It's no secret that Richard Burton had been on the short list of actors considered to play James Bond. However, a newly published interview with his great-nephew Guy Masterson reveals a few more insights as to why the Welsh actor did not accept Ian Fleming's personal suggestion that he play the role. The reason is as mundane as it is honest: at the time Bond was not a household name and Burton simply didn't forsee the future of the character or franchise. In retrospect, this was good news for Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman because no matter how successful the first Bond film would have been, Burton was far too much of a free spirit to get tied down with a series for any length of time. Ironically, in 1965, at the height of Bond mania, Burton scored one of his biggest successes with his Oscar-nominated role in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold playing a cynical, worn-out MI6 agent who was the anithesis of 007. (For Robert Sellers' extensive article on the Bond film that never was - the original plans for Thunderball starring Richard Burton- see Cinema Retro issue #8) For more on this story click here
