Robert Brown (July 23, 1921 – November 11, 2003) was a British actor best known for his portrayal of M in the James Bond films, succeeding Bernard Lee, who died in 1981.

Robert Brown as Admiral Hargreaves.

Technically Brown first started in the James Bond franchise in the film The Spy Who Loved Me as Admiral Hargreaves. After Lee’s sudden death in 1981, the producers, instead of hiring a replacement, decided to leave M out of For Your Eyes Only out of respect for the actor and trade his lines with M’s Chief of Staff Bill Tanner. In 1983, they cast Brown to portray M. It is not clear as to whether he was the same character as Lee’s M or a different M, perhaps a promoted Hargreaves.

After Lee’s death, the producers decided to hire Brown to continue the role of M. Brown picks up the role in Octopussy, however it is never explicitly stated onscreen whether Brown’s character is intended to be the same person played by Lee, or if he was intended to be Admiral Hargreaves, though the later Bond books retain Sir Miles Messervy and a later film, The World Is Not Enough (1999), features an oil-painting portrait of Bernard Lee as the original M, prominent on a wall behind Judi Dench, as the third M, in the Scottish MI6 headquarters. One further thing to note is that in the pre-title credits to The Living Daylights, M’s insignia suggests he is a Rear Admiral, which would mean if he is Hargreaves then he has been demoted, since Hargreaves’ insignia in The Spy Who Loved Me suggests he is a Vice Admiral.

As played by Brown, M lacks a sense of humor and has no tolerance for Bond’s antics. Brown’s M came off tougher than his predecessor, wasting no time to revoke Bond’s licence to kill in Licence to Kill when Bond went off on a vendetta.

Brown played M in the following films:

• Octopussy (1983)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• Licence to Kill (1989)