough conditions that have seen rain, thunder and lightning.

“I had a good few moments with a bucket between my legs, but otherwise, everyone is in good spirits,” she said. “We’re all a bit wet, sliding around a bit, but the boats in really good shape.”

As she spoke, URM Group, owned by Anthony Johnston and skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, was 105nm behind Andoo Comanche, sailing at 15 knots with the wind from the east.

While happy with their race against Alive, owned by Phillip Turner and skippered by Duncan Hine, Parker said Moneypenny, owned by Sean Langman was also a danger.

“Over the last couple of hours, we’ve been sailing quite well … we’re now matching them [Alive], or slightly in front, with Moneypenny at our stern.

“We’re a bit nervous about some of the 52s on the ‘beach,’ [referring to sailing close to the coast] or closer to the south-east corner of Victoria. They’ve been ripping along in what looks like a pretty good ‘sou-easterly.

“But things are looking good for us now. The big boats are doing really well. LawConnect and Comanche have just had the perfect conditions really with strong reaching conditions.

“I think we’ll just miss out on getting that all the way to the finish. I suspect we’ll end up in a bit of a front that is meant to come through the early hours of tomorrow.”

Parker said that based on the current indicators, URM Group could possibly reach the finish in Hobart “sometime around lunchtime, or just after that,” tomorrow.

In other news, two more boats have retired. Tumbleweed, the two-handed entry of Graham Biehl and Nigel Nattrass, who cite seasickness and fatigue, while David Watson’s Luna Blue has damaged equipment. Both boats are likely to head back to Sydney.

Written by Rupert Guinness | RSHYR Media

Internationally, the race will be available through YouTube on  CYCATV  or on Facebook  Rolex Sydney Hobart page .  For the full list of entries and more information about the race, visit  rolexsydneyhobart.com .

ALSO ON MYSAILING

Day 1 racing at Australian Yachting Champs abandoned

Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca – Day 4

Stockholm Archipelago Raid 2024

Digital chart for Quinns Rocks in WA

Yamaha Motor closes acquisition of Torqeedo

Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca – Day 3

69F class presents a 4 series 2024

OGR – PEN DUICK VI takes off

Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca – Day 2

Elite fleet set to contest Nationals in Newcastle

Sailing Ahead – World Class Talent Driving The Smart Revolution

America’s Cup – March Recap

Join Our Newsletter

• Name First Last
• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Read all of the latest sailing news

Dinghy and Yacht Racing News

News from the offshore world

Cruising Stories from around the world

Boats & Gear

The latest boats and yachting gear

Watch everything sailing and boating

Latest Sailing News, Racing, Cruising, Boats, Gear and more

Discover the first custom edition 2024

An absolut MASTER­PIECE. The Power, the interior design, combine Perfor­mance and Quality – Simply perfect ! 007 would love to drive this golden GT ON WATER !

Going to Formentera and back in a matter of minutes ?

This super-tender makes it possible.

More then 40 KN, More then 38 length

Experience a luxury speedboat like you have never seen it before.

– COMING In April –

Like what you sea?

Hit "Send Request" to contact us!

Booking Contact

+49 6221 655650 [email protected]

Imprint   &   Privacy Policy

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2023

Naval Group

Moneypenny, now known as Naval Group, will again carry the flags of Australia and France, the emphasis being on collaboration and team work between the two countries. Noakes Group (Sean Langman is its managing director) tendered for services to the French owned Defence business, Naval Group, and the boat was purchased by Noakes to facilitate the contract and finished 11 th over the line and 39 th overall in last year’s race. The boat’s sail and bow number are AUS1, as Langman believes the synergy between the last yacht that bore the AUS1 sail number (Team Australia the ORMA trimaran that became his choice to set two world sailing course records) and the French initiative fit perfectly.

Langman continues to bring something different to the table - from smallest and oldest boat in the fleet to downwind flyers, maxis and super maxis to this, the former Moneypenny. The crew this year will be made up of talented international and Australian professional sailors with the focus to win the Tattersall Cup.  

Competitor Details

• Line Honours

Full Standings available approximately three hours after the start.

OFFICIAL ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART MERCHANDISE

Shop the official clothing range of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in person at the Club in New South Head Road, Darling Point or online below.  

From casual to technical clothing, there is something for all occasions. Be quick as stock is limited!

Casino Royale -->

Posted March 7, 2021 by AI

After becoming a 00 agent, James Bond hunts down a bomb maker in Madagascar, which leads him to shady financier Alex Dimitrios in the Bahamas, and then to a plot to blow up the prototype Skyfleet airliner at Miami Airport. By preventing the bombing, Bond leaves criminal banker Le Chiffre on the verge of bankruptcy – Le Chiffre lost his clients’ money by betting on Skyfleet’s failure on the stock market. Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro to win back the lost money. Bond attends with Treasury agent Vesper Lynd and wins, but Le Chiffre kidnaps Lynd and tortures Bond in an attempt to regain the winnings. They are saved when Mr White, a senior figure in terrorist organisation QUANTUM, kills Le Chiffre. However, Lynd is secretly working for White and has made a deal with him to save Bond’s life. In love with Lynd, Bond resigns from MI6 and travels to Venice with her. There, he realises she has betrayed him and stolen the money. After a gunfight with QUANTUM’s men in a collapsing Venetian villa, Lynd lets herself drown because she cannot bear the burden of her guilt. Bond pursues White and shoots him in the leg, then introduces himself; “The name’s Bond, James Bond.”

Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Ginacarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Isaach De Bankole, Jesper Christensen, Ivana Milicevic, Tobias Menzies, Claudio Santamaria, Sébastien Foucan, Malcolm Sinclair

Michael G. Wilson Barbara Broccoli

Martin Campbell

Release Date

16 November 2006 (UK) 17 November 2006 (USA)

World Premiere

14 November 2006, Odeon Leicester Square, London

Modrany & Barrandov Studios, Prague and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic; New Providence and Paradise Island, Bahamas; Dunsfold Aerodrome, Black Park, Buckinghamshire; Pinewood Studios, England; Lake Como & Venice, Italy

“You Know My Name” – performed by Chris Cornell, composed by Chris Cornell and David Arnold

Aston Martin DB5 , Aston Martin DBS, Notar MD-600N helicopter, Skyfleet S570, Spirit 54 yacht, Sunseeker Predator 108, Texron tanker, Jaguar XJ8, Range Rover Sport, Ford Mondeo

Gadgets/Weapons/Technology

• Walther PPK 7.65mm
• Walther P99
• Mobile phone tracker
• Key fob detonator
• Medipack located in the glove compartment of Bond’s Aston Martin DBS
• Tracking device implant
• Heckler & Koch UMP45 submachine guns
• Heckler & Koch UMP9 9mm submachine gun
• Le Chiffre’s knotted rope
• Obanno’s machete
• Backpack bomb

Special permission was granted for Bond and Vesper’s yacht (the Spirit 54) to sail along the Grand Canal between the Accademia and Rialto bridges, marking the first time in many years a yacht has sailed the Grand Canal

Production designer Peter Lamont is the only crew member to have worked with all six Bond actors as well as working on more Bond films (18 out of 21) than anyone else

The effects team created an exterior Venetian house model, built to one-third scale, to shoot the building collapsing into the Venetian canal. The same computer system used to control the three story dilapidated interior set also controlled the model’s hydraulics so Corbould and his team could exactly replicate the motion of the interior set

Producer Michael G. Wilson has a cameo as a corrupt Montenegrin police chief

The Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car is seven and achieved by stuntman, Adam Kirley, in an Aston Martin DBS, during filming at Millbrook Proving Ground, Milton Keynes

The first Bond film not to include both Q and Moneypenny’s characters

The only Bond film to have a black and white pre-title sequence and not begin with the gun barrel sequence

Bond reveals the recipe for his favourite martini, ‘The Vesper.’

The bomb maker Mollaka, whom Bond pursues through the Nambutu Embassy, is played by Sébastien Foucan, the co-creator and one of the foremost practitioners in the art of Parkour, also known as “Free Running”

Casino Royale is the first Bond novel that Ian Fleming wrote but the rights were not available to EON until the year 2000

Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming dressed Vesper in red and made sure that none of the extras wore any red, so that we could see her as Bond catches glimpses of her through the crowds in Venice. It’s a small homage to Don’t Look Now

Coming Soon

Sign up for 007 news from the world of James Bond. Receive exclusive updates and content – from behind-the-scenes stories, to the latest product launches – plus film clips and trivia from the Bond archive.

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

James Bond yachts: The best boats that have welcomed 007 on board

Related articles, superyacht directory.

Gentleman spy James Bond may be known for his love of fast cars and fancy gadgets, but agent 007 has also spent a fair share of time at sea on board a number of sailing yachts, superyachts and speedboats. To celebrate the highly anticipated release of the 25th Bond film, No Time To Die , we take a look at the best boats to be featured in the movie franchise.

No Time To Die: Spirit 46

In the latest James Bond instalment, No Time To Die (2021), James Bond is seen enjoying his (temporary) retirement in Jamaica on board a 14 metre Spirit 46 sailing yacht . As well as using the yacht for a day of fishing out on the water, 007 sails her to Cuba for an undercover mission in partnership with new agent Paloma.

Built in Ipswich by British yard and official James Bond partner Spirit Yachts , the boat is a custom-made modern classic characterised by long overhangs and flush decks. She can reach 18 knots underway and acquired her “well-loved” look by forfeiting her scheduled winter refit prior to shooting, revealed Spirit Yachts CEO Sean McMillan.

Casino Royale: Soufrière

In 2006 film Casino Royale , which introduced new James Bond actor Daniel Craig, a 16.4 metre Spirit 54’ named Soufrière was used to host 007 and Bond girl Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) as the couple cruised through the waters of Venice in Italy. Filming took a total of six months and involved shipping and cruising the modern classic sailing yacht to various locations around the world. The yacht even made history as the first sailing yacht to go up the Venetian Grand Canal in 300 years, a process that involved removing and replacing the rig as many as 10 times to ensure the yacht could fit under multiple canal bridges in Venice.

Casino Royale: Sunseeker predator 108

In contrast to the traditional-looking Spirit 54’ used in scenes with Vesper Lynd, a speedy Sunseeker Predator 108 motor yacht is also used in the 2006 Bond film Casino Royale . The 32.92 metre motor yacht was used in the movie as the boat of Bond villain Le Chiffre. Featuring a distinctive monochromatic hull, the Sunseeker superyacht can hit top speeds of 40 knots and can accommodate up to eight guests and four crew on board.

GoldenEye: Northern Cross

In the 1995 Bond film GoldenEye , which was the first in the franchise to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as the main character, a 43.25 metre superyacht named Manticore plays a starring role. In the film, the yacht is owned by the Janus crime syndicate and is used by Bond girl Xenia Onatopp, played by actress Famke Janssen. In reality, the yacht used for the role of Manticore was actually named Northern Cross . Constructed in aluminium by Swedish shipyard Marinteknik Verkstads AB , she was delivered in 1991.

Her exterior and naval architecture were designed by Per Kavli . Her 330 GT interiors, styled by Tor Hinders , can accommodate up to 10 guests and eight crew. Under the power of two Caterpillar diesel engines, Northern Cross can reach a top speed is 24 knots and boats a cruising range of 1,800 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots. She features a pale grey hull and and a flybridge with an al fresco lounge.

Never Say Never Again: Kingdom 5KR

In the final film to star Sean Connery as James Bond, a superyacht named Flying Saucer is used as a base for Bond villain and SPECTRE agent Maximillian Largo. In actuality, the superyacht the starred in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again was Benetti superyacht Kingdom 5KR . Measuring 85.9 metres with an interior volume of 1,768 GT, Kingdom 5KR was designed by Jon Bannenberg and delivered in 1983. Her interiors, penned by Luigi Sturchio , can accommodate up to 22 guests waited on by 31 members of crew. Once owned by former US president Donald Trump , the yacht features a distinctive turquoise stripe along her hull and boat.

More about this yacht

More stories, most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

Welcome to MI6 Headquarters

This is the world's most visited unofficial James Bond 007 website with daily updates, news & analysis of all things 007 and an extensive encyclopaedia. Tap into Ian Fleming's spy from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig with our expert online coverage and a rich, colour print magazine dedicated to spies.

Learn More About MI6 & James Bond →

The Home of James Bond 007

Spirit yachts.

8th September 2021

James Bond's recent boatmaker of choice returns for No Time To Die

  By MI6 Staff

English boatmaker Spirit Yachts has announced a partnership for 'No Time To Die' sees a Spirit 46 sailing yacht feature in the upcoming film.  The Suffolk-based company’s relationship with James Bond began when a Spirit 54 yacht was chosen to feature in the 2006 film Casino Royale, in which James Bond and Vesper Lynd can be seen cruising into Venice.

Spirit Yachts CEO and Head of Design Sean McMillan commented, “The James Bond films are a mainstay of British culture and we are honoured to be continuing our partnership with such an iconic brand.” In the forthcoming film, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica, where a Spirit 46 sailing yacht is featured.

Sean McMillan continued, “The Spirit 46 is one of the original Spirit Yachts designs and is an example of the level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into every Spirit yacht.  I think the yacht suits the Bond character very well because of the combination of beauty and practicality.”

A true modern classic yacht, the Spirit 46 showcases long overhangs, flush decks, and an elegant profile.  A day sailing yacht capable of up to 18knots sailing speed, the Spirit 46 looks beautiful on the water and has the sailing performance of a regatta racing yacht.

Inspired by the classic, elegant sailing yachts from the 1930s, all Spirit yachts are custom-designed and built to order by a team of world-class craftsmen and women in Spirit’s waterside headquarters in Suffolk on the east coast of the UK. Whilst Spirit Yachts has a portfolio of existing designs from day sailors to superyachts, each yacht is tailored to suit an owner’s criteria meaning every Spirit yacht is completely unique.

Share The Story

• UK TV Premiere
• No Going Back
• 0145: Debrief No Time To Die
• MI6 Confidential Issue #65
• Now You See It
• No Happy Ending

Recently Published

New Audiobooks

Deep Fake 007s

Collector Extraordinaire

Pamela Salem (1944-2024)

Alec Mills (1932-2024)

Bond News Licence revoked for tobacco as cigarettes will be digitally removed from James Bond films...

Collecting The writing's on the wall for 'SPECTRE' board game...

Bond 26 BBC sources deny Aaron Taylor-Johnson rumours...

Bond 26 Tabloids claim Aaron Taylor-Johnson has 007 offer on the table...

Actor News Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to Yellowstone infraction...

Bond News Jack O’Connell talks about next James Bond rumours...

Bond News Pierce Brosnan names his choice for next James Bond...

Event Martin Campbell to host exclusive 'Casino Royale' Q&A...

Bond News Aston Martin delay their first electric car...

Bond News James Bond radio actor Michael Jayston dies aged 88...

• MI6 Homepage
• Discussion Forums

Popular Features

• MI6 Confidential Issue #68
• Casino Royale 70th
• Bond 17 (1990)
• Rewriting History
• Rival Plans Announced
• For King And Country
• Buddy Movie
• Re-Release Performance
• The Sean Connery Stage

Screen Rant

James bond 26 could make roger moore's moneypenny wish a reality.

The James Bond franchise never took Roger Moore's advice about Miss Moneypenny, but it is not too late for Bond 26 to make this clever change.

While the James Bond franchise missed its first chance to promote Miss Moneypenny to the role of M, Bond 26 can make up for this mistake. Bond has relied on both his flirtatious secretary Miss Moneypenny and his boss M since the character’s big-screen debut. However, when the James Bond franchise had the chance to transition one actor from the former role to the latter, the creators of the series opted not to do so.

In an interview with the BBC after the original Miss Moneypenny actor Lois Maxwell passed away in 2007, James Bond franchise star Roger Moore expressed surprise that the actor's character was never offered a promotion to the role of M. Now, the upcoming Bond 26 can right a classic 007 wrong by fixing this oversight. Bond 26 could keep Naomie Harris’s Miss Moneypenny as part of the franchise’s cast but promote her to M’s job, as this would both ground a younger Bond in the same universe as Daniel Craig’s now-dead 007 and affirm that a lot has changed since the events of the 25th James Bond adventure.

Related: Tarantino's Plans For A James Bond Rival (After Losing Casino Royale)

Why Naomie Harris’s Miss Moneypenny Should Be Bond 26’s M

By connecting Craig’s version of James Bond with the next actor’s take on the iconic role, Bond 26 ’s new M could draw attention to how much younger this new Bond is than his predecessor. The fact that the James Bond franchise’s producers want the next James Bond to last a decade or more proves that they want a younger replacement for Daniel Craig (specifically, a " thirtysomething " according to Deadline ). Thus, there would be no better way to establish the difference between these iterations of 007 than to make the last Bond’s colleague into the new 007's boss. This suggests a level of behind-the-scenes continuity in MI6 and would allow the franchise to also bring back Ben Whishaw’s version of Q, an under-used supporting star with a lot of untapped potential.

The James Bond franchise could always simply bring back Harris as Moneypenny and maintain MI6’s same supporting staff this way (as earlier Bonds have done, with Maxwell playing Moneypenny for both Connery and Moore). However, promoting Harris’s character to M would instead imply that MI6 has evolved and changed since Craig’s time in the role, allowing Bond 26 to keep Craig’s 007 canon relevant by showing that MI6 still moves on even when Bond is not present (or, in this case, when one James Bond has died and the next has not yet been assigned). If Harris’s Moneypenny was promoted to M, this would clarify that James Bond is an identity passed on from one spy to the next, all of whom work with the same people like M and Q, rather than relying on the somewhat mysterious and unclear “Bond changes but his co-workers stay the same” system used by earlier outings.

Why Bond 26 Should Introduce A New Version Of M

Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies never made much use of Ralph Fiennes’ M, a version of the character who was notable mostly for how little he interacted with 007. While Judi Dench’s M had a playful back and forth with Pierce Brosnan’s charming version of James Bond and a sweeter, sadder relationship with Craig’s more somber 007, Fiennes’ take on M never left much of a distinct impression. In contrast. Naomie Harris’s Miss Moneypenny was the most fleshed-out version of Bond’s co-worker that the series has introduced so far, a more vulnerable character than Fiennes’ M who also had a closer personal relationship with 007.

Charismatic, funny, and more involved in the suave super-spy’s adventures than earlier versions of the character, Harris’ Moneypenny was a great addition to the franchise. It is possible that Bond 26 could make Fiennes’ M as memorable as Harris’ Moneypenny, but the simpler and smarter solution is to promote the existing character and ensure that the James Bond franchise’s new version of M is a character that viewers already know and love. As such, instead of trying to make the existing M more interesting in Bond 26 , the James Bond franchise should make use of an existing asset and promote Miss Moneypenny to the role.

Next: Does James Bond’s Age Even Matter In 2022?

James Bond’s creator lived a life to rival the spy’s

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Book Review

Ian Fleming: The Complete Man

By Nicholas Shakespeare Harper: 864 pages, $45 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s new biography of author Ian Fleming, James Bond arrives on the scene rather late. But there’s a good reason to delay focusing on the secret agent Fleming created: His life before Bond is far more interesting than what followed, and much of it would find its way into the books like “bullion,” Shakespeare writes, “to be cut into slices.”

Fleming didn’t publish “Casino Royale” — the novel that introduced Bond to the world — until 1953, when Fleming was 43. By that time, he had already lived multiple lives: as a war reporter, book collector, stockbroker, merchant banker, naval intelligence operative. Fleming may have been staring at a blank page in 1953, but his advance work was abundant: His own thrill-seeking life would become the raw material of his remunerative popular art.

Shakespeare, a British novelist and the author of a biography of English writer Bruce Chatwin, is the first Fleming biographer to get his hands on just about everything Fleming wrote, which helps to make this biography somehow both capacious and breathlessly entertaining. He does a fine job of clearing up some of the hazier myths about Fleming’s tenure in British naval intelligence, even while much of that documentation remains classified. The subtitle of “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man” is apt: This is certainly the most three-dimensional portrait of a complex man who gamely tried to shore up the postwar morale of his beloved England with his fictional hero at a time when the Empire desperately needed it.

The photo that wrapped Marlon Brando’s homoerotic swagger in a tight leather jacket

A new book traces how a gender-bending image from 1953’s ‘The Wild One’ resonated far beyond American gay subculture.

March 27, 2024

Ian Fleming was to the manner born. His grandfather Robert was one of the wealthiest merchant bankers in 19th century England. Fleming lost his father, Val, in World War I, which might have given his overbearing mother, Eve, sufficient leverage to gain control over her son’s life. It didn’t work out that way.

He was, for a time, her reclamation project: a dropout at Eton College and then a bust at Sandhurst Military Academy. He tried on a few mainstream white-collar jobs, but his short career as a stockbroker was mostly long lunches and minimal trade orders.

Fleming found his metier when Eve smoothed the way for him to work as a cub reporter at Reuters news service. As Shakespeare shows us time and again, Fleming was blessed with great timing. Dispatched to Stalin’s Russia in 1933 to cover a sensational corporate fraud trial whose docket included saboteurs and double agents, Fleming returned to England entranced with state secrets and the business of intelligence. The assignment changed the course of his life.

How 3 shades of jazz swirled together in 1959 to make ‘Kind of Blue’

James Kaplan’s triple biography weaves together ‘3 Shades of Blue’ in the backstories of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans at the height of jazz’s cultural sway.

March 8, 2024

Through his contacts, Fleming finagled an interview with Admiral John Godfrey, the head of Naval Intelligence Division, in the hopes of pivoting into a career as a spycatcher. Again, good timing: As it happened, Godfrey was looking for a factotum. Fleming was hired as Godfrey’s assistant, but he had his boss’ ear in short order, bursting with ideas on how to fool Germany into coughing up the secrets of its supply routes, its combat readiness, its imminent military offensives. For the division, Fleming became the man with the golden mind.

Rumors about Fleming’s war heroics have swirled since the author’s death in 1964; what’s remarkable is that, by Shakespeare’s estimation, most of those outlandish rumors seem to be true. Fleming did spy on German military leaders with cameras and microphones, among other skulduggery. He was not only a crucial conduit during the war between the Naval Intelligence Division and the Americans’ Office of Strategic Services but also, according to Shakespeare, helped to create the organizational template for what became the Central Intelligence Agency. Shakespeare credits Fleming, a “seductive and persuasive force who … could achieve things not always recorded on paper,” with selling the OSS on the British model of intelligence gathering, thus sowing the seeds for a crucial partnership that helped the allies win the war.

All this, and Fleming had yet to write Agent 007 into existence. But Bond was on a slow simmer. When Churchill invited ideas from naval intelligence as to how the British might contain Hitler in the Mediterranean, Fleming’s pitch was pure 007: Line a cave on the southern coast with thick cork for quiet, then throw a wireless radio and some men inside to monitor German ship movements.

In 1942, Fleming convinced Admiral Godfrey to give him his own assault unit, whose remit included capturing German state secrets before the Germans destroyed them. Now Fleming found himself in the center of the action, his dispatches providing crucial intel for the Allies’ most ambitious offensives, including the Normandy landings that liberated Western Europe. There was also contact with Bletchley Park and the great “Enigma Machine” codebreaker Alan Turing, but Fleming’s ideas for intelligence retrieval were either too dangerous or too absurd to contemplate. Fleming stored it all up for later use in his fiction, when he “would execute in modern form those plans which (he) had conceived against the Nazis.”

Somehow Fleming, this “war-winner” as Godfrey came to call him, made time for relationships. Unlike Bond, who treats women like beach towels to be discarded after use, Fleming found and lost love, a libertine always in search of more than sex. He cultivated female patrons; one such friend, Maud Russell, supplied the funds for Fleming to build his Goldeneye compound on Jamaica’s northern coast. His marriage was troubled; Ann Fleming was a social climber who hosted literary salons and spent Fleming’s money lavishly. But Ann was the spur for Fleming to write his first Bond book; she was confident her husband could produce something great.

What finally made Fleming pick up his pen? He was mourning the decline of the Empire after the war; it was crumbling away one territory at a time. He also was stunned by the revelation that two MI6 agents had defected in 1951 as Russian spies, that his beloved British intelligence had been breached by an enemy in the most humiliating fashion. The Crown was corroding; James Bond would restore the national character by dint of his total dominion over evil, defeating the Red Menace one ghastly villain at a time. If Fleming’s Navy blues no longer fit him, he would have Bond suit up as his proxy.

Despite the runaway success of “Casino Royale,” the James Bond movie franchise was slow to gestate. By the early 1960s, Fleming’s 70-cigarettes-a-day habit had caught up with him. He suffered a devastating heart attack while embroiled in a nasty plagiarism lawsuit. There was also the matter of gradually declining sales for the Bond books, to the point where Fleming was eager to kill off his hero and move on. But then President Kennedy told a Life magazine reporter that “From Russia, With Love” was one of his favorite books, and Fleming could no longer dispose of Bond even if he tried.

What came next was 27 films that have grossed more than $7 billion. Fleming lived long enough to see only two of the films produced.

Marc Weingarten is the author of “Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water, and the Real Chinatown.”

More to Read

The canonized and vilified Capt. James Cook is ready for a reassessment

April 2, 2024

Espionage fiction writers pick their favorite fictional spies

Feb. 27, 2024

Pamela Salem, British actor who played James Bond secretary Miss Moneypenny, dies at 80

Feb. 23, 2024

A cure for the common opinion

Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

How people of color carry the burden of untold stories

April 3, 2024

10 books to add to your reading list in April

April 1, 2024

How many lives can one author live? In new short stories, Amor Towles invites us along for the ride

March 29, 2024

Storytellers can inspire climate action without killing hope

March 26, 2024

Flight search

• Adults Remove adult 1 Add adult
• Children Aged 2-11 Aged 2 to 11 Remove child 0 Add child
• Infants In seat Remove infant in seat 0 Add infant in seat
• Infants On lap Remove infant on lap 0 Add infant on lap
• Premium economy

Cheap flights to Moscow

Popular airports near moscow.

• Sheremetyevo - A.S. Pushkin international airport (SVO) Moscow 43 min 27 km
• Moscow Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport (DME) Moscow 1 hr 1 min 42 km
• Vnukovo International Airport (VKO) Moscow 59 min 28 km
• Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA) Zhukovskiy 1 hr 11 min 40 km

When to visit

About moscow, frequently asked questions about flying to moscow, search more flights, more places to fly.

Things to Do in Pushkino, Russia - Pushkino Attractions

Things to do in pushkino.

• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Good for Kids
• Good for Big Groups
• Adventurous
• Budget-friendly
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Couples
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Church of the Holy Face

2. Museum of Joiner's Tools

3. Temple of Bogolyubsk Icon of Our Lady

4. St. Nicholas Church

5. Dacha-Museum of V. V. Mayakovskiy

6. Temple of The Lord Presentation

7. Art-Likor Pushkin Gallery

8. Pushkino Museum of Local Lore

9. The Great Patriotic War Memorial

10. Chapel of St. Elias the Prophet

11. Chapel of St. Nicholas

12. Chapel of Martyr Emperor Nicholas Ii

13. Trinity Temple

14. Panteleimon the Healer's Temple

15. Alexander Nevskiy Chapel

16. Water Tower

17. Children's Club Schitalki

18. Svyatitelya Nikolaya Mirlikiyskogo Church

19. Resurrection Church of Bogolyubsky Temple

20. Grebnevskoi Ikony Bozhiyey Materi Church

21. chabad of pushkino, 22. theater of music and show iii rim.

23. RushB Esport Centre

24. Akvarel Mall

25. Crazy Cart

26. formula 5d.

28. ExitGames

29. asteroid.

• Dacha-Museum of V. V. Mayakovskiy
• St. Nicholas Church
• Art-Likor Pushkin Gallery
• Museum of Joiner's Tools
• Temple of Bogolyubsk Icon of Our Lady