Desmond Llewelyn made Q's gadget briefings funny by taking the work seriously and Bond rather less so. We value his precision and restraint, while wishing the films had found more for him to do.
Fi1m perspective
Desmond Llewelyn explains a gadget as though Bond's failure to listen were a serious professional offence. Q has to sound as if he understands the machinery before his irritation can be funny. Llewelyn's precise delivery makes the technical dialogue worth hearing, with no need to advertise the joke. His short scenes give us an authority figure whose patience is being tested, and enough reason to take his side.
Supporting parts such as They Were Not Divided (1950) preceded Terence Young's decision to cast him as Q in From Russia with Love (1963). He played Q in 17 Bond films, working opposite five Bonds. In Licence to Kill (1989), Q had his largest role, including field work. That was a welcome chance to ask more of Llewelyn than another briefing, without discarding the technical competence that made the character convincing.
GoldenEye (1995) is a good starting point for the familiar routine. Martin Campbell directs a brisk revival, and Pierce Brosnan makes a persuasive Bond, though the attempts to give the spy greater emotional weight are less convincing. Llewelyn's put-upon quartermaster supplies a more modest pleasure. We laughed at his exasperation because he makes Bond's inattention seem like a discourtesy to someone trying to do a proper job.
His care extended beyond the dialogue. Llewelyn developed a personal backstory for Q, down to club ties and details of education and hobbies. We can believe he has work to get back to once Bond has gone. In GoldenEye, his seriousness suits a film that wants to keep the familiar Bond pleasures while questioning the old habits. The limitation is repetition: much of the pleasure depends on recognising what he does.
The Q role restricted other acting opportunities, although television work included a guest appearance in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973). He stayed with the quartermaster through The World Is Not Enough (1999), his final appearance. Start with GoldenEye for the dry timing, and give the man explaining the equipment a little attention.
Biography
Desmond Llewelyn was a Welsh actor. He was born in Newport, Wales, in 1914 and died in 1999.
Llewelyn trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for playing Q, the MI6 quartermaster, in 17 James Bond films between 1963 and 1999, beginning with From Russia with Love and ending with The World Is Not Enough. He appeared opposite the first five actors to play Bond on screen.
He served in the British Army during the Second World War. Llewelyn also appeared in other films including Cleopatra (1963) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).
