Eon was started by film producers Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in July 1961, at the same time they became partners and sought financing for Dr. No.

The year before they formed Danjaq, which for legal reasons became Eon's holding company, from which it licenses the rights to produce the Bond films.

When they dissolved their relationship he was free to pursue the property, for which Saltzman, a novice to film production, had taken a gamble to acquire.

The enterprise was and is still a family business, including both wives of the principal partners, as well as several of their progeny, the latter group now carrying on their parents' work.

Albert almost immediately included Dana Broccoli's college-aged son Michael G. Wilson in the early films, doing various production jobs.

Other non-Bond projects from either 1963 or 1964 – The Marriage Game written by Terry Southern and to have been directed by Peter Yates[8][9] and The Pass Beyond Kashmir based on the novel by Berkely Mather – did not go into production.

[11] Eon Productions produced the adaptation of Mark Burnell's first book in the Stephanie Patrick series, titled The Rhythm Section.