Back in 2014, when the Sony email hack monopolized headlines, the world learned former executive Amy Pascal was really feeling Idris Elba for the role of James Bond. And while many agreed that the super smooth and talented English actor could easily step into the role, others said that only a white guy could play 007. But the real-life James Bond may actually not have been a white guy.
For decades, people have had reason to suspect that James Bond and Dominican playboy Porfirio Rubirosa are one and the same. In an article titled Will the Real James Bond, Please Stand Up? lawyer and forensic historian Daniel J. Voelker builds a strong case about why only Rubirosa could have inspired the famous spy.
Ian Fleming first introduced the world to 007 in 1953. Since then, people have come up with at least a dozen people who Fleming supposedly modeled the character after. But Voelker argues that Rubirosa – a race car driver, a womanizer, a spy, and a dapper dresser all rolled into one – is the only person in Fleming’s inner circle who fit the Bond mold.
Voelker hypothesizes that Fleming never made it public knowledge because of Rubirosa’s background. “Fleming was restrained from identifying Rubirosa as his inspiration given Rubirosa’s Creole, or mixed racial background; Fleming’s audience in the 1950s and early ’60s may not, unfortunately, have been very accepting of such a revelation,” Voelker wrote.
In his eight-page article, Voelker does a deep dive into the lives of the two men, drawing similarities between their hobbies, their love interests, and their origins. The lawyer admits that even with all the work he put into his research, people will probably never stop debating about the real-life Bond. “While the clues point to Rubirosa, this debate will probably continue as long as Fleming’s books remain in circulation and his character powers the most successful movie franchise in history,” he wrote.
But it didn’t stop him from putting together a highly detailed infographic that argues his position. Check it out below and read his article here.
[H/T Repeating Islands]