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Cinematic Tag


For the Minister of Defence character portrayed by Julian Fellowes, see Minister of Defence (Julian Fellowes).


Sir Frederick Gray is the fictional British Minister of Defence, an official within Her Majesty's Government and head of the Ministry of Defence. Played by the late British actor Geoffrey Keen, Gray was a recurring character who first appeared in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and went on to appear in Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), and The Living Daylights (1987).

Biography[]

Sir Fredrick Gray is the Minister of Defence for the British government. He appears alongside James Bond's boss M or in his own office. In The Spy Who Loved Me he is introduced during a briefing over the submarine crisis. Bond obviously knows Gray well since he later calls him 'Freddie' during a private discussion between them. However, in all subsequent meetings, Bond addresses Gray as 'Minister' since other officials are present. At the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, Gray, along with General Gogol, M and Q, witness Bond and Anya Amasova under the sheets in an escape pod. This embarrassment might explain the apparent souring of his relationship with Bond, who thereafter is treated formally and/or disdainfully.

In Moonraker, Gray is seen walking into a secret laboratory with M and Bond, all wearing gasmasks, but it is revealed embarrassingly to be nothing more than an ornamented office with Hugo Drax waiting inside to chide them. Gray – who after this angrily tells M, "Your man should be taken off the case!" – is again present at the end of the film to witness Bond under the sheets, this time in space with Holly Goodhead.

In For Your Eyes Only, Gray is seen alongside the Chief of Staff Bill Tanner (M is on leave) and the First Sea Lord trying to find out what happened to the spy ship St. Georges. Once again, at the end of the film Gray is embarrassed, this time by linking the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with Max the (rude) Parrot instead of 007, whom he accuses of having gone mad.

In Octopussy, Gray suggests that Bond go with Jim Fanning, the art expert to see the auction of a Fabergé Egg, Property of A Lady. Gray is seen at the end of the film celebrating with Gogol and M.

In A View to a Kill, the Minister is seen talking with Bond and M about Max Zorin and microchips. At the end, Gray is once again seen celebrating (though they think Bond may be dead) with M and Gogol in the former's office, this time about 007 preventing Silicon Valley from being destroyed.

In the final film that Gray appears in, The Living Daylights, he is seen with M, Bond and General Koskov at the Blayden safe house – this is Koskov's debriefing following his supposed defection. Later, Gray proclaims, "We're the laughing stock of the intelligence community!" when Koskov is apparently kidnapped. Reference is made to his having to explain all this to the PM: "She'll have our guts for garters!"

Trivia[]

  • Fredrick Gray is depicted as Minister of Defence in all these films despite there having been a change of government in the UK (from Labour to Conservative) in 1979, two years after his first appearance.
  • Gray fills a similar role in the films to Bill Tanner (M's chief of staff) in Ian Fleming's novels. For Your Eyes Only is the only film in which both characters appear.

Gallery[]

Frederick Gray/Gallery

References[]

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