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"Nice and light... in a lady's handbag. No stopping power."
― Major Boothroyd, examining Bond's Beretta 418.[src]

Major Boothroyd is the British Secret Service armourer introduced in Ian Fleming's sixth James Bond novel, Dr. No. The character is the origin of the James Bond film character Q (standing for Quartermaster); the head of Q Branch, the fictional research and development division of the Service.

In the films, 'Major Boothroyd' first appears in Dr. No and later in From Russia with Love, although played by different actors. Beginning in Goldfinger and in each film thereafter Major Boothroyd is most often referred to as Q, however, in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) he is referred to as Major Boothroyd in dialogue once again.

Film biography

Major Boothroyd was originally portrayed by Peter Burton in the first official James Bond film, Dr. No. In the only scene in which he appears, he replaces Bond's Beretta 418 .25 pistol with Bond's signature Walther PPK handgun.

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