James Bond icon George Lazenby, who has just emotionally announced his retirement from acting, previously opened up about a childhood medical condition that meant doctors feared he “wouldn’t live to be a man”.
The Australian actor, 84, who played 007 in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, spoke about the health issue on an unearthed 2023 episode of Steven Jay Rubin’s Saturday Night At The Movies podcast.
Steven asked George if he had visited the cinema much as a boy, but the actor revealed that he couldn’t remember, as he had spent 18 months in hospital due to a problem with his kidneys.
George said: “Well, that I can’t remember… when I was a little boy. I was in hospital at (for) 18 months having one and a half…well, first of all, they didn’t know what was wrong with me.
“They operated on my… on my, whatever, for a year and a half, and then there’s the doctor (that) came out from England. It was during the Second World War.”
He continued: “And he said, ‘Well, we had a kid that was doing that. He was peeing backwards into his kidneys’. And then they looked at my kidneys and they said, ‘Oh my God’, and they took one and a half out.
“And after they did that, I was let loose. My mother was told I wouldn’t live to be a man on half a kidney, and here I am at 83, ready to do whatever.”
He also revealed that when he reached about eight years old, a fellow pupil overheard George’s mother telling the child’s mother that “George is gonna die at 12 or 13” and that he “won’t live as a man on half a kidney“.
The actor said a child at school would come up to him and say,”You’re the guy that’s gonna die – ha ha ha”. However, George took it in his stride and simply told him to “go f’ himself”.
George, who the host described as a “medical wonder”, announced his retirement from acting this week, having starred in films such as Universal Soldier, The Man from Hong Kong, Gettysburg and Spider’s Web.
He said in a statement on Thursday: “This hasn’t been an easy decision but it’s time to announce my retirement from work.”
George continued: “Therefore, I won’t be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs as of today. It’s been a fun ride but getting older is no fun.”
The Aussie star, who famously landed the Bond role by walking into the London offices of MGM and demanding an audition, thanked his fans and manager, Anders Frejdh, for representing him for 11 years.
He ended by saying: “I can now concentrate on spending more time with my family. My sincere gratitude to everyone out there for your love and support over the years. It has meant a lot to me.”
