View source for M (James Bond)

{{short description|James Bond character}}
{{italic title|noerror|string=James Bond|all=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| name = M
| series = [[James Bond]]
| image = 
| caption = 
| creator = [[Ian Fleming]]
| first = [[Casino Royale (novel)|''Casino Royale'']] (1953)
| portrayer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bernard Lee]] (1962–1979)
* [[John Huston]] (1967)
* [[David Niven]] (1967)
* [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]] (1983)
* [[Robert Brown (British actor)|Robert Brown]] (1983–1989)
* [[Judi Dench]] (1995–2015)<!-- Denotes appearance dates, given this isn't a CV -->
* [[Ralph Fiennes]] (2012–present)
}}
| occupation = Head of [[MI6]]
| nationality = British
}}

'''M''' is a codename held by a fictional character in [[Ian Fleming]]'s [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]] book and [[James Bond filmography|film]] series; the character is the [[Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service]] for the agency known as [[MI6]]. Fleming based the character on a number of people he knew who commanded sections of [[British intelligence]]. M has appeared in the novels by Fleming and seven continuation authors, as well as appearing in twenty-four films. In the [[Eon Productions]] [[James Bond in film|series of films]], M has been portrayed by four actors: [[Bernard Lee]], [[Robert Brown (British actor)|Robert Brown]], [[Judi Dench]] and [[Ralph Fiennes]], the incumbent; in the two independent productions, M was played by [[John Huston]], [[David Niven]] and [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]].

==Background==
[[File:Vice Admiral Godfrey WWII IWM A 20777.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Rear Admiral [[John Henry Godfrey]], Fleming's superior at the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] and a basis for M.]]
[[Ian Fleming]] based much of M's character on [[Rear Admiral]] [[John Henry Godfrey|John Godfrey]], who was Fleming's superior at the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] during the [[Second World War]]. After Fleming's death, Godfrey complained "He turned me into that unsavoury character, M."<ref name=" Macintyre (2008)">{{cite news|last=Macintyre|first=Ben|title= Bond&nbsp;– the real Bond|author-link=Ben Macintyre|newspaper=[[The Times]]|page=36|date=5 April 2008a}}</ref>

Other possible inspirations include Lieutenant Colonel Sir [[Claude Dansey]], the deputy head of [[Secret Intelligence Service|MI6]] and head of the wartime Z network, who achieved different interpretations of his character from those who knew him: [[Malcolm Muggeridge]] thought him "the only professional in MI6",{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=78}} while [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] considered Dansey to be "an utter shit, corrupt, incompetent, but with a certain low cunning".{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=78}} A further inspiration for M was [[Maxwell Knight]], the head of [[MI5]], who signed his memos as "M" and whom Fleming knew well.<ref name=" Macintyre (2008)"/> The tradition of the head of MI6 signing their name with a single letter came from [[Mansfield Smith-Cumming]], who would sign his initial "C", with green ink.{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=77}}

Another possibility for the model of M was [[William Melville]], an Irishman who became the head of the Secret Service Bureau, the forerunner of both MI5 and MI6: Melville was referred to within government circles as M.<ref name="Sharrock (2007)">{{cite news|last=Sharrock|first=David|title=M: Britain's first spymaster was an Irishman who played patriot game|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=2 July 2007|page=39}}</ref> Melville recruited [[Sidney Reilly]] into government service and foiled an assassination plot against [[Queen Victoria]] on her 1887 [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Golden Jubilee]].{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=81}} Fleming's biographer [[John Pearson (author)|John Pearson]] also hypothesised that Fleming's characterisation of M reflects memories of [[Evelyn St. Croix Fleming|his mother]]:
{{Quote box
| quote = There is reason for thinking that a more telling lead to the real identity of M lies in the fact that as a boy Fleming often called his mother M.&nbsp;... While Fleming was young, his mother was certainly one of the few people he was frightened of, and her sternness toward him, her unexplained demands, and her remorseless insistence on success find a curious and constant echo in the way M handles that hard-ridden, hard-killing agent, 007.
| source = John Pearson, ''[[The Life of Ian Fleming]]''{{sfn|Pearson|1966|p=235}}
| align = center
| width = 65%
| bgcolor = #CFECEC
| salign = right
}}

==Novels==
Fleming's third [[James Bond|Bond]] novel, ''[[Moonraker (novel)|Moonraker]]'', establishes M's initials as "M**** M*******"{{sfn|West|2010|p=142}} and his first name is subsequently revealed to be Miles. In the final novel of the series, ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (novel)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]'', M's full identity is revealed as [[Vice Admiral]] Sir Miles Messervy [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]];{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=74}} Messervy had been appointed [[Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service]] after his predecessor had been assassinated at his desk.{{sfn|Griswold|2006|p=47}}

A naval theme runs throughout Fleming's description of M and his surroundings, and his character was described by journalist [[Ben Macintyre]] as "every inch the naval [[martinet]]".{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=74}} Macintyre wrote that in his study of Fleming's work, [[Kingsley Amis]] outlined the way Fleming had described M's voice, being: angry (three times); brutal, cold (seven times); curt, dry (five times); gruff (seven times); stern, testy (five times).{{sfn|Amis|1966|p=75}}

Over the course of twelve novels and two collections of short stories, Fleming provided a number of details relating to M's background and character. In ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (novel)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' it is revealed that M's pay as head of the Secret Service is £6,500 a year, (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|6500|1963}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}} pounds{{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}}) £1,500 of which comes from retired naval pay.{{sfn|Amis|1966|p=39}} Although his pay is good for the 1950s and 1960s, it is never explained how M received or can afford his membership at Blades, an upscale private club for gentlemen he frequents in London to gamble and dine. Blades has a restricted membership of only 200 gentlemen and all must be able to show £100,000 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|100000|1963}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}} pounds{{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}}) in cash or [[gilt-edged securities]].{{sfn|Comentale|Watt|Willman|2005|p=153}} Kingsley Amis noted in his study, ''[[The James Bond Dossier]]'', that on M's salary his membership of the club would have been puzzling.{{sfn|Amis|1966|p=39}} As a personal favour to M, the staff at Blades keeps a supply of cheap red wine [[Algerian wine|from Algeria]] on hand but does not include it on the wine list. M refers to it as "Infuriator" and tends only to drink it in moderate quantities unless he is in a very bad mood.{{sfn|Lejeune|1979|p=63}}

The academic Paul Stock argues that M's office is a metonym for England and a stable point from which Bond departs on a mission, whilst he sees M as being an iconic representative of England and Englishness.{{sfn|Stock|2009|p=251}}

In the first post-Fleming book, ''[[Colonel Sun]]'', M is kidnapped from Quarterdeck, his home, and [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]] goes to great lengths to rescue him.{{sfn|Lane|Simpson|2002|p=65}} The later continuation books, written by [[John Gardner (thriller writer)|John Gardner]], retain Sir Miles Messervy as M, who protects Bond from the new, less aggressive climate in the Secret Service, saying that at some point Britain will need "a blunt instrument".{{sfn|Lane|Simpson|2002|p=71}} In Gardner's final novel, [[COLD (novel)|''COLD'']], M is kidnapped and rescued by Bond and finishes the book by retiring from MI6.{{sfn|Simpson|2002|p=61}} Continuation Bond author [[Raymond Benson]]'s 1998 novel ''[[The Facts of Death]]'' continued Messervy's retirement, where he still resides in Quarterdeck.{{sfn|Simpson|2002|p=63}} The book also introduces a new M, Barbara Mawdsley.{{sfn|Lane|Simpson|2002|p=81}}

==Films==
===Eon Productions films===
====Bernard Lee: 1962–1979====
[[File:Bernard lee.jpg|thumb|upright|Bernard Lee, who played M from 1962 to 1979]]
M was played by [[Bernard Lee]] from the first Bond film, ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962), until ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'' (1979).{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=256}}  In line with Fleming's character, he is given the name of '''Miles''' in ''The Spy Who Loved Me.'' In ''Dr. No,'' M refers to his record of reducing the number of operative casualties since taking the job, implying someone else held the job recently before him. The film also saw M refer to himself as head of [[MI7]]; Lee had originally said MI6, but was overdubbed with the name MI7 prior to the film's release. Earlier in the film, the department had been referred to as MI6 by a radio operator.{{sfn|Smith|Lavington|2002|p=11}}

A number of Bond scholars have noted that Lee's interpretation of the character was in line with the original literary representation; [[John Cork]] and Collin Stutz observed that Lee was "very close to Fleming's version of the character",{{sfn|Cork|Stutz|2007|p=154}} while Rubin commented on the serious, efficient, no-nonsense authority figure.{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=227-228}} Jim Smith and Stephen Lavington, meanwhile, remarked that Lee was "the very incarnation of Fleming's crusty admiral."{{sfn|Smith|Lavington|2002|p=15}}

Lee died of cancer in January 1981, four months into the filming of ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]'' and before any of his scenes could be filmed.<ref name="Times (1981)">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Mr Bernard Lee|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=19 January 1981|page=12}}</ref> Out of respect, no new actor was hired to assume the role and, instead, the script was re-written so that the character is said to be on leave, with his lines given to either his Chief of Staff [[Bill Tanner]] ([[James Villiers]]) or the Minister of Defence, [[Sir Frederick Gray]] ([[Geoffrey Keen]]).{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=98}} Later films referred to Lee's tenure as head of the service, with a painting of him as M in [[MI6]]'s Scottish headquarters during the 1999 installment ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]''.{{sfn|Cork|Stutz|2007|p=154}}

Appearances in:

{{columns list|
* ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962)
* ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'' (1965)
* ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]'' (1967)
* ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'' (1973)
* ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun (film)|The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' (1974)
* ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'' (1979)
}}

Lee's likeness was used in the 2005 video game ''[[From Russia with Love (video game)|James Bond 007: From Russia with Love]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=From Russia With Love Tech Info |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/from-russia-with-love/techinfo/ |publisher=CBS |access-date=30 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514082010/http://uk.gamespot.com/from-russia-with-love/techinfo/ |archive-date=14 May 2012 }}</ref>

====Robert Brown: 1983–1989====
[[File:Robert brown.jpg|thumb|upright|Robert Brown, who played M from 1983 to 1989]]
After Lee's death in 1981, the producers hired actor Robert Brown to play M in ''[[Octopussy]]''. Brown had previously played Admiral Hargreaves, [[Commodore Submarine Service|Flag Officer Submarines]], in the 1977 film, ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]''.  Bond scholars Steven Jay Rubin, John Cork, and Collin Stutz all consider Admiral Hargreaves to have been appointed to the role of M, rather than Brown playing a different character as M.{{sfn|Cork|Stutz|2007|p=154-155}}{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=178}}

Pfeiffer and Worrall considered that whilst Brown looks perfect, the role had been softened from that of Lee;{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=136}} they also considered him "far too avuncular",{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=155}} although in ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' they remarked that he came across as being very effective as he removed Bond ([[Timothy Dalton]])'s [[Licence to kill (concept)|double-0 licence]].{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=165}} Continuation author [[Raymond Benson]] agrees, noting that the M role was "once again under written, and Brown is not allowed the opportunity to explore and reveal his character traits";{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=236-137}} Benson also considered the character to be "too nice".{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=137}} In ''[[No Time to Die]]'' (2021), Brown's M is briefly seen in a portrait at the office of the incumbent M ([[Ralph Fiennes]]) opposite a portrait of [[Judi Dench]]'s M.<ref name="screenrant.com">{{cite news |title=No Time To Die Makes Moore & Dalton's M Canon In Daniel Craig's Movies |url=https://screenrant.com/no-time-die-m-portraits-robert-brown-canon/ |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=screenrant.com |date=19 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Appearances in:

* ''[[Octopussy]]'' (1983)
* ''[[A View to a Kill]]'' (1985)
* ''[[The Living Daylights]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' (1989)

====Judi Dench: 1995–2015====
[[File:M by Judi Dench.jpg|thumb|upright|Judi Dench, who played M from 1995 to 2015{{ffdc|1=M by Judi Dench.jpg|log=2025 November 20}}]]
After the long period between ''Licence to Kill'' and ''[[GoldenEye]]'', the producers brought in [[Judi Dench|Dame Judi Dench]] to take over as the new M replacing Robert Brown. The character is based on [[Stella Rimington]], the real-life head of MI5 between 1992 and 1996.{{sfn|West|2010|p=45}}{{sfn|Rimington|2008|p=244}} For ''GoldenEye'', Dench's M is cold, blunt and initially dislikes Bond ([[Pierce Brosnan]]), whom she calls a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the [[Cold War]]."{{sfn|Black|2005|p=100}} Tanner ([[Michael Kitchen]]), her [[Chief of Staff]], refers to her during the film as "the Evil Queen of Numbers", given her reputation at that stage for relying on statistics and analysis rather than impulse and initiative.{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=174}}

Following Pierce Brosnan's departure from the role as Bond, Dench continued playing M for the 2006 film ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'', which [[Reboot (fiction)|rebooted]] the series with [[Daniel Craig]] playing [[James Bond (reboot series character)|Bond]] at the beginning of his career. In this new continuity, M has worked for MI6 for some time, at one point muttering, "Christ, I miss the Cold War".{{sfn|McKay|2008|p=353}} According to ''[[Skyfall]]'', M was previously in charge of MI6's operations in Hong Kong during the 1990s. Her ability to run MI6 has been questioned more than once; in ''Casino Royale'', she is the subject of a review when Bond is caught shooting unarmed prisoner Mollaka ([[Sébastien Foucan]]) and blowing up a foreign embassy on camera; in ''[[Quantum of Solace]]'', the [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] ([[Tim Pigott-Smith]]) orders her to personally withdraw Bond from the field in [[Bolivia]] and to stop any investigations into Dominic Greene ([[Mathieu Amalric]])'s [[eco-terrorism|eco-terrorist]] organisation; and in ''Skyfall'', she is the subject of a [[public inquiry]] when MI6 loses a computer hard drive containing the identities of undercover agents around the world.<ref name="SightAndSound-Miller">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/film-week-skyfall|last=Miller|first=Henry K.|title=Film of the week: Skyfall|date=26 October 2012|work=[[Sight & Sound]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> ''Skyfall'' marked Dench's seventh appearance as M, where she is targeted by former MI6 agent [[Raoul Silva]] ([[Javier Bardem]]), whom she turned over to the Chinese in order to save six other agents. She assists Bond with making booby traps in preparation of Silva's forces coming to attack at Bond's old family estate, Skyfall in Scotland. She is shot and wounded before dying from her wounds in the film, making her the only M to die in the [[Eon Productions|Eon]] Bond films. Dench's M makes a final appearance in ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'' in a video will, giving Bond a final order to hunt down and terminate Marco Sciarra ([[Alessandro Cremona]]), which ultimately leads him to the film's [[SPECTRE|titular criminal organisation]].

In ''[[No Time to Die]]'' (2021), Dench's M is briefly seen in a portrait at M's office (Ralph Fiennes) opposite a portrait of Robert Brown's M.<ref name="screenrant.com"/>

There have also been brief references to M's family:{{sfn|Jütting|2007|p=91}} in ''GoldenEye,'' she responds to Tanner calling her the "Evil Queen of Numbers" by telling him that when she wants to hear sarcasm she will listen to her children.{{sfn|Simpson|2002|p=22}} ''Quantum of Solace'' director [[Marc Forster]] suggested that Dench's casting gave the character maternal overtones in her relationship with Bond,<ref>{{cite news|last=Nathan|first=Ian|title=Quantum's Leap|newspaper=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=October 2008|page=87}}</ref> overtones made overt in ''Skyfall'', in which Silva repeatedly refers to her as "Mother" and "Mommy" {{sic}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=James|first=Caryn|title=Skyfall: Bond Is Older, Wiser, Better|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caryn-james/skyfall-review_b_2090554.html?ir=Entertainment|work=[[HuffPost]]|access-date=12 November 2012|date=11 November 2012}}</ref> In ''Skyfall'' she is revealed to be a widow.{{citation needed|reason=she mentions her "late husband" in Skyfall at approximately 1:40:05, but still needs a reference|date=October 2021}}

An inscribed box following her death in ''Skyfall'' reveals her name to be '''Olivia Mansfield''', at least for the duration of the Craig era.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gant |first1=Will |title=True identity of James Bond's M revealed |url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/397345/True-identity-of-James-Bond-s-M-revealed |access-date=11 October 2021 |work=Express.co.uk |date=6 May 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

Appearances in:

* ''[[GoldenEye]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Tomorrow Never Dies]]'' (1997)
* ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Die Another Day]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Quantum of Solace]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Skyfall]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'' (2015, cameo)

Dench also appeared in seven James Bond video games:
* ''[[The World Is Not Enough (Nintendo 64)|The World Is Not Enough]]'' (2000) – is a playable character
* ''[[James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Review |url=http://uk.xbox.ign.com/articles/492/492864p1.html |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=30 January 2012 |date=18 February 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425092437/http://uk.xbox.ign.com/articles/492/492864p1.html |archive-date=25 April 2012 }}</ref> (2004)
* ''[[GoldenEye: Rogue Agent]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=GoldenEye: Rogue Agent|url=http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/568/568340p3.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724130914/http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/568/568340p3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 July 2012|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=30 January 2012|date=22 November 2004}}</ref> (2004)
* ''[[007: Quantum of Solace]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=East|first=Tom|title=Making of Quantum of Solace|url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/6330/newsmaking-of-quantum-of-solace/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912141941/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/6330/newsmaking-of-quantum-of-solace/|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 September 2012|work=Nintendo magazine|publisher=[[Future plc]]|access-date=30 January 2012|date=4 November 2008}}</ref> (2008)
* ''[[GoldenEye 007 (2010 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=E3 2010: GoldenEye Reimagined for Wii|url=http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/109/1097593p1.html|work=[[IGN]]|access-date=30 January 2012|date=15 June 2010}}</ref> (2010)
* ''[[James Bond 007: Blood Stone]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=James Bond 007: Blood Stone Review|url=http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/113/1131346p1.html|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=30 January 2012|date=2 November 2010}}</ref> (2010)
* ''[[007 Legends]]'' (2012)

====Ralph Fiennes: 2012–present<span class="anchor" id="Ralph Fiennes"></span>====
[[File:Gareth Mallory Profile.png|thumb|upright|Ralph Fiennes, the incumbent actor in the role]]
After the death of Dame Judi Dench's M at the end of ''Skyfall'', she is succeeded by '''Gareth Mallory''', played by [[Ralph Fiennes]]. Mallory had been the Chairman of the [[Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament|Intelligence and Security Committee]] prior to heading MI6, and is a former {{nowrap|[[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]]}} in the [[British Army]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Pande|first=Sophia|title=Skyfall|url=http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/2012/11/10/MustSee/19770|access-date=17 November 2012|newspaper=[[Nepali Times]]|date=9 November 2012|location=Kathmandu}}</ref> He served in [[Northern Ireland]] (with the [[Special Air Service]]) during [[the Troubles]], where he had been held hostage by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Irish Republican Army]] for three months.<ref name="Obs: french">{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=Skyfall – review|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/28/skyfall-james-bond-review|date=28 October 2012|author-link=Philip French|location=London|page=32}}</ref> In ''Spectre'', the [[00 Agent|00]] Section of MI6 is briefly dismantled in addition to Mallory being demoted. He assists Bond in the field when it is revealed that the [[Five Eyes#Nine Eyes|Nine Eyes initiative]] is part of Spectre's plan for world domination. In ''No Time to Die'', Mallory authorizes the development of Project Heracles, a DNA-targeting [[Nanorobotics|nanobot]] [[Biological agent|bioweapon]]. Project Heracles is stolen by Spectre and falls into the hands of [[Lyutsifer Safin]] ([[Rami Malek]]), eventually leading to the death of Bond as he sacrifices his life in order for the weapon to be completely destroyed. Mallory eulogises Bond at the end of the film.

Mallory is the first M in the Eon series whose real name is known from the start, and he continues to be referred to both as M and as Mallory throughout the films.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Appearances in:

* ''[[Skyfall]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]'' (2015)
* ''[[No Time to Die]]'' (2021)
{{clear}}

===Non-Eon films===
====John Huston/David Niven: 1967====
The 1967 film ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' had not one but two Ms. The first is played by [[John Huston]], who also co-directed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Casino Royale (1967) |url=http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/casino-royale-v8522 |work=Allrovi |publisher=Rovi Corporation |access-date=30 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130124522/http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/casino-royale-v8522 |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}</ref> In this film, M's real name is McTarry and he is accidentally killed when, in order to get Bond ([[David Niven]]) out of retirement, he orders the military to fire mortars at Bond's mansion when the retired spy refuses to return to duty. The first quarter of the film depicts Bond's subsequent visit to McTarry Castle in [[Scotland]], on a quest to return the only piece of M's remains recovered after the attack—his bright red [[toupée]].{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=187}} Subsequently, Bond—played by David Niven—becomes the new M{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=44}} and proceeds to order that all MI6 agents, male and female, be renamed "James Bond 007" in order to confuse the enemy.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=107}}

====Edward Fox: 1983====
[[File:Edwardfox.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward Fox played M in ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'']]
In 1983's ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'', [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]] played M as a bureaucrat, contemptuous of Bond ([[Sean Connery]])—far removed from the relationship shared between Bernard Lee's M and Sean Connery's Bond in the original Eon films;{{sfn|Rubin|2003|p=148}} the academic [[Jeremy Black (historian)|Jeremy Black]] notes that the contempt felt for the 00 section by Fox's M was reciprocated by Connery's Bond.{{sfn|Black|2005|p=100}} Fox's M is also younger than any of the previous portrayals,{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=341}} and his portrayal is the only instance to date of the actor playing M being younger than the actor playing Bond. The media historian [[James Chapman (media historian)|James Chapman]] notes that while M considers Bond to be an out-dated relic, the Foreign Secretary Lord Ambrose ([[Anthony Sharp]]) orders the 00 section to be re-activated.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=186}}

==Outside the James Bond series==
Several past incarnations of M appear in [[Alan Moore]] and [[Kevin O'Neill (comics)|Kevin O'Neill]]'s ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]''. The first, later revealed to be [[Professor Moriarty|James Moriarty]], created and directed the eponymous League in 1898 to win a gang war against [[Fu Manchu]]. Following Moriarty's death, [[Mycroft Holmes]] assumed the role of M.{{sfn|Morrison|2011|p=367}} In the sequel volume ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier|The Black Dossier]]'', [[The Third Man|Harry Lime]], the head of the British secret service, assumed the role of M amidst a moribund and dystopian 1950s post-war Britain.{{sfn|Vice magazine|2011| }} In the final volume ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century|Century]]'', the elderly [[Emma Peel]] assumed the role of M as of 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title="The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1999" Review|url=http://www.tcj.com/reviews/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-century-2009/|date=6 July 2012|access-date=2 November 2012|work=The Comics Journal}}</ref>

The James Moriarty incarnation of M appears in the first volume's 2003 [[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|film adaptation]], portrayed by [[Richard Roxburgh]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Kerr|first=Philip|title=In a league of its own|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200310270040|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906164835/http://www.newstatesman.com/200310270040|archive-date=6 September 2008|access-date=30 January 2012|newspaper=[[New Statesman]]|date=27 October 2003|author-link=Philip Kerr}}</ref>

Another, similarly secretive M, appears in [[Mary Pope Osborne]]'s children books [[Magic Tree House]], giving missions to the two main characters Jack and Annie Smith. This M however turns out to be [[Morgan le Fay]] from Arthurian legend.

==See also==
*[[Q (James Bond)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em }}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=40em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Amis|first=Kingsley|title=[[The James Bond Dossier]]|year=1966|publisher=[[Pan Books]] |location=London |oclc=752401390}}
* {{Cite book|last=Benson|first=Raymond|author-link=Raymond Benson|title=[[The James Bond Bedside Companion]]|year=1988|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree Ltd]]|location=London|isbn=1-85283-234-7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Black|first=Jeremy|author-link=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=The politics of James Bond: from Fleming's novel to the big screen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g4-sFrU8Xw0C&q=Clarence%20Leiter&pg=PP1|year=2005|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|isbn=978-0-8032-6240-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Chapman|first=James|title=Licence to Thrill: A cultural history of the James Bond films|year=2009|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |location=New York|isbn=978-1-84511-515-9}}
* {{Cite book |last1= Comentale |first1= Edward P| last2=Watt |first2=Stephen | last3=Willman |first3=Skip | year=2005 |title= Ian Fleming & James Bond: the cultural politics of 007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NpkbHkuxYTUC&pg=PP1|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-253-21743-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1= Cork |first1= John|last2= Stutz |first2=Collin |title=James Bond encyclopedia|year=2007 |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-4053-3427-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Griswold|first=John|title= Ian Fleming's James Bond: annotations and chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond stories |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uariyzldrJwC&q=Ian%20Fleming's%20James%20Bond%3A%20Annotations%20And%20Chronologies%20For%20Ian%20Fleming's%20Bond%20Stories&pg=PA2|publisher=[[AuthorHouse]]|year=2006|isbn=1-4259-3100-6}}
* {{Cite book|last= Jütting |first= Kerstin |title="Grow Up, 007!"&nbsp;– James Bond over the decades: formula vs. innovation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzuVat9N7bQC&pg=PP1 |publisher= GRIN Verlag|year=2007|isbn= 978-3-638-85372-9}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Lane|first1=Andy|last2=Simpson|first2=Paul|title=The Bond Files: An Unofficial Guide to the World's Greatest Secret Agent|year=2002|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7535-0712-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lejeune|first= Anthony |title= The gentlemen's clubs of London|year=1979|publisher= Mayflower Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-8317-3800-6}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lindner|first=Christoph|title=The James Bond Phenomenon: a Critical Reader|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=x9-1QY5boUsC&pg=PP1|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7190-6541-5}}
* {{Cite book|last=Macintyre|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Macintyre|title=For Your Eyes Only|year=2008|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7475-9527-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=McKay|first=Sinclair|title= The man with the golden touch: how the Bond films conquered the world |year=2008|publisher=[[Aurum Press]]|location=London|isbn= 978-1-84513-355-9}}
* {{Cite book|last= Morrison |first= Grant |author-link= Grant Morrison|title=Supergods|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pYoyiXbHeN0C&pg=PP1 |year=2011|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=London|isbn= 978-0-224-08996-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Pearson|first=John|author-link=John Pearson (author)|year=1966|title=[[The Life of Ian Fleming]]|publisher=[[Pan Books]]|location=London|isbn=0-330-02082-X}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Pfeiffer|first1=Lee|last2=Worrall|first2=Dave|title=The essential Bond|year=1998|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree Ltd]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7522-2477-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Rimington|author-link=Stella Rimington|first=Stella|title=Open secret: the autobiography of the former Director-General of MI5|year=2008|publisher=[[Arrow Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-09-943672-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Rubin|first=Steven Jay|title=The complete James Bond movie encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|location=New York|isbn=0-07-141246-8}}
* {{Cite book|last= Simpson |first= Paul |title= The rough guide to James Bond|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BikCz7XZijEC&pg=PA1 |publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|year=2002|isbn= 978-1-84353-142-5}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |last2=Lavington |first2=Stephen |title=Bond films |year=2002 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0709-4|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bondfilms0000smit }}
*{{Cite book|last=Stock|first=Paul|contribution=Dial 'M' for metonym: Universal Exports, M's office space and empire|editor-last=Lindner|editor-first=Christoph|title=The James Bond Phenomenon: a Critical Reader|year=2009|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|location=Manchester|isbn=978-0-7190-6541-5}}
* {{Cite book|last=Vice magazine|author-link=Vice (magazine)|title=The World According to Vice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h04Bcoq0on4C&pg=PP1|year=2011|publisher=[[Canongate Books]]|location=Edinburgh|isbn= 978-0-85786-024-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=West|first=Nigel|author-link=Nigel West|title= Historical dictionary of Ian Fleming's world of intelligence: fact and fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=myjQ9kqDFZwC&pg=PP1|year=2010|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Scarecrow Press]]|location= Lanham, Maryland|isbn= 978-0-7524-2896-3}}

{{Refend}}

{{James Bond characters}}

{{good article}}

[[Category:America's Best Comics characters]]
[[Category:Characters in British novels of the 20th century]]
[[Category:James Bond characters|M]]
[[Category:Fictional MI6 agents]]
[[Category:Fictional British admirals]]
[[Category:Fictional spymasters]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Fictional contract bridge players]]
[[Category:Female characters in film]]
[[Category:Fictional murdered people]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:Male characters in film]]
[[Category:Fictional British spies]]
[[Category:Fictional spies]]
[[Category:Fictional British people]]