20 Actors Who Quit Movies For Insane Reasons
14. His Agent Told Him Bond Was Outdated - George Lazenby (Diamonds Are Forever)
Even though George Lazenby's casting as James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service was immediately divisive - being both Australian and a non-actor - it was nevertheless expected that he'd return for the next film, Diamonds Are Forever, and was even offered a seven-picture contract by producers.
However, Lazenby made the shock decision to hang up the 007 mantle after just a single movie, even boldly announcing this publicly before production was complete.
As for why? Lazenby's agent, Ronan O'Rahilly, got in his ear and persuaded him that James Bond would seem like an old, out-of-touch relic in the more progressive, forward-thinking 1970s.
Lazenby's sudden departure didn't go down well with Bond producers and his co-stars Diana Rigg and Desmond Llewelyn quite rightly opined that he was making a mistake, but he stayed the course.
And so, Sean Connery was roped back in for Diamonds Are Forever, before Roger Moore took over the role from Live and Let Die onwards.
It goes without saying that Lazenby walked away from masses of money here, and the fact that he only ever played Bond once has firmly kept him the most polarising iteration of the character.
However, general esteem for his performance and the film as a whole has nevertheless grown over the decades.