Bond villain actor dies

Joseph Wiseman, who played Dr No in the first 007 film, was...

12:33 21 October 2009

Actor Joseph Wiseman, who famously portrayed villain Dr No in the first James Bond film of the same name, has died aged 91, it has been confirmed.

Wiseman died at home in Manhattan after his health steadily detoriated, his daughter Martha said.

The Canadian-born actor had numerous starring roles on stage and screen before appearing opposite Sean Connery as the memorable Dr Julius No in the 1962 film.

His last role was on Broadway in a 2001 production of the Nazi war trial drama 'Judgment At Nuremberg'.

Martha Wiseman told the Los Angeles Times that the actor viewed his role in Dr No with "great disdain."

She said: "He was horrified in later life because that's what he was remembered for - stage acting was what he wanted to be remembered for."

Wiseman was born in Montreal on May 15 1918, before moving to America as a boy.

He began acting as a teenager and made his Broadway debut in 1938.

He broke onto the big screen starring opposite Marlon Brando in 1952's 'Viva Zapata!' and Burt Lancaster in 'The Unforgiven' in 1960.