In Live and Let Die, the second Bond novel, Leiter is tortured by the villain, drug lord Franz Sanchez, who has him lowered into a tank containing a great white shark. In early drafts Leiter dies (as you might expect); but Fleming was persuaded to allow him to survive. He returns, missing a leg and part of an arm.
This storyline is included in the film version of Live and Let Die (1973), which was Leiter's fifth appearance in the films. He returns in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989), but (as far as I can tell without actually having watched the films) all his limbs are intact.
Leiter reappears in the 2006 version of Casino Royale, when the 'reboot' allows the shark incident and the character's maiming to be legitimately overlooked. He is played on this occasion by the African–American actor Jeffrey Wright, who repeats the role in Quantum of Solace (2008) and No Time to Die (2020).
The eleven films in which Felix Leiter has appeared include the 'unofficial' 1983 outing, Never Say Never Again. In this he was played by another African–American actor – former gridiron football player Bernie Casey.
© Haydn Thompson 2020