Former James Bond actor George Lazenby retires from acting

LOS ANGELES: Australian actor George Lazenby, best known for essaying the iconic role of James Bond in 1969's 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', has decided to put a full stop to his acting career.

A few days ago, Lazenby took to X and announced his decision to retire, as per Variety.

"This hasn't been an easy decision but it's time to announce my retirement from work. Therefore, I won't be doing any more acting or making public appearances, doing any more interviews or signing any more autographs as of today," Lazenby posted.

He also expressed gratitude to the audience for showering love on him over the years.He also expressed gratitude to the audience for showering love on him over the years.

"I would like to thank my manager and friend, Anders Frejdh, for helping me since 2013 - the best representative I ever had," the actor continued.

"I can now concentrate on spending more time with my family. My sincere gratitude to everyone out there for your love and support over the...years. It has meant a lot to me. George xx," Lazenby added.

Lazenby had the shortest tenure as the world's most well-known secret agent, starring only in the one film as 007. A Hulu docudrama from Josh Greenbaum about Lazenby's life, "Becoming Bond," was released in 2017.

An auto mechanic turned male model, Lazenby was the second actor to play Bond on the big screen, following Sean Connery, who starred in seven Bond pics.

He also appeared in projects including 1975's 'The Man from Hong Kong' and 1986's 'Never Too Young to Die'.