---
name: "Bernard Lee"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bernard-lee"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "10 January 1908"
died: "16 January 1981"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:14:32.440988+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bernard Lee

Actor. Born 10 January 1908 in Brentford, London, England, UK. Died 16 January 1981.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 10 January 1908, Brentford, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 16 January 1981
- **Also known as:** Бернард Ли

## 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.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Third Man* (1949), Fi1m 92, as Sergeant Paine — [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md)

## Also known for

- *Dr. No* (1962), M
- *Goldfinger* (1964), M
- *From Russia with Love* (1963), M
- *Thunderball* (1965), M
- *You Only Live Twice* (1967), M
- *Diamonds Are Forever* (1971), M
- *Live and Let Die* (1973), M
- *The Man with the Golden Gun* (1974), M

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bernard-lee