Desmond Llewelyn, who starred as the eccentric scientist Q in a string of James Bond films, was killed in a head-on car crash near Firle, East Sussex on Sunday, police said.

Llewelyn, 85, was returning from a book signing when he crashed and was air lifted to a nearby hospital, police said. The three passengers in the second car are believed to be in stable
condition.

The actor was best-known for his role of Q the gadget expert who equipped 007 with the latest spy tool - from toxic fountain pens to deadly umbrellas - in 17 Bond films dating back to "From Russia with Love" up to the recent "The World Is Not Enough."

Llewelyn, was born in South Wales in 1914, the son of a coal mining engineer. He landed the coveted role of Q despite the director's attempts to have the character speak with a Welsh accent.

"My interpretation of the character was that of a toffee-nosed English," he once said. "At the risk of losing the part and with silent apologies to my native land, I launched into Q's lines using the worst Welsh accent, followed by the same in English."

Despite achieving near-cult status for his on-screen dexterity with gadgets, Llewelyn said he was a bungler in real life.

"Most gadgets expire or explode as I touch them," he said in an interview in October.

Llewelyn lived in Bexhill, East Sussex. He leaves two sons, Ivor, 50, and Justin, 45, and two grandchildren.

RIP Desmond, you will be sadly missed.

MeKare

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John Cleese is in "The World Is Not Enough" as Q's assistant, but Desmond Llewelyn had said he would play Q until either the Bond films finished or he died.

Blessings

MeKare