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Ian Lancaster FlemingΒ (28 May 1908Β β 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwarΒ James BondΒ series ofΒ spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bankΒ Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was theΒ Member of ParliamentΒ (MP) forΒ HenleyΒ from 1910 until his death on theΒ Western Front in 1917. Educated atΒ Eton,Β Sandhurst, and, briefly, the universities ofΒ MunichΒ andΒ Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing.
While working for Britain'sΒ Naval Intelligence DivisionΒ during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planningΒ Operation GoldeneyeΒ and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units:Β 30 Assault UnitΒ andΒ T-Force. He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of hisΒ James BondΒ novels.
Fleming wrote his first Bond novel,Β Casino Royale, in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet the demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre aroundΒ James Bond, an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known asΒ MI6. Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was aΒ commanderΒ in theΒ Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The Bond stories rank amongΒ the best-selling series of fictional booksΒ of all time, having sold over 100Β million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote the children's storyΒ Chitty-Chitty-Bang-BangΒ (1964) and two works of non-fiction. In 2008,Β The TimesΒ ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatestΒ British writersΒ since 1945".
Fleming was married toΒ Anne Charteris. She had divorced her husband,Β the 2nd Viscount Rothermere, because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Charteris had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at the age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation hasΒ appeared in filmΒ twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series.
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