Robert Brown (British actor)

{{Short description|English actor (1921–2003)}}

{{About|the British actor|the American actor|Robert Brown (American actor)}}

{{More citations needed|date=March 2013}}

{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Robert Brown

| image = Robert Brown, 1954.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Brown circa 1954

| parents = Robert Charles Brown

| birth_name = Robert James Brown

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1921|7|23}}

| birth_place = Swanage, Dorset, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2003|11|11|1921|7|23}}

| death_place = Swanage, Dorset, England

| othername =

| website =

| yearsactive = 1949–1991

| spouse = {{marriage|Rita Becker|1955}}

| children = 2

}}

Robert James Brown (23 July 1921{{spaced ndash}}11 November 2003) was an English actor, best known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond films from 1983 to 1989, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981.{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f45635a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629101442/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f45635a|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2017|title=Robert Brown}}

Brown made his first appearance as M in Octopussy in 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-brown-p216775|title=Robert Brown - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie|website=AllMovie}}

Brown was born in Swanage, Dorset and later died there on November 11, 2003, aged 82. Before appearing in the Bond films, he had a long career as a bit-part actor in films and television. He had a starring role in the 1950s television series Ivanhoe where he played Gurth, the faithful companion of Ivanhoe, played by Roger Moore.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/robert-brown-n2ljpvl2fkf|title=Robert Brown|date=19 November 2003|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}} He had previously made an uncredited appearance as a castle guard in the unrelated 1952 film Ivanhoe. He had an uncredited appearance as the galley-master in Ben-Hur (1959) and as factory worker Bert Harker in the BBC's 1960s soap opera The Newcomers. In One Million Years B.C. (1966), he played grunting caveman Akhoba, brutal head of the barbaric "Rock tribe".

Brown first started in the James Bond franchise in the film The Spy Who Loved Me as Admiral Hargreaves, appearing alongside Bernard Lee.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-passings21.6-story.html|title=Robert Brown, 82; Actor Played Spy Boss M in 4 Bond Films|date=21 November 2003|via=Los Angeles Times}} After Lee's death in January 1981, Broccoli and the other producers, decided to leave M out of For Your Eyes Only out of respect for Lee and assigned his lines to M's Chief of Staff Bill Tanner. In 1983, Brown was hired to portray M on the recommendation of Bond actor Roger Moore, his Ivanhoe co-star and the father of Brown's goddaughter Deborah. It was never clearly established if Brown was the same M as Lee's character, or a different M, perhaps a promoted Hargreaves. In 1995, Brown was succeeded as M by Judi Dench in GoldenEye. Brown died from cancer in November 2003.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/apr/10/skyfall-end-judi-dench-m|title=Is this really the end of Judi Dench's reign as M?|first=Ben|last=Child|date=10 April 2012|website=The Guardian}}