Biography
Bernard Lee (1908–1981) was an English actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appeared on stage from childhood, making his professional debut in the 1920s. After wartime service in the British Army, he became a familiar presence in British cinema as solid authority figures, including Sergeant Paine in The Third Man (1949).
Lee is best known for portraying M, the head of MI6, in the first eleven Eon James Bond films from Dr. No (1962) to Moonraker (1979). He also appeared in films such as The Blue Lamp (1950), The Battle of the River Plate (1956) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961). He was the grandfather of actor Jonny Lee Miller.
