THE MEN WHO HAVE PLAYED JAMES BOND

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It’s Bond day, and while I will not be pretending to know really anything about James Bond, I can say I’ve seen a few of the movies adapting the Ian Fleming novels. There have also been several different men stepping into the shoes of this iconic spy and much talk more recently about who will fill his shoes next and if in a grand break of canon tradition, the character may be played by a woman. As the silly holiday calendar tells us it is in fact Bond Day, let’s look at the men who have played James Bond, and some of the ones who say they won’t be playing him!

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THE MEN WHO HAVE PLAYED JAMES BOND. Looking at the men who have played the iconic role of #JamesBond! #Action #TimothyDalton #DanielCraig #SeanConnery Share on X

James Bond (code name 007) is a character created by Ian Fleming, a man that Dominic Cooper played in the BBC drama Fleming. According to Wikipedia, which like any online source, I rarely if ever trust, the character of Bond was first created in 1953 and he would appear in” in twelve novels and two short-story collections” by Fleming. Since the authors 1964 death, eight other authors have written novels about the character and this franchise is considered one of the highest-grossing media franchise to date. The first film released in the 60s and to this date, has produced 25 films. All this to say, there is a great deal of attention and love for this character and his adventures.

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THE MEN WHO HAVE PLAYED JAMES BOND

Sorted by first to most recent

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SEAN CONNERY

Connery is the first actor to play Bond in the 1962 (1963 in the U.S.) film Dr. No. The actor went on to play the character in an additional five films, the film of which was the 1971 title Diamonds are Forever. Some of Connery’s co-stars throughout his nearly ten year tenure in this franchise include Bernard Lee, and Ursula Andress.

GEORGE LAZENBY

Stepping in as Bond for one film, Lezenby played the role in the 1969 title On her Majesty’s Secret Service. The role then reverted to Sean Connery for the next film which came out in 1971. This is perhaps the only name I forgot played the iconic character, likely because he only did so for this lone title which means his impact on the franchise, while perhaps memorable (obviously I didn’t see the film) is limiting by comparison.

ROGER MOORE

In 1973, a new actor took on the role of James Bond in the 1973 action film Live and Let Die. Moore would go on to play this role for an additional six films, ending his time with the franchise in 1985.

TIMOTHY DALTON

British star, an actor period drama enthusiasts will know from the likes of Jane Eyre made his debut in The Living Daylights. He only held the role for two films but he was the first actor to play the role starring in a Bond film that was tagged with a PG-13 rating!

THE MEN WHO HAVE PLAYED JAMES BOND. Looking at the men who have played the iconic role of #JamesBond! #Action #TimothyDalton #DanielCraig Share on X

PIERCE BRONSON

Irish born Bronson took up the mantle next and starred in four titles. His debut was with 1995’s GoldenEye and through the years, some of his memorable co-stars include Sean Bean, Halle Berry, Michelle Yeoh, and Robert Carlyle.

DANIEL CRAIG

Bringing us to present times is Daniel Craig, the actor who most recently held the role. In 2006 he stepped into the role with the highly rated Casino Royale. He did have the role for four titles and now, a new Bond will be cast, a headline many fans are obsessively waiting for.

Craig is, from what I see (coming from a non-Bond expert) is a well-liked actor for and in this role. I didn’t see the final film, 2021’s No Time to Die, but viewers seem to like it even with its bittersweet end. Craig also shared much of his tenue with Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench even appeared in a couple. Most of the promotional material for Craig’s era is sleek and stylish whereas the key art from the former era, was more “explosive” and the style more collage-like.  

With Craig exiting the role, the question becomes who will step into the fancy cars next? Names like Glen Powell did make a headline (he says as a Texan, he’s not the right actor to play the iconic role); similarly, and despite it being a rumor, Austin Butler (who made a name for himself playing Elvis) says taking the role would be “would be kind of sacrilegious” as a Californian (Bond is British); meanwhile Tom Holland and James Norton also spin the rumor mills. Even the idea of a woman Bond has been raised, though more than one popular actress has said that would be a mistake, one of whom is Helen Mirren. All we know is that Denis Villeneuve will direct the next title under the Amazon MGM studio and Steven Knight is in reports to write. The waiting game seems to be where we’re at, which leads us to ask the only question we can:

Who is Next?

Photos: Alamy Stock Photos

Which of these guys do you think plays this iconic role best? Who do you want to play the role next? What do you hope comes from this new (eventual!) James Bond film? Comment all of your thoughts below. Let’s talk.

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