James Bond
James Bond of the Ian Fleming novels no longer resembles the James Bond of film, and the public perception of the character created by Fleming is far removed from that of the 1950s. Fleming did not have one person in mind when he created Bond, calling the fictional agent “…a compound of all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war.” Fleming’s brother Peter was one of the commandos Bond was modeled upon, as were several others with none of them being more influential than another, according to Fleming.
Fleming was an avid amateur ornithologist and among the various birdwatcher’s guides in his possession was one written by a noted American birdwatcher named James Bond. Fleming appropriated the name and later explained that he had intended his character to be “dull” and the name appeared to him to be “…the dullest name I ever heard.”
Much of Bond’s behavior and habits were a reflection of Fleming’s own, including the brands of various products Bond used in the novels, his fondness for the game of golf (Fleming assigned his agent the same handicap which he held) and his predilection for gambling. Both Fleming and Bond had a taste for caviar with their vodka martinis.
In describing what James Bond looked like Fleming was quite specific, and his agent did not in the least resemble either Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. Fleming pictured Bond as looking like Hoagy Carmichael, an American musician and composer who wrote many famous songs, including Heart and Soul and Stardust. Fleming even had another character in Casino Royale, Vesper Lynd, describe Bond as looking like Carmichael.
The James Bond created by Fleming and the James Bond of today are two entirely different characters, living in different times, and fighting different enemies, but it is clear that they are an amalgamation of many sources of inspiration. Fleming imbued the character with so much of his own behavior and attitudes that it could easily be said to have been based on himself, enhanced by those around him.