With Daniel Craig's run as James Bond having come to an end this is a good time to reflect on those who have played the top secret agent of MI6. Over the course of 54 years, there have been six men that have worn the tuxedo and have played the role of the James Bond, starting with Dr. No in 1962 and ending (so far) with Spectre last year.
Various rumors have placed Idris Elba as the next Bond, rewriting the Bond-verse to portray that the name James Bond, just like the 007 designation, are just titles. I don't necessarily like this. While I think Elba is a great actor and I would be fine with him occupying the role of 007, I don't think he should be James Bond. I'd rather he make the part his. Make it James Bonds' successor. I believe this would expand on the Bond-verse rather than restrict it to the adventures of just one man. Besides, Ian Fleming wrote an obituary for James Bond in You Only Live Twice which stated his father's name was Andrew Bond. This would make Bond a family name and not a title.
Others that have been considered for the James Bond role in the past include Dick Van Dyke (seriously), Michael Caine, Mel Gibson, Adam West, Henry Cavill, Burt Reynolds, Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, and even Liam Neeson. I personally believe that Clive Owen would have been a good James Bond and he even played a Bond-like role in the Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin.
In the meantime, I give me my list of the best Bond portrayals in order from best to worst...
1. Sean Connery: He starred in 6 Bond movies, but most people will swear he starred as Bond in more movies than that. This is perhaps Connery's most famous role of his legendary career. He also starred in two of the top Bond movies as well (From Russia with Love, Goldfinger). Close your eyes for a second and mentally think about whose voice you hear in your head. I'm betting it belongs to Connery. From Russia with Love is the best example of his work.
2. Pierce Bronsan: He played 007 four times in his life between 1995-2002. He was actually the role during the 1980's, but declined it to star in a similar role as a private investigator as the titled character in Remington Steele television show. His portrayal of Bond revived the series that was declining after Connery left the role. The World is Not Enough is his best example of his work.
3. Roger Moore: Moore has played the role of James Bond more on film than any other actor. He officially took over for Connery in 1973 and continued until 1985. His downside is that he occasionally looked more business like than secret agent like at times. Off camera, Moore felt so self conscious about how he looked while running that all scenes that featured Bond running utilized a stunt double. What was worse was that he also suffered from Hoplophobia--a fear of firearms. A View to Kill is the best example of his work.
4. Daniel Craig: Probably the most believable other than Connery physically as a secret agent, Craig was supposed to play a younger James Bond during his formative years as a new secret agent. Problem was that he was already 38 years old when he took up the mantel (Connery for example was 32 years old). He also didn't appear too similar to the other actors who played Bond. Craig on the flipside starred in the highest grossing Bond movies of all-time. Starring in 4 movies, Craig's best example of his work is in Casino Royale.
5. Timothy Dalton: The star of two Bond movies, Dalton portrayed a more emo-like Bond instead of the playboy type that Moore played. It was hard to like him as James Bond. Maybe it was a symptom of the time period, the movies were filmed in the late 80's. His best work would be Licence to Kill.
6. George Lazenby: Perhaps the forgotten James Bond actor. Ask your friends to name all the actors who have played 007. Unless they are a big Bond fan, I bet they forget about Lazenby who starred as Bond once. Following Connery, he already had a hard role following the best Bond, but Lazenby was also open about his hatred of playing the part. He quit after one movie and Connery retook the role again once more. You can check out Lazenby's only performance in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
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