About Bernard Lee
John Bernard Lee (10 January 1908 – 16 January 1981) was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first 11 Eon-produced James Bond films. His film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from the age of six. Lee appeared in over 100 films, as well as on stage and in television dramatisations. He was known for his roles as authority figures, often playing military characters or policemen in films such as The Third Man, The Blue Lamp, The Battle of the River Plate, and Whistle Down the Wind. == Early life and education == Lee was born on 10 January 1908, the son of Nellie (née Smith) and Edmund James Lee. He was born in either County Cork in what is now the Republic of Ireland, or Brentford, Middlesex. Edmund, an actor, introduced his six-year-old son to the stage in 1914 in a sketch called "The Double Event" at the Oxford Music Hall in London. Lee attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and worked as a fruit porter to pay his fees. === Military service === Lee served with the British Army during the Second World War. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Royal Sussex Regiment on 13 September 1941.
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