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The last James Bond movie is No Time to Die, which was released in September 2021. Following that, lead actor Daniel Craig moved out of the franchise, so there's a hunt for another actor to reprise the role.
Over the years, the iconic character has seen many faces representing the flamboyant international spy. From Oscar-winner Sean Connery to Craig, every actor has brought their own interpretation to the popular action hero.
The fictional character was created in 1952 by novelist-journalist Ian Fleming. He had come out with twelve novels and two short stories. After his death, more spinoffs and continuation novels were released.
However, in the movies, James Bond gets a different approach to portrayal. Between 1962 and 2021, the franchise released 27 movies on the famous detective. There have been seven actors who have portrayed Bond in movies.
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Chronological ranking of all James Bond actors in movies
While the list is about actors who played James Bond in movies, actor Barry Nelson deserves a mention for being the first actor to portray the character for CBS’s television series, Climax!, adapting the novel titled Casino Royale, in 1954.
After that, in 1961, Eon Productions worked on the adaptation of Dr. No, which was released in 1962.
Sean Connery
Connery was the first and most celebrated James Bond actor to date. Starting with Dr. No in 1962, he portrayed the spy in seven movies. The Scottish actor-bodybuilder was not Fleming’s choice for the role but was trained with suave behaviour and high life under Eon Productions.
Connery is considered the best representation of Bond. The American Film Institute named him the third greatest hero in cinema history. He worked on five movies of the franchise between 1961 and 1967 followed by one in 1971. His last Bond movie was Never Say Never Again, which was released in 1983.
David Niven
When Sean Connery took a break in 1967, David Niven, Fleming’s first choice, was roped in to play Bond. However, Niven was 56 at the time and presented an aging Bond waiting to retire and pass on the 007 role to a younger spy.
While Niven represented everything Fleming’s James Bond had, he received mixed reactions from audiences who were used to Connery’s edgy ruthlessness. David Niven played Bond in the 1967 Casino Royale, which was a non-Eon production.
George Lazenby
George Lazenby was an Australian actor who played the iconic spy in the 1969 movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
While he was nominated in the 27th Golden Globe Awards for New Star of the Year, his performance invited mixed reactions from critics. Some found him unsatisfactory, while others reckoned he played Bond with humility.
Despite nomination for an award for his role, Lazenby was convinced by his agent against signing a contract. As such, he left the role of 007 before the release of the movie and never returned to portray it later.
Roger Moore
Another Bond actor with seven movies to his credit, Roger Moore debuted in the franchise with Live and Let Live.
Moore and screenwriter, Tom Mankiewicz, created a debonaire yet smooth image of James Bond. More sophisticated and polished yet having a cool indifference, Moore’s Bond presented an old-fashioned light-hearted spy.
Roger Moore was 57 when he worked in his last Bond movie, A View to a Kill, in 1985. He became one of the oldest actors to play the role, but his movies earned $1 billion at the box office, making him a success.
Timothy Dalton
After Roger Moore moved out of the role, Eon Productions finalized Dalton, a trained Shakespearean actor.
Dalton read the original books and portrayed a dark, ruthless James Bond. His first Bond movie, The Living Daylights, was released in 1987, which was followed by the Licence to Kill in 1989.
Being a stage actor, Dalton’s Bond was more human but lacked in humor. He was voted the second-best Bond, after Connery. While critically acclaimed, his serious James Bond did not find much appreciation from the audience.
Pierce Brosnan
After Timothy Dalton’s retirement, Eon Productions reached out to Pierce Brosnan, another actor of their choice.
He was offered a three-film contract starting with Golden Eye, which was released in 1995. Brosnan’s James Bond was written as a graceful, elegant, international playboy rather than a misogynist dominant hero.
This Bond was more balanced, between Moore’s light-hearted Bond and Dalton’s intense Bond. Due to his success at portraying the character as close to Ian Fleming’s original, Brosnan’s contract was extended by another movie. His 2002 movie, Die Another Day, was his last Bond portrayal.
Daniel Craig
After Pierce Brosnan left the franchise in 2004, Eon, along with MGM and Sony Pictures, roped in Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play James Bond. With the first movie, Casino Royale, which hit theatres in 2006, Craig established himself as another 007 despite controversy surrounding his looks and stature.
Critics found Craig’s 007 closer in attitude to Connery’s cold and focused Bond. Craig’s movies had more realistic violence, including Bond bleeding in one scene. Credited to bring steeliness to the character, Daniel Craig went on to do five movies under the franchise, with No Time to Die in 2021 being the last one.
Which actor’s Bond portrayal ran for the longest period?
In terms of years, Daniel Craig’s first and last Bond movies have fifteen years between them. However, he worked in five movies of the franchise. As to the number of films, both Sean Connery and Roger Moore portrayed the spy character in seven movies apiece.
Moore played Bond in seven movies in 12 years between 1973 and 1985. Sean Connery’s Bond career had many breaks and constituted approximately nine years of work. Bond enthusiasts will now need to wait for the next actor to join the franchise.
