Almanac: Ian Fleming
And now a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac: May 28th, 1908, 109 years ago today … Day One for the creator of 007. For that was the day Ian Fleming was born in London.
The son of a wealthy Member of Parliament, Fleming held a desk job in Naval Intelligence during World War II. He wrote his first spy caper, "Casino Royale," in 1952, at his Jamaica vacation home, borrowing his hero's name from a birdwatching book author.
Fleming wrote 13 more thrillers, attracting a Cold War following that included President John F. Kennedy.
After American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers let himself be captured alive by the Soviets in 1960, CBS naturally went to Ian Fleming to find out what Bond would have done.
"I hope he would have taken his pill," Fleming said. "I like to think he would have, but it would have put me out of a job, because I wouldn't be able to write about him any more!"
Far from taking that suicide pill -- James Bond took to the silver screen.
"Dr. No" debuted in 1962, the first in a series that has continued long after Ian Fleming's death in 1964.
From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig ... in all, SEVEN stars have played 007 in the movies, including Roger Moore, who died this past week at the age of 89.
- Gallery: 50 years of James Bond films
- Inside the archives of James Bond ("CBS This Morning, 10/12/12)
- The 10 best James Bond theme songs (09/08/15)
- Gallery: Bond villains
All told, the Bond films have grossed more than $7 billion dollars worldwide ... which makes Ian Fleming the TRUE "man with the Midas touch."
For more info:
- ianfleming.com
- 007.com (Official James Bond website)