He was played in subsequent films by John Cleese and Ben Whishaw.
Between 19, Q was portrayed in the Eon films by Desmond Llewelyn until his death in late 1999.
Q also featured in both non-Eon Bond films, Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983). Q has appeared in 22 of the 25 Eon Productions James Bond films, the exceptions being Live and Let Die (1973), Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008). The use of letters as pseudonyms for senior officers in the British Secret Service was started by its first director, Captain Sir Mansfield George Smith-Cumming (1859–1923), who signed himself with a C written in green ink. Q (standing for quartermaster), like M, is a job title rather than a name. Q is the head of Q Branch (later Q Division), the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service charged with oversight of top secret field technologies. Q is a character in the James Bond films and novelisations. Desmond Llewelyn portrayed Q in the Eon series between 19.
