Daniel Craig in the new James Bond film Spectre. Photo / Supplied
Daniel Craig in the new James Bond film Spectre. Photo / Supplied
Given his penchant for flying planes through buildings and bouts of old-fashioned fisticuffs, 007 might be expected to pick up his fair share of knocks.
But Daniel Craig, 47, has revealed that just because the daring escapades he portrays on screen are fictional, it does not mean he is safe from injury.
He told yesterday of how he is set to go under the knife yet again because of a knee injury he picked up while filming a fight scene for Spectre with the hulking villain Mr Hinx.
And this is far from the first time Craig had taken a beating in the line of duty.
The sculpted body that emerged from the sea during 2006's Casino Royale has been repeatedly put through the ringer during his nine years as Bond and, with the stunts becoming more breathtaking in each film, the injuries are becoming more serious.
He once complained: "I hurt myself every day," and said on the BBC's Graham Norton Show last night: "I've had my right shoulder re-constructed, my right and left knees operated on and my thumb hurts!"
His time as James Bond got off to an inauspicious start on Casino Royale when two of his teeth were accidentally knocked out during his first stunt. The damage was so severe his dentist had to fly out from London to the film location to fix caps into his mouth.
Given the number of injuries Craig sustained making Quantum Of Solace in 2008, it's surprising he came out in one piece.
A blow to his face saw a plastic surgeon called in, Craig was later rushed off set after slicing off the top of his finger, he tore the muscle in his shoulder, and an accident in Panama left him with badly bruised ribs.
Spectre's knee injury appears to be the most serious knock yet, requiring two sessions of surgery to put Craig back on track. He is to have a relatively quiet year while he takes time to recuperate before appearing in a stage production of Othello in 2016.
The knee injury threatened to halt filming for six months and push back the release date for the film until 2016, but the actor was determined to press through the pain. In the end, production was stopped for only two weeks.
Craig told film magazine Empire: '"This has been a two-year process. Since we began talking about the script, it gets to this point and you say: 'We can shut down for six months and you can go have surgery and come back then'."
"I was like: "F*** that." I don't give a f***. Stick two planks of wood on it and I'll f****** crack on."
Ironically, in a 2009 interview, he said he would continue playing 007 "until my knees go".
From top to toe, Craig's 007 injuries
Photo / Supplied
Ribs The star bruised his ribs while filming Quantum Of Solace in Panama.
Finger One stunt for Quantum Of Solace saw Craig slice off the tip of the fourth finger on his right hand but, after being rushed to hospital, he was back at work that same afternoon.
Teeth His first stunt as James Bond on Casino Royale was a fight scene that saw two of his teeth accidentally knocked out. The damage was so bad that Craig's dentist had to be flown in from London to deal with the situation.
Face Craig needed eight stitches when he was accidentally kicked in the face during a fight scene for 2008's Quantum Of Solace and said at the time he had the services of an "excellent plastic surgeon".
Knee A fight scene on a train for Spectre saw Craig damage his knee so badly that he had surgery and filming was halted for two weeks. The actor now says that his knee needs another operation.
Right shoulder Quantum Of Solace also saw Craig tear his muscle in a shoulder injury. The damage was apparently not a direct consequence of filming, but it required six pins to be inserted into his body and he was forced to wear a sling for months.
