James Bond the ornithologist appears in this documentary via archive footage and dramatic re-enactments played by actor Gregory Itzin. Previous filmed productions to feature James Bond the ornithologist as a character in a dramatic context and not via footage of the real person are rare. These include Goldeneye (1989) where he was played by Reg Gadney and A Caribbean Mystery (2013) where he was portrayed by Charlie Higson. In the Bond movie Die Another Day (2002), Pierce Brosnan as the fictional James Bond posed as an ornithologist.
Throughout his life, Gunnar Schaefer (See: Gunnar James Bond Schäfer), Sweden's own Mr. James Bond, slowly began to take on Agent 007's persona in his mannerisms, clothing and lifestyle. He even opened a 007 Museum in Nybro in Sweden to house his collection of James Bond cars and memorabilia. But this transformation was only completed in the year 2007 when he changed his name from Gunnar Schaefer to James Bond. Today, Sweden's Mr. James Bond is a local celebrity and has made several television appearances throughout Sweden as Scandinavia's premiere 007 expert and Sweden's actual real life James Bond. But, of course, as a normal man, Mr. Bond is not a secret agent but instead runs a car parts dealership out of the same building as his 007 Museum!.
James Bond spy series creator Ian Fleming once famously wrote to Mrs. Mary Wickham Bond [See: Mary Bond], wife of the ornithologist James Bond, about using the James Bond name. He said: "It struck me that this brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name was just what I needed, and so a second James Bond was born". He added: ''In return, I can only offer your James Bond unlimited use of the name. Ian Fleming...Perhaps one day he will discover some particularly horrible species of bird which he would like to christen in an insulting fashion."
The original real life James Bond, who was an ornithologist and whose name was adopted by Ian Fleming for the famous spy series of espionage fiction, appears in this film via archive footage as well as in re-enactments where he is played by actor Gregory Itzin.
Mary Bond aka Mary Wickham Bond, the wife of ornithologist James Bond, on her husband's behalf, wrote to Ian Fleming in 1961 regarding the use of her husband's name. Ian Fleming wrote back saying, "I must confess that your husband has every reason to sue me . . . In return, I can only offer your James Bond unlimited use of the name Ian Fleming for any purpose he may think fit. Perhaps one day your husband will discover a particularly horrible species of bird which he would like to christen in an insulting fashion by calling it Ian Fleming."