Ope! James Bond Has An Iowa Connection

The world has waited more than a year to see the beloved British secret agent back on the screen. Before asking for your martini shaken and not stirred, you should know that 007 has a connection to the Hawkeye State.

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This deep-cut connection actually involves the Iowa Hawkeyes themselves. No, James Bond never played for this highly ranked college team, but one of the talented minds behind the iconic British movie franchise did study there.

You know James Bond and you may even know the man behind the agent, Iam Fleming. Fleming wrote the very first James Bond novel in a span of two months back in 1952, according to the late novelist's website.  In total the author wrote twelve novels and two short story collections about Bond.

While he laid the framework for the well-known series that we all know, it was a man named Richard Maibaum who really got the ball going for the beloved Brit.

He initially attended college at NYU and in 1930 he made his way to the Midwest. Maibaum studied in the University of Iowa's Speech and Dramatic Arts Department. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1931 and then got his masters in 1932.

Born in New York City, Maibaum grew up to be the screenwriter for the first few James Bond flicks. He's credited with co-writing thirteen of these flicks.

Dr. NO (1962)

From Russia With Love (1963)

Goldfinger (1964)

Thunderball (1965)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Octopussy (1983)

A View to a Kill (1985)

The Living Daylights (1987)

License to Kill (1989)

Maibaum is even often credited with giving the super secret agent his wry humor.

From Sean Connery to Roger Moore, this talented screenwriter was there for all of it. He died in January of 1991 only three years after the final Bond film he was a part of premiere.

Richard Maibaum returned to the university in the mid fifties when he got some early success with other films. He taught a single class for a semester called "Footsteps of Freedom."