Dick Van Dyke Almost Became 007: Why He Turned Down On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Dick Van Dyke nearly became 007: fresh off Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Albert R. Broccoli, he was offered On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — and turned it down.
File this under great Hollywood what-ifs: Dick Van Dyke says he turned down James Bond. Yes, really.
Wait, Dick Van Dyke as 007?
On The Today Show, Van Dyke, who plans to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13, said producer Albert R. Broccoli asked if he would consider stepping into the tux right after they worked together on 1968's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His answer was basically a hard pass because of the accent issue.
'Have you heard my British accent?'
He took himself out of the running then and there, and he says that choice is one of the rare career calls he actually regrets.
How he ended up on the list
Here is the setup. Sean Connery had walked away after five Bond films. Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli were canvassing basically every square-jawed option in sight for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the 1969 entry that eventually went to newcomer George Lazenby. Among the names they talked about:
- Oliver Reed
- Terence Stamp
- Michael Caine
- Adam West
- Roger Moore (who would later become Bond)
- Timothy Dalton (also a future Bond)
- and others, including Dick Van Dyke
Van Dyke had just worked with Broccoli on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which is based on a novel by Bond creator Ian Fleming. At the time OHMSS geared up, Van Dyke would have been 43 and already famous for Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and 158 episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966. Imagining him ordering a martini is a brain teaser, but now I kind of wish we could have seen that movie.
Where OHMSS sits in Bond history
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of those films that had to age into its reputation. It took a while, but these days it is widely seen as one of the franchise's best, which is impressive considering it stars Lazenby, a one-and-done Bond who is often ranked below the other actors who played 007. The movie still routinely lands high on fan lists, which says a lot about how well it works.
What happened after
Lazenby exited after that single film, Connery got coaxed back for one more round with Diamonds Are Forever, and then the Roger Moore era kicked off.
So, Dick Van Dyke as Bond: wild idea or missed opportunity? I kind of love the chaos of the concept. What do you think?