Michael G. Wilson

Last updated

Michael G. Wilson
CBE
Daniel Craig on Venice yacht crop w Wilson b.jpg
Wilson (left) and Daniel Craig in 2006
Born (1942-01-21) January 21, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican, British [1]
Alma mater Harvey Mudd College (1963)
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, film producer
Years active1972–present
Children2, including David G. Wilson
Parent(s) Lewis Wilson
Dana Natol
Relatives Barbara Broccoli (half-sister)
Albert R. Broccoli (step-father)

Michael Gregg Wilson, CBE (born January 21, 1942) is an American-British screenwriter and film producer, best known for his association with the James Bond film series.

Contents

Background

Wilson was born in New York City, the son of Dana (née Natol) and actor Lewis Wilson. [2] His father was the first actor to play the DC Comics character Batman in live action, which he did in the 1943 film serial Batman . He is the stepson of the James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli and half-brother to Bond co-producer Barbara Broccoli. Wilson graduated from Harvey Mudd College in 1963 as an electrical engineer. He later studied law at Stanford University. After graduating, Wilson worked for the United States government and later a firm located in Washington D.C. that specialized in international law. [3]

Wilson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to film, drama, philanthropy and skills, [4] both alongside Barbara Broccoli.

In 2010, Wilson was given The Royal Photographic Society's award for Outstanding Service to Photography, which carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of The Society. [5]

James Bond franchise

In 1972, Wilson joined Eon Productions, the production company responsible for the James Bond film series dating back to 1962, beginning with his stepfather Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Wilson specifically worked in Eon Productions' legal department until taking on a more active role as an assistant to Cubby Broccoli for the film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In 1979 Wilson became executive producer of the film Moonraker and since has been an executive producer or producer in every James Bond film, currently co-producing with his half-sister Barbara Broccoli.

Wilson collaborated five times with veteran Bond screenwriter Richard Maibaum, starting in 1981 with For Your Eyes Only . In 1989, Wilson was forced to finish the screenplay to Licence to Kill alone [6] due to a strike by the Writers Guild of America West which prevented Maibaum from having any further involvement. For both, this was their final James Bond script, as Maibaum died in 1991 and Wilson ceased writing, although he outlined a never-produced film in the series with writer Alfonse Ruggiero, scrapped due to internal legal issues [7] between Eon and MGM (the following film, GoldenEye , being a completely different story written by Michael France).

In addition to his production duties, Wilson has also made many cameo appearances (speaking and non-speaking) in the Bond films. His first appearance, long before becoming a producer, was in Goldfinger in which he appeared as a soldier. Wilson has made cameo appearances in every Eon-produced Bond film since 1977. [8]

Personal life

Wilson and his wife Jane have two sons: A younger son, Gregg Wilson, [9] and an older son, David G. Wilson, both of whom work at Eon Productions.

Filmography

Executive producer

Producer with Albert R. Broccoli

Producer with Barbara Broccoli

Screenwriter (with Richard Maibaum)

Related Research Articles

<i>Licence to Kill</i> 1989 James Bond film directed by John Glen

Licence to Kill is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. In the film, Bond resigns from MI6 in order to take revenge against the drug lord Franz Sanchez, who ordered an attack against Bond's CIA friend Felix Leiter and the murder of Felix's wife after their wedding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert R. Broccoli</span> American film producer (1909–1996)

Albert Romolo Broccoli, nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and Eon Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the producer of many of the James Bond films. He and Harry Saltzman saw the films develop from relatively low-budget origins to large-budget, high-grossing extravaganzas, and Broccoli's heirs continue to produce new Bond films.

<i>Octopussy</i> 1983 James Bond film by John Glen

Octopussy is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson.

<i>A View to a Kill</i> 1985 James Bond film directed by John Glen

A View to a Kill is a 1985 spy film, the fourteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's 1960 short story "From a View to a Kill", the film has an entirely original screenplay. In A View to a Kill, Bond is pitted against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy California's Silicon Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eon Productions</span> British film production company known for producing the James Bond film series

Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Broccoli</span> American film producer

Barbara Dana Broccoli is a British-American film and stage producer, best known internationally for her work on the James Bond film series. With her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, Broccoli controls the James Bond film franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Maxwell</span> Canadian actress (1927–2007)

Lois Ruth Maxwell was a Canadian actress who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in the first fourteen Eon-produced James Bond films (1962–1985), from Dr. No in 1962 to A View to a Kill in 1985. She did not appear in the 1967 adaptation of Casino Royale, and in the 1983 remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again, as neither of the productions was Eon's, though she did, as a similar character, appear in the spoof O.K. Connery.

Richard Maibaum was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his screenplay adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

Since its inception in 1962, the James Bond film series from Eon Productions has featured many musical compositions, many of which are now considered classic pieces of British film music. The best known piece is the "James Bond Theme" composed by Monty Norman. Other instrumentals, such as "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and various songs performed by British or American artists such as Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice", Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die", Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", Tina Turner's "GoldenEye" also become identified with the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Meddings</span> British special effects designer and technician (1931–1995)

Derek Meddings was a British film and television special effects designer. He was initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" TV puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the 1970s and 1980s James Bond and Superman film series.

<i>The Spy Who Loved Me</i> (film) 1977 James Bond spy film by Lewis Gilbert

The Spy Who Loved Me is a 1977 spy film, the tenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. The film co-stars Barbara Bach and Curt Jürgens and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay was by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum, with an uncredited rewrite by Tom Mankiewicz.

<i>For Your Eyes Only</i> (film) 1981 James Bond film directed by John Glen

For Your Eyes Only is a 1981 spy film directed by John Glen and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. The film stars Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, and co-stars Carole Bouquet, Chaim Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson and Julian Glover.

<i>Moonraker</i> (film) 1979 James Bond film by Lewis Gilbert

Moonraker is a 1979 spy-fi film, the eleventh in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Cléry, and Richard Kiel. In the film, Bond investigates the vanishing of a Space Shuttle, leading him to Hugo Drax, the owner of the shuttle's manufacturing firm. Along with astronaut Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond follows the mystery from California to Venice, Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon rainforest, and finally into outer space to prevent a plot to wipe out the world population and repopulate humanity with a master race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Time High</span> 1983 single by Rita Coolidge

"All Time High" is a song by American singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge that serves as the theme song to the James Bond film Octopussy (1983). Written by John Barry and Tim Rice and produced by Stephen Short and Phil Ramone, the song was released through A&M Records in 1983.

The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. It is one of the longest continually running film series in history, having been in ongoing production from 1962 to the present. In that time, Eon Productions has produced 25 films as of 2021, most of them at Pinewood Studios. With a combined gross of over $7 billion, the films produced by Eon constitute the fifth-highest-grossing film series. Six actors have portrayed 007 in the Eon series, the latest being Daniel Craig.

<i>The Red Beret</i> 1954 film by Terence Young

The Red Beret is a 1953 British-American war film directed by Terence Young and starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to James Bond:

Films made in the 1980s featuring the character of James Bond included For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Never Say Never Again, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, and Licence to Kill. The decade featured 3 Bond actors Roger Moore, Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. The 1980s were unique for the Eon franchise in that every Bond film of the decade was directed by one director John Glen. The 1980s also saw the rare occurrence of a Bond film being released by a company other than Eon. 1983's Never Say Never Again saw Connery return to the role one final time.

References

  1. "New Year's Honours 2008: CSV". GOV.UK. March 25, 2015.
  2. "Michael Wilson Biography (1942-)".
  3. "Michael G. Wilson". Carnegie Science. December 8, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  4. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). January 1, 2022. p. N10.
  5. "Outstanding Service". Royal Photographic Society. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  6. Smith, Jim (2002). Bond Films. London: Virgin Books. p.  234. ISBN   978-0-7535-0709-4.
  7. Orquiola, John (November 14, 2020). "How Timothy Dalton's Unmade 3rd James Bond Predicted Dalton & Craig's 007 Movies". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  8. "Michael G. Wilson". IMDB. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  9. Dibdin, Emma (October 25, 2012). "Christopher Nolan as Bond director 'would be a dream', says producer". Digital Spy .