Dirk Benedict as Bond?
crawfordboon
Posts: 126MI6 Agent
Just got thinking about alternative Bonds to replace Roger Moore in 1987, and I hit upon the idea of Dirk Benedict. OK, he's American, but I'm sure he could have pulled off a reasonably British accent. He wss a credible action star, with the right looks, well known, and a genuine charisma - all of these qualities I would argue were lacking in the solid but unremarkable Timothy Dalton.
I'm not having a go at Dalton, as he was quietly effective as Bond in his own way, but I generally think hsi films ought to have been ligther and breezier, with a slightly less dark tone, and Dirk could provide that. Any other ideas?
I'm not having a go at Dalton, as he was quietly effective as Bond in his own way, but I generally think hsi films ought to have been ligther and breezier, with a slightly less dark tone, and Dirk could provide that. Any other ideas?
Comments
I thought Benedict came out of Celeb Big Brother very well considering the numbskulls he shared the house with. An intelligent, interesting man with a dry sense of humour. He still looks very handsome and young for a 62 year-old.
{Do I need to expand on that?
No you dont!
As much as I like Dirk, Bond he is not. Even in his Starbuck/Face Man heyday he could never have been Bond.
( And yes Arthur - he did come out of CBB rather well. He has a great sense of humour, very dry)
I suspect Ogilvy would probably have made a relatively smooth transition from Roger Moore since he once looked (and sounded) like he could easily have been Sir Roger's son--especially during the period when he had his own Saint TV series.
Having said that,as much as I like Sir Roger and most of his tenure as 007,I think Timothy Dalton was outstanding as James Bond and I liked the difference in tone that he brought to the character and the series.:)
Ian Ogilvy was always a favourite of mine. I loved him in 'The Return Of The Saint' whizzing about in his XJS and wearing white trousers that never ever got dirty!
I would not have been unhappy for him to have been Bond.
And I still think the XJS is one of the coolest cars on the road thanks to Return Of The Saint. :007)
'Return of the Saint' came out on DVD last month. It's a bit pricey so I haven't got round to buying it yet. Ogilvy would have been a good Bond. I thought he was great as Simon Templar, but maybe that series was made too close to the Roger Moore version for Ogilvy to get the credit he deserved. I also thought he was great in 'Witchfinder General.' I'd love to get a hold of the Simon Dutton version of 'The Saint' as well. I missed that first time around (about 89 or 90 I think). Dunno if it will ever become available though. I'm told it's not that good.
The Simon Dutton Saint series was simply dreadful. Hardly any action and dull plots. He was ok in the part but it was a real missed opportunity.
From what I remember they were very uninspiring. I think they only made 3 or 4 episodes.
As for Starbuck, what boy my age didn't want be like him? He was way better then stuffy ol' Apollo.
You can add me as a member as well. I remember first seeing Ogilvy as the Saint in the early 80's and immediately thought he'd make a great Bond. He also reminded me of Moore but with a stronger streak of toughness when it was called for. He also hacked Vincent Price to pieces in Witchfinder General (called The Conquerer Worm here in the States) - no small feat.
He recently did a commercial for a soft drink (might have been Dr. Pepper) in which he played a James Bond type - he and a villain took turns trying to identify exotic ingredients in foods and beverages. Of course, he was able to identify the cola and the bad guy got dropped into a pool of pirahna. Even though he was in his early 60's he was still able to project that Bond vibe. Really too bad he never got a crack at the role.
I am not there often, don't worry! I encrust myself to support you in your opinion: O G I L V Y!! I adored Ian as The Saint.
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Also to answer the topic in question Dirk would have made a pretty good Bond he had all the right qualities and I'm sure he could have pulled off an English accent too.
An English accent is not an essential qualification for the part of James Bond.
He was the right age and American.
At the time A-Team had just been decommisioned.
David Hedison although excellent and far better than Terry? in TLD was still to old in 1989.