James Gardner shooting a camera man who got too close to his car.
By Sean Tuohy
Did you just ask yourself, "Who is John Gardner?" Seriously? Fuck off! #Badasswriter Gardner was born and raised in England and didn't waste time becoming a badass. At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the British Army's Home Guard when he was 13-years-old. At that age, my biggest worry was hair growing in new places. Gardner was fighting Nazis. Nazis!
In 1942, he joined the Royal Marine Commandos where he became a small arms and explosives expert, and learned to fly a plane. He became a priest after the war, but that only lasted until 1958 when he lost his faith in God and turned to drinking. When Gardner sobered up, he turned his badass skills toward writing and he produced some of the most acclaimed spy thrillers of his time.
What do you do after fighting Nazis? You fucking write James Bond novels.
In 1979, Gardner took over the long running and, at that time, sagging James Bond book series. He turned the series back in to a top seller. During his time penning James Bond, Gardner produced 14 novels, each a massive best-seller. So, not only did he save the world from Nazis while still a teenager, he saved one of pop culture's biggest icons from extinction.
John Gardner died of a heart attack at the age of 80. We assume at the time of his death he was fighting a brown bear that had chainsaws for hands.