Played by a series of actors, 007 has become an icon of sophistication and ruthless glamour. The Martini-drinking spy has captured the hearts and imaginations of people old and young for years – but who is the best Bond?
Daniel Craig (2006 to the present)
Our newest and most sensational Bond, Craig has taken up the mantle with gusto. His craggy looks and closed emotional intensity make him arguably the most brooding and masculine of all 007s to date. The actor became Bond in 2005, and stars in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The British actor is best-known for his role in thriller Layer Cake, and in TV series Our Friends in the North.Some fans will not have encountered Craig previously, but Connery was an unknown, and many had never heard of Dalton.
Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002)
Rumours began as early as 1984 that Brosnan would replace Moore as the next James Bond. However, due to contractual obligations, he was unable to accept the role when it was originally offered to him in 1986.
In 1994, Brosnan was unveiled at a huge press conference as the next 007. His first Bond film, Goldeneye, grossed over $350 million worldwide (more than any other Bond film to that point). His second Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) grossed even more. Brosnan was relieved of his Bond duties in the summer of 2004. Impeccably turned out and beautifully debonair, Brosnan brought the risqué humour of Bond to the forefront of the character.
Timothy Dalton (1987-1989)
Dalton won the part of 007 in August 1986. He portrayed Bond twice, in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. His portrayal of Bond signalled a return to a grittier, more realistic character, away from Moore’s tongue-in-cheek portrayal.
Litigation between MGM and EON delayed the production of a new Bond film for several years after Licence to Kill. In 1994, Dalton officially resigned the role.
Roger Moore (1971-1985)
Live and Let Die (1973), Moore’s first Bond movie, grossed more outside of America than Diamonds Are Forever, (1971) (Connery's last outing as James Bond). The actor then went on to star in another six Bond films, before bowing out after A View to a Kill in 1985. Moore’s Bond is famously sleazy, in a raised-eyebrow, humorous way which ensures he is always remembered more for his Bond portrayal than any other role before or after.
George Lazenby (1969)
Although only playing 007 on one occasion, George Lazenby brought to the role a younger more physical James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Lazenby was offered a seven movie deal by the Bond producers EON, but quit the role, because he felt that the tuxedo clad Bond would die out in the new hippie culture that had permeated society in the late 60s and early 70s. Bond producer Cubby Brocolli, remarked that Lazenby could have been the best Bond had he not quit after just one film.
Sean Connery (1962-1983)
Connery found fame and fortune as the suave, sophisticated British agent. After six Bond films, Connery yearned to break from the Bond image, and eventually earned an Oscar as veteran Chicago cop, Jimmy Malone, in The Untouchables (1987). Connery continues to be at his best when he plays no-nonsense characters. Ranked #14 in Empire (UK) magazine's ‘The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time’ list (October 1997). Connery wears a toupee in all the James Bond movies. He started losing his hair at the age of 21.
Jen Syrkiewicz - Jen is a writer based in York, UK. She has many years of experience in the communications field, and specialises in Blog Writing and Blog ...
