I really wish they would have a Leiter who is more accurate to Novel Version of him.
Yes, that seems to ever elude the producers/writers on Bond films. The character's well enough plotted out on the novel page, so I can't see why it is that they can't, really.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Jack Lord (DN) was overall the best. Not blond and without the Texas personality Fleming wrote about, but overall had the goods.
Rik Van Nutter (TB) had the look, but the poor man was a worse actor than Tanya Roberts.
I actually think John Terry (TLD) had a lot of the right stuff -- young, laconic style, slight drawl, didn't suck up to Bond -- but he had terrible lines to work with and didn't do a great job on those he was given. He's turned out to be a decent character actor on US television, but he didn't bring his best to TLD.
Hedison was good, but I can't get past how badly-used he was in LTK.
Bernie Casey -- very underrated. Love how he nailed Felix's funnier side.
Jeffrey Wright -- great actor, decent turn in CR but a little serious. Then they turned him into a bitter pawn in QOS, which I absolutely hated.
Gee, no one's mentioning Cec Linder or Norman Burton?!? )
Casey's humor was one of the things I enjoyed most about his portrayal of Leiter. Plus he has the physical presence to suggest that he could hold his own with Bond. It is a shame that the folks at EON didn't go in that direction with some of their actors playing Felix, particularly Jeffrey Wright. I think that would have been a good way to offset the seriousness of Craig's Bond (as long as they didn't go overboard with it!)
Jack Lord (DN) was overall the best. Not blond and without the Texas personality Fleming wrote about, but overall had the goods.
Rik Van Nutter (TB) had the look, but the poor man was a worse actor than Tanya Roberts.
I actually think John Terry (TLD) had a lot of the right stuff -- young, laconic style, slight drawl, didn't suck up to Bond -- but he had terrible lines to work with and didn't do a great job on those he was given. He's turned out to be a decent character actor on US television, but he didn't bring his best to TLD.
Hedison was good, but I can't get past how badly-used he was in LTK.
Bernie Casey -- very underrated. Love how he nailed Felix's funnier side.
Jeffrey Wright -- great actor, decent turn in CR but a little serious. Then they turned him into a bitter pawn in QOS, which I absolutely hated.
Gee, no one's mentioning Cec Linder or Norman Burton?!? )
My favorite is Jeffrey Wright, though I admit a personal bias since I'm a big fan of Wright as an actor. I do think he brings more personality to the role than many of the others who have played Felix. I hope he returns in Bond 24.
I also like Jack Lord's take on the character.
For me, the thing Wright and Lord have that the other Leiters don't is a sense of cool.
—Le Samourai
A Gent in Training.... A blog about my continuing efforts to be improve myself, be a better person, and lead a good life. It incorporates such far flung topics as fitness, self defense, music, style, food and drink, and personal philosophy. Agent In Training
David Hedison for me. The only one who had any real chemistry with a Bond actor. And he was featured opposite two! They're supposed to be buddies, but aside from Hedison's portrayal, I never felt it in the performances of any of the others
"She likes you, I can see it."
"You must give me the name of your oculist."
1.) David Hedison - Two timer was solid in both performances. If he was only in LALD, I'd probably have him ranked closer with Lord and Wright. LTK cements him in the top spot, especially with the expanded role in the first third of the film.
2.) Jeffrey Wright - Oozes cool. Like the range of performances from CR to QoS. His introduction is the coolest of the bunch.
3.) Jack Lord - Another one that just comes off as cool. If Wright's intro as Leiter is the best, then Lord's is not far behind.
4.) Rik Van Nutter - Had the look and was a solid performer. I also liked his helicopter flying outfit, equipped with tropical shirt and red hat.
5.) Norman Burton - Starts the bottom tier of the ranking. Hedison is the clear top choice for me. Wright and Lord are great, while RVN is good. Burton is okay and has a couple decent moments. Comes off as too old and clueless at times.
6.) Cec Linder - Only 43 when he played Leiter, but looked ancient and out of shape. Definitely not what Leiter should look like. Recently heard for the first time that he and Austin Willis switched roles in pre-production (guy who played cards with Goldfinger). Both didn't seem appropriate for the role.
7.) John Terry - Actually didn't mind his look, but the appearance is so brief and throwaway here that it seems they just threw it in for the sake of having Leiter. How many lines did he actually have in the film?
Unranked: Bernie Casey - Honestly, I have not seen NSNA recently nor enough in general to fairly rank Bernie. From what I remember, I liked him, but I need another rewatch or two to solidify where he would rank.
In my opinion Jack Lord was 'cooler' than Connery in Dr No; just watch the scene at Puss-Feller's nightclub (and when Leiter has a gun In James Bond's back beforehand) and judge for yourself. That doesn't necessarily make him (Lord) the best Felix Leiter.
For mine Jeffrey Wright is the best. He and Lord are two people I'd walk down an alley with on a dark night with a spring in my step.
"Everyone knows rock n' roll attained perfection in 1974; It's a scientific fact". - Homer J Simpson
I am going to go with David Hedison. The spring in their step as they go clubbing in New Orleans/New York is very remniscent of the novel. And him getting married in Key West was very strong. He has real chemistry.
Then probably Jack Lord (who oozes cool) and Jeffrey Wright (does he look pissed off at the poker table) are second best
Cec Linder, Rick Van Nutter and Norman Burton fill the gaps. But Burnie Casey and John Terry don't really register with me...
1. For Your Eyes Only 2. The Living Daylights 3 From Russia with Love 4. Casino Royale 5. OHMSS 6. Skyfall
I like Hedison's portrayal in Live and Let Die. Not so much in Licence to Kill. He seemed to have lost some of his acting chops by then.
And I have to say that I am biased toward Hedison. He looks a lot like my father, for starters. But I also found him a very good actor, even in the good-to-abysmal Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Somehow, he managed to exude dignity when fighting robots and lobster men. I can't quite figure out what it is, but he just seems "past it" in LTK.
In my opinion Jack Lord was 'cooler' than Connery in Dr No; just watch the scene at Puss-Feller's nightclub (and when Leiter has a gun In James Bond's back beforehand) and judge for yourself. That doesn't necessarily make him (Lord) the best Felix Leiter.
For mine Jeffrey Wright is the best. He and Lord are two people I'd walk down an alley with on a dark night with a spring in my step.
Yeah I agree, IMO Leiter should be as cool as James Bond in an American manner. All the others tend to just come across as flabby old men...
In my opinion Jack Lord was 'cooler' than Connery in Dr No; just watch the scene at Puss-Feller's nightclub (and when Leiter has a gun In James Bond's back beforehand) and judge for yourself. That doesn't necessarily make him (Lord) the best Felix Leiter.
For mine Jeffrey Wright is the best. He and Lord are two people I'd walk down an alley with on a dark night with a spring in my step.
Yeah I agree, IMO Leiter should be as cool as James Bond in an American manner. All the others tend to just come across as flabby old men...
I would also concur. Jack Lord could have done his own spy series. It was probably best, though, that it didn't happen that way. While I think he and Connery complemented each other -- and they were wise enough to have two ultra-cool spies, each to make the other look more plausible -- Lord's Hawaii 5-0 would likely not have happened had he stayed on as Leiter. And, for the first few years, at least, that was a seriously good show.
I like Hedison's portrayal in Live and Let Die. Not so much in Licence to Kill. He seemed to have lost some of his acting chops by then.
And I have to say that I am biased toward Hedison. He looks a lot like my father, for starters. But I also found him a very good actor, even in the good-to-abysmal Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Somehow, he managed to exude dignity when fighting robots and lobster men. I can't quite figure out what it is, but he just seems "past it" in LTK.
100% agree. Interestingly enough in the actor's audio commentary, Hedison admits that he wasn't well prepared for some of the scenes in LTK - mostly because a script wasn't given to him early - and he feels really embarrassed about it.
But even with that, to me I just really don't like his style. Even the way in LALD that he answers the phone "Hi, James!".
To me it is Jack Lord hands down. I really wish he was the Felix for all of the Connery films or at least Goldfinger. David Hedison is a close second and Jeffry Wright is up there too. The rest I could take or leave really. Cec Linder is the worst.
"Mango, banana and tangerine. Sugar and ackee and cocoa bean!"
Comments
Yes, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter in CR and QoS was pretty good, too!
Yes, that seems to ever elude the producers/writers on Bond films. The character's well enough plotted out on the novel page, so I can't see why it is that they can't, really.
Rik Van Nutter (TB) had the look, but the poor man was a worse actor than Tanya Roberts.
I actually think John Terry (TLD) had a lot of the right stuff -- young, laconic style, slight drawl, didn't suck up to Bond -- but he had terrible lines to work with and didn't do a great job on those he was given. He's turned out to be a decent character actor on US television, but he didn't bring his best to TLD.
Hedison was good, but I can't get past how badly-used he was in LTK.
Bernie Casey -- very underrated. Love how he nailed Felix's funnier side.
Jeffrey Wright -- great actor, decent turn in CR but a little serious. Then they turned him into a bitter pawn in QOS, which I absolutely hated.
Gee, no one's mentioning Cec Linder or Norman Burton?!?
I mentioned Burton (negatively) a few posts earlier. Cec Linder was a decent actor (brilliant in Quatermass And The Pit) but the wrong man for Leiter.
Jack Lord (DN) - He was decent, and one of the best. I don't understand why he didn't return...
The guy from GF - He was ok I guess, but looked too old IMO.
Rik Van Nutter (TB) - He looked the part, but couldn't act too well...
The DAF guy - I didn't mind him too much really. Not great, but not bad by all means either.
The TLD guy - The worst of all. He did nothing for me.
Jeff Wright (CR/QOS) - Interesting and different. Seemed more developed than most, but not too great in QOS.
I can't comment on the NSNA guy - haven't seen it for years.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
He wanted equal pay and billing with Sean Connery. Cubby and Harry weren't about to do that!
I also like Jack Lord's take on the character.
For me, the thing Wright and Lord have that the other Leiters don't is a sense of cool.
A Gent in Training.... A blog about my continuing efforts to be improve myself, be a better person, and lead a good life. It incorporates such far flung topics as fitness, self defense, music, style, food and drink, and personal philosophy.
Agent In Training
"You must give me the name of your oculist."
2.) Jeffrey Wright - Oozes cool. Like the range of performances from CR to QoS. His introduction is the coolest of the bunch.
3.) Jack Lord - Another one that just comes off as cool. If Wright's intro as Leiter is the best, then Lord's is not far behind.
4.) Rik Van Nutter - Had the look and was a solid performer. I also liked his helicopter flying outfit, equipped with tropical shirt and red hat.
5.) Norman Burton - Starts the bottom tier of the ranking. Hedison is the clear top choice for me. Wright and Lord are great, while RVN is good. Burton is okay and has a couple decent moments. Comes off as too old and clueless at times.
6.) Cec Linder - Only 43 when he played Leiter, but looked ancient and out of shape. Definitely not what Leiter should look like. Recently heard for the first time that he and Austin Willis switched roles in pre-production (guy who played cards with Goldfinger). Both didn't seem appropriate for the role.
7.) John Terry - Actually didn't mind his look, but the appearance is so brief and throwaway here that it seems they just threw it in for the sake of having Leiter. How many lines did he actually have in the film?
Unranked: Bernie Casey - Honestly, I have not seen NSNA recently nor enough in general to fairly rank Bernie. From what I remember, I liked him, but I need another rewatch or two to solidify where he would rank.
Hedison & Wright are my next faves.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
For me:
1) Jeffery Wright
2) Jack Lord
...the rest.
"Better make that two."
1) Jack Lord
2) Jeffrey Wright
3) Bernie Casey
4) David Hedison
5) Cec Linder
6) Norman Burton
7) Rik Van Nutter
8) John Terry
For mine Jeffrey Wright is the best. He and Lord are two people I'd walk down an alley with on a dark night with a spring in my step.
Then probably Jack Lord (who oozes cool) and Jeffrey Wright (does he look pissed off at the poker table) are second best
Cec Linder, Rick Van Nutter and Norman Burton fill the gaps. But Burnie Casey and John Terry don't really register with me...
And I have to say that I am biased toward Hedison. He looks a lot like my father, for starters. But I also found him a very good actor, even in the good-to-abysmal Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Somehow, he managed to exude dignity when fighting robots and lobster men. I can't quite figure out what it is, but he just seems "past it" in LTK.
Yeah I agree, IMO Leiter should be as cool as James Bond in an American manner. All the others tend to just come across as flabby old men...
"Better make that two."
100% agree. Interestingly enough in the actor's audio commentary, Hedison admits that he wasn't well prepared for some of the scenes in LTK - mostly because a script wasn't given to him early - and he feels really embarrassed about it.
But even with that, to me I just really don't like his style. Even the way in LALD that he answers the phone "Hi, James!".
"Better make that two."
Jack Lord
David Hedison
I can take or leave:
Jeffrey Wright
Rik Van Nutter
Norman Burton (he's grown on me)
I don't like:
Cec Linder
John Terry
I'm not going to compare Bernie Casie or Michael Pate since they're not in official Bond films.
"Better make that two."
I like his upbeat personality.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS