Diamonds Are Forever`s Peter Franks - Joe Robinson talks of his time with 007
11-Aug-2004 • Actor News
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In typical fashion, 007 takes a pasting from the powerful baddie until he manages to make a late comeback, blinding Franks with foam from a fire extinguisher.
Bond then hurls his nemesis over a bannister to send him plunging six storeys to his death.
"Then Jill St John, who was absolutely beautiful, bent over me and I couldn't help but open my eyes. Sean Connery shouted: 'Joe, you're supposed to be dead!'"
'Tiger' Joe Robinson, who played Franks in the 1971 Bond film, grins as he recalls the most famous moment of his low-profile, but colourful movie career - reports Morecambe Today.
The bodybuilder, wrestler, fight co-ordinator and martial arts expert starred in 37 films in the 50s, 60s and 70s, alongside such luminaries as Errol Flynn, Diana Dors and Anthony Quinn.
And away from the cameras, he rubbed brawny shoulders with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Kirk Douglas.
In his day he was known as 'The Blond Beefcake', an adonis of a man with rippling muscles, and even now it is easy to see why.
He was offered the spot in Diamonds Are Forever through his friendship with Sean Connery.
Sean trained at Joe's gym during the 1960s. The Tiger also knew Honor Blackman, Connery's leading lady in the film Goldfinger, from the time he trained her in judo and they co-wrote a martial arts book.
"I nearly got the part Robert Shaw eventually played in From Russia With Love, but Shaw was Sean Connery's golf partner and that's why he got it," says Joe.
"I think Connery felt a bit guilty about that. We were the same height so he recommended me for Diamonds Are Forever.
"I was getting paid £2,000 for the part and Connery said that was rubbish, because he didn't like the producers and thought he was badly paid.
"So thanks to him I ended up with £9,000, which was a lot of money in those days."
Thanks to `Ken` for the alert.
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