Honestly, it’s kinda weird how we all just collectively decided that Q is one specific guy. You know the one. That tall, slightly grumpy British uncle who looks like he’s about to have a heart attack every time James Bond touches a fountain pen. That’s Desmond Llewelyn. He’s the definitive Q James Bond actor, and he held onto that role for a staggering thirty-six years.
But here’s the thing: he wasn’t the first. And he definitely wasn't the last.
When you look back at the history of the "Quartermaster," you realize the character has gone through some bizarre identity crises. From serious military men to slapstick comedians and even a high-tech hipster in a cardigan, the role of Q has mirrored the changing vibes of the 007 franchise more than Bond himself has. Let's peel back the curtain on the lab and see who actually built the "Ghetto Blaster" and that invisible car nobody likes to talk about.
The Original Major Boothroyd (Wait, who?)
Most people think Dr. No starts the Q tradition. It does, but only barely. In the first Bond film, we meet Major Boothroyd, played by Peter Burton. He’s not even called Q yet. He’s just a dry, professional armourer who tells Bond that his Beretta is trash and forces him to carry a Walther PPK.
Burton was supposed to come back for From Russia with Love, but a scheduling conflict got in the way. He was busy with another project, so the producers had to find a replacement. They landed on Desmond Llewelyn. It’s one of those "sliding doors" moments in cinema history. If Burton had been free that week, the entire 007 legacy would look completely different. Burton actually stayed in the Bond orbit, appearing as an uncredited RAF officer in Thunderball, but he never got his lab back.
👉 See also: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
Desmond Llewelyn: 17 Films and One Grumpy Attitude
Llewelyn is the GOAT. Period. He played Q in 17 films, spanning from 1963 to 1999. He’s the only actor to have worked with five different Bonds: Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan.
The most fascinating part of his performance? He hated gadgets.
In real life, Llewelyn famously struggled to use a VCR. He wasn't some tech wizard; he was just a great actor who perfected the "exasperated teacher" vibe. Director Guy Hamilton was the one who told him to play the character as if Bond’s constant joking was personally offensive. That’s where the "I never joke about my work, 007" line came from. It turned a dry technician into a fan favorite.
When the producers tried to ditch the character in Live and Let Die because they thought the gadgets were getting too silly, the fans revolted. They realized Bond without Q is just a guy in a suit with no backup. Llewelyn was brought back for The Man with the Golden Gun and stayed until his tragic death in a car accident in 1999, shortly after the premiere of The World Is Not Enough.
✨ Don't miss: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
The Cleese Experiment (The "R" Phase)
Following Llewelyn was always going to be a nightmare. The producers tried to ease the transition by introducing John Cleese as an assistant in 1999. Bond jokingly calls him "R," as in the letter after Q.
Cleese is a legend, obviously. But his version of Q (officially taking the title in Die Another Day) felt a bit too much like a Monty Python sketch. He was clumsy. He was sarcastic in a way that felt more like a comedian than a scientist. It didn't help that he was stuck in the movie with the invisible car and the CGI tidal wave. When the franchise decided to reboot with Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale, Cleese and his gadgets were the first things to go.
The Modern Reboot: Ben Whishaw
For a few years, Q didn't exist. The Craig era wanted to be "gritty" and "realistic." But by the time Skyfall rolled around in 2012, the producers realized the movies felt a little empty.
Enter Ben Whishaw.
🔗 Read more: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
He was a total departure. Young. Tech-savvy. Instead of a lab coat, he wore a parka and a skinny tie. He famously told Bond that he could do more damage on his laptop in his pajamas before his first cup of Earl Grey than Bond could do in a year in the field. It was a perfect update for the 21st century. Whishaw brought a vulnerability to the role, especially in No Time to Die, where we see a glimpse of his home life (and his hairless cats).
The Q Actors You Probably Didn't Know Existed
If you're a casual fan, you probably only know the main four. But the "official" Eon Productions films aren't the only Bond movies out there. There are two "rogue" films that had their own versions of the Quartermaster.
- Geoffrey Bayldon: In the 1967 satirical Casino Royale, Bayldon plays a version of Q who is essentially a caricature of the 60s eccentric. It's weird, it's colorful, and it's barely a Bond movie.
- Alec McCowen: In 1983’s Never Say Never Again (the movie Sean Connery made after he said he'd never play Bond again), McCowen plays "Algernon." He’s a budget-strained version of Q who complains about the lack of funding for the Secret Service. It’s actually a pretty funny, grounded take on the role.
Why the Q Actor Matters for the Future
As we look toward Bond 26, the question of who will be the next q james bond actor is almost as big as who will play Bond himself. The character represents the "soul" of the MI6 family. Without Q, Bond is just an assassin. With Q, he’s a hero with a support system.
The "Quartermaster" isn't just a title. It's a legacy of actors who managed to make exposition scenes the most entertaining part of a movie.
What you can do next: If you're looking to dive deeper into the technical side of the franchise, I'd suggest checking out the official 007.com archives on gadget history. It gives a really cool breakdown of how many of those "impossible" 60s gadgets actually became real technology—like the GPS system in the Aston Martin DB5 or the mini-rebreathers that divers use today. Also, keep an eye on casting news for the next reboot; the choice of Q often tells us exactly what the tone of the new Bond era will be.