Curiosidades

Cousin of Christopher Lee.

Fleming's health had never been strong, and it was not helped by his lifestyle. At 38, complaining of chest pains, he had informed a startled doctor that he consumed 70 cigarettes and a bottle of gin a day. In 1961 he had a massive heart attack, which was followed by a series of increasingly debilitating illnesses, including a severe chest infection and pleurisy. Finally, on 11 August 1964--the night before his son's 12th birthday--he collapsed. He died the next morning on his son's birthday.

His home in Jamaica was named "Goldeneye" and was the source of the name of the 1995 James Bond movie 007 Contra GoldenEye (1995).

Is portrayed by Jason Connery in The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990). Jason is the son of Sean Connery, who became famous for playing James Bond in the 1960s.

He initially objected to the casting of Sean Connery as James Bond in 007 Contra o Satânico Dr. No (1962) because he felt that Connery was too "unrefined". He later changed his mind after seeing Connery's performance in the finished film.

According to the National Geographic, CNN and the BBC, he patterned James Bond after Dusko Popov, a Serbian double agent nicknamed Tricycle. Popov was a worthy predecessor to the fictional spy James Bond. He was noted as a womanizer and was dating many famous actresses (some of them were Hollywood stars). He also stayed at the best hotels, ate at top restaurants, visited smart casinos and was a bon vivant. While Fleming worked in British naval intelligence during WWII, he was detailed to trail this charismatic spy, who eventually became a double agent for the British (among other intelligence work, he provided information to the FBI that the Japanese were planning to attack Pearl Harbor).

The reason he excelled at his studies was to please his mother, a beautiful but cold woman who never showed him any affection.

He died on his son's birthday (12th of August 1964). Casper died of a drug overdose in Jamaica in 1974. Anne survived them both, and died in 1981. Her son by her first marriage, Raymond Arthur O'Neill, is now the 4th Baron O'Neill.

In 1995 the gold-plated Royal typewriter on which he hammered out many of his 007 novels was auctioned by Christie's of London for £50,000 to a buyer who still remains anonymous. This is the most expensive typewriter to date.

As a member of British Intelligence during WWII, he worked with the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor to the CIA. He contributed his experience and expertise to the OSS and later helped the Americans set up the CIA.

He was a bird-watcher and supposedly named "James Bond" after an ornithologist of the same name (See James Bond) whose book, "The Birds of the West Indies", he had read. He borrowed the name because it was the "dullest" name he could think of. The book title "Goldeneye" is also a birding reference, as goldeneyes are a type of duck.

Was a huge fan of Studebakers. One of his last cars was a Studebaker Avanti.

Supposedly based the character of James Bond on real-life spy Sidney Reilly.

His elder brother Peter Fleming (a travel writer of some note in the 1930s) was married until his death to Celia Johnson (Desencanto (1945)). His nieces Kate Fleming (now Grimond) and Lucy Fleming (also an actress) are now his literary heirs.

Supposedly modeled the character of James Bond after Merlin Minshall, a man who worked for Mr. Fleming during WWII as a spy.

His wife, Anne Geraldine Charteris, was the granddaughter of the 9th Earl of Wemyss, and had been previously married to Shane O'Neill, 3rd Lord O'Neill (she was his widow) and then to Esmond Cecil Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere, whom she divorced to marry Ian. Anne and Ian had one son, Casper Robert Fleming, born 12th of August 1952.

The largest collection of his novels is located at the Lilly Library on the Indiana University campus, Bloomington, IN.

Raymond Chandler was a fan of the James Bond novels and urged Fleming to continue writing them in the mid-1950s.

His James Bond novels and story elements were originally used in the films, beginning with 007 Contra o Satânico Dr. No (1962). Until 007 - Cassino Royale (2006), the last James Bond movie to use elements from Fleming's stories was 007 - Permissão para Matar (1989).

His scrapbook was sold at a charity auction in December 1992 by his step-daughter, Fionn O'Neill. It was auctioned at Sotheby's in New Bond Street, which was used as a location in 007 Contra Octopussy (1983). Reportedly it was acquired for £30,000 by Fleming's nieces Lucy, Kate and Nichol. Proceeds went to the London Library.

Featured in the novel "James Bond: The Unauthorized Biography of 007" by John Pearson. This novel, which is considered part of the Bond canon by some, suggests that Bond was real and that Fleming wrote stories based on Bond's real-life adventures as a strange way of hiding classified information "in plain sight."

Film stars who were an influence on his vision of James Bond included David Niven, Rex Harrison, Cary Grant and Hoagy Carmichael.

Of the James Bond films, he only saw Dr. No (1962) and From Russia With Love (1963) as finished films. He did however, manage to get on the set of Goldfinger (1964) and see it get filmed.

Upon his death, his remains were interred at St. Andrew's Churchyard in Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire, England.

Of Clan Fleming.

Geoffrey Jenkins collaborated with him on a James Bond story between 1957-64. Glidrose Publishers contracted Jenkins to develop the story into a full novel after Fleming died in 1964. The book was entitled "Per Fine Ounce" but has never been available to readers and published.

His nephew, Nichol Fleming, wrote an adventure story in the Bond style titled "Counter Paradise" in 1968.

Half-brother of cellist Amaryllis Fleming.

His main inspiration for the character of James Bond was his friend Sir William Stephenson.

Valentine, his father was an officer who died in WWI. His Times obit was written by his friend Winston Churchill.

Bibliophile and founder of the magazine Book Collector.

He took the name Goldfinger from a real person, Erno Goldfinger who was a Hungarian architect in the 30's and 40's.