George Lazenby wants fair play with Pam Shriver
13-Aug-2008 • Actor News
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The 007 star has revealed he was shocked and surprised when he learned his wife wanted a divorce after six years of marriage.
Lazenby's spokesman, Michael Sands, said the actor was served with divorce papers after returning to Los Angeles a week ago from a trip to Australia to visit his elderly mother.
"After he got off the plane he was served with the papers and told he had to appear in court the next day," Mr Sands said yesterday. "He did not know it was coming. He is totally devastated."
Shriver, a US tennis star in the 1980s before a career as a commentator, cited "irreconcilable differences" in her court papers, and has sought sole custody of the couple's three children, George, 4, and twins Kate and Sam, 2.
Lazenby, 68, is also seeking sole legal and physical custody.
LA Metropolitan Court commissioner Alan Rubin granted Shriver temporary custody after a hearing last Thursday morning.
Mr Rubin granted Lazenby supervised visits three times a week before a hearing on August 25 to discuss custody arrangements and a temporary restraining order against the actor.
Until Shriver filed for divorce last week, the couple shared a luxury home in the LA suburb of Brentwood, where their celebrity neighbours included Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon, Jim Carrey, Tobey Maguire and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Shriver, 46, is living with the couple's children in the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home, which they bought in 2003 for $3.2 million.
Lazenby, best known for his one-movie stint as 007 in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969, has temporarily moved into a guestroom at the nearby home of friends.
The couple, who were married in 2002, have several luxury homes around the world, including a $1.6 million estate in Maryland.
Mr Sands, who has been a close friend of Lazenby for more than 30 years, said the actor was upset by allegations in Shriver's court papers that the actor was an alcoholic and an unfit father.
"These allegations are totally unfounded, and George is so sad and hurt and broken up over it," Mr Sands said.
"Anyone can make allegations to get temporary (custody) orders. George is squeaky clean -- there are no skeletons in his closet.
"He is a great dad and is very hands-on with the kids, putting them to bed, feeding them and spending time with them.
"He's retired, while Pam is out of town 60 days a year commentating, so he looks after them."
Shriver's lawyers are expected to use Lazenby's age -- he will turn 69 next month -- in their arguments that he should not be given custody.
Mr Sands, who was also a spokesman for Kevin Federline in his divorce from pop star Britney Spears, said he hoped Lazenby's age would not feature in the case.
"Pam didn't care about his age when they had the kids, so she shouldn't now," he said.
"George wants full custody of the children, but he also wants Pam involved in bringing up the kids.
"They are talking and they are amicable."
Lazenby said last year he wanted his children to grow up in Australia.
He was previously married to US publishing heiress Christina Gannett, divorcing in 1995 after 24 years of marriage.
Their son, Zachary, died from brain cancer in 1994 when he was 20.
Lazenby also has an adult daughter Melanie, 34, from his marriage to Ms Gannett.
Shriver's first husband, Joe Shapiro, a former Walt Disney company lawyer, died in 1999.
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