That time James Bond went undercover as a gay man in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’

Image Credit: ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,’ MGM

On this day 55 years ago, the James Bond adventure On Her Majesty’s Secret Service released in theaters.

The 1969 film has always held a special distinction within to official 007 franchise because, for the first time, the iconic spy was played by someone other than Sean Connery, with Australian model George Lazenby slipping (arguably) not-so-seamlessly into the role. It would also be his last time playing Bond.

But OHMSS (as we’ll be abbreviating from here on out) is also notable for what it means to the spy series’ sizable queer fanbase. For one, it’s the first 007 movie with a gay director: British filmmaker Peter R. Hunt, who lived with his partner Nicos Kourtis for decades,

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