Q (James Bond)

Q
James Bond character
Desmond Llewelyn portrayed Q in the Eon series between 1963 and 1999.
Portrayed by	Peter Burton (1962) Desmond Llewelyn (1963–1999) John Cleese (films: 1999–2002; video games: 2000–2004) Ben Whishaw (2012–2021) Non-Eon Geoffrey Bayldon (1967) Alec McCowen (1983)
In-universe information
Alias	Major Boothroyd
Occupation	Quartermaster
Affiliation	MI6

Q is a character in the James Bond films and novelisations. 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 (standing for quartermaster), like M, is a job title rather than a name. 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.^[1]

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). Q also featured in both non-Eon Bond films, Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983). Between 1963 and 1999, Q was portrayed in the Eon films by Desmond Llewelyn until his death in late 1999. He was played in subsequent films first by John Cleese and then by Ben Whishaw.