Who Played James Bond In Order
We’ve yet to get confirmation that Daniel Craig is done with the James Bond franchise. But considering he spent the Spectre press tour calling his character a misogynist and declaring he’d rather slash his wrists than play Bond again — and considering recent rumors that he’s turned down $100 million to reprise the role for two more films — it seems a safe assumption that he won’t be sticking around for too much longer. So the question, then, is who’ll replace him. Because Bond is eternal — the only question is what form he’ll take on next. It’ll probably be a while before we get a real answer, but in the meantime, here are some of our favorite choices.
- 15 James Bond: The Living Daylights (1987) 007 played by: Timothy Dalton Bond Girl: Maryam d’Abo (Kara Milovy) Directed by: John Glen Filming budget: $40,000,000 Time between this and previous release: 2 years.
- Commander James Bond RN—code number 007—is a fictional character created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1952. The character appeared in a series of twelve novels and two short story collections written by Fleming and a number of continuation novels and spin-off works after Fleming's death in 1964.
The beauty of Bond is that the character changes to fit the times. Daniel Craig was a very different 007 from Pierce Brosnan, who was not a whole lot like Sean Connery, and so on. But while making our picks, we tried to keep a few guidelines in mind.
The first and most important rule was that the actors had to be British or Irish. We’re proud Americans over here at /Film, but even we’re aware that James Bond is an iconically British character. Casting an American as 007 would just be wrong, and would probably result in a war between the U.K. and the U.S.
We also tried to keep in mind that the next Bond probably won’t get to take on the mantle for another couple of years, and that the filmmakers will likely want someone who can stick around for years after that. In other words, they probably wouldn’t cast anyone too old. We additionally ruled out any actors who are already leading other blockbuster franchises (sorry, Henry Cavill; you were great in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). That left us with a crop of up-and-comers and about-to-blow-up-ers, all falling between their 20s and their 40s, and all from the other side of the Atlantic.
Scroll through our choices (listed in no particular order) below, and let us know in the comments whom you’d like to see pick up that Walther PPK.
With deadly charm and cool sophistication, Sean Connery was the first actor to play 007 and remains the best James Bond of them all. 7 James Bond Movies With Sean Connery Search the site GO.
Tom Hiddleston (age: 35)
If you ask British bookies who the next Bond is going to be, their favorite, apparently, is Tom Hiddleston. His appeal is clear: He’s suave and a little dark and can wear the hell out of some very nice suits. But frankly, it’s hard to imagine the filmmakers going for someone as established as Hiddleston. Ditto other fan faves like Tom Hardy (38) and Idris Elba (43).
More so than most franchises, James Bond is really built around its leading man, and our suspicion is that the team will want someone they can keep to themselves — not someone like Hiddleston, whose celebrity image is already very familiar and who’s already strongly associated with competing brands (i.e., Marvel and, if all goes well, Kong: Skull Island). But hey, if the Bond team wants to prove us wrong, we most certainly are not going to argue with Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, or Idris Elba putting on that tux.
Dan Stevens (33)
Dan Stevens has been on the verge of blowing up since The Guest. It’s just a matter of which film will be the one to kick his career up to the next level. Why not a Bond movie? We already know from The Guest that Stevens can do smooth and dangerous, and that he knows how to handle a (movie prop) gun. Downton Abbey taught us he looks dashing in fancy dress. Stick a martini in his hand, and he’s good to go.
David Oyelowo (40)
If David Oyelowo could bring a towering figure like Martin Luther King, Jr. to life, James Bond should be a cinch. If anything, he might be too good for this role — his powerhouse performance in Selma suggests he’s destined for greatness. And yet, he hasn’t quite been able to reach household name status yet. A Bond film would do the trick, and in the meantime we’d get a Bond who effortlessly exudes magnetism.
Hugh Dancy (40)
Hugh Dancy may not be the most obvious choice to suit up as Bond, but as he demonstrated in Hannibal, he’s got an intensity to him that could add a new dimension to the character. Or, if that’s not the direction the reboot wants to take, he can also flash a dazzling smile and turn on the charm, like he’s done in lighter fare like Hysteria and Our Idiot Brother. Dancy’s versatility is one of the very best things about him (and, come to think of it, would make him a really good spy).
Matthew Lewis (26)
Matthew Lewis has already done the “iconic British franchise” thing once before with Harry Potter, but for most of that series he was a dorky kid. It wasn’t until the final films that Neville emerged as a heroic badass, and Lewis as an out-of-nowhere heartthrob. Bond could push Matthew Lewis into the next phase of his career. As a bonus, he’s the spitting image of a young Clive Owen, a.k.a. yesteryear’s fan-favorite pick to play 007.
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James Bond is a fictionalBritishspy created by Ian Fleming in 1953.
- 1History
List Of Actors Who Have Played James Bond In Chronological Order
History[changechange source]
1950s-1960s[changechange source]
In 1953, Fleming wrote Casino Royale, the very first James Bond novel. The novel made a lot of money, and he continued to write one James Bond novel each year until he died in 1963. In a 1956 South African radio program Moonraker he was voiced by Bob Holness. In 1962 Albert. R. 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman started to produce the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as James Bond. The movie became extremely popular, and they continued to make more Bond movies. In the end of the 1960s Connery did not want to do any more Bond movies, and many thought that Bond was now dead. In 1969, George Lazenby appeared in one movie as the Bond character, but the movie was not successful.
1970s-1980s[changechange source]
In 1971 Sean Connery stepped back into the role for one movie 'Diamonds are Forever'. After this in 1973, producers came up with the Live and Let Die movie, starring Roger Moore as Bond. The movie became a very big success. The series continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s with Roger Moore playing the role of Bond.
In the 1980s, Bond movies were not as successful at the box office. Unlike the 1960s and 1970s, in the 1980s there were many other action movies being produced that could compete with the Bond series.
After Moore left the role as Bond, he was replaced with Timothy Dalton in the late 1980s. Dalton tried to make a serious, 'down to earth' Bond, closer to the Fleming novels. Fans did not like Dalton's interpretation of the Bond character, and the movies made little money.
1990s[changechange source]
The Cold War ended in 1991. Since Bond almost always fought Communists, many now thought that the Bond series of movies was finally dead.
In 1995, producers developed the Goldeneye movie, starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond. This film made the Bond character well known in the 1990s. Brosnan appeared in several Bond movies.
2000s[changechange source]
In 2002, the James Bond character was used in the 20th movie, Die Another Day, the 40th anniversary of the movies and the 50th anniversary since Fleming wrote his first Bond novel.In 2006, the 21st movie, Casino Royale, was released. Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in the previous four movies, was replaced by Daniel Craig, the first James Bond to have blonde hair. The movie is based on the first Ian Fleming novel of the same name, but is set in the present day. The movie features a cameo appearance by Richard Branson, a British billionaire. It has a new model of Aston Martin DB9, the car that made James Bond so famous in the 1960s. Many fans think that whilst this movie is different than other movies, it is much better, and movies in the future (however few there will be) will be in this new format. In 2008, Craig appeared in a second Bond movie, Quantum of Solace and a third, Skyfall, in 2012. His fourth appearance as Bond was with Spectre in 2016. His fifth and final appearance as Bond will be the Darren Aronofsky directed Bond 25 in 2019.
Movies[changechange source]
| Franchise Count | Title | Year | Actor | Director | Total Box Office * | Budget * | Inflation Adjusted Total Box Office *† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. No | 1962 | Sean Connery | Terence Young | $59,600,000 | $1,200,000 | $425,488,741 |
| 2 | From Russia with Love | 1963 | $78,900,000 | $2,500,000 | $555,909,803 | ||
| 3 | Goldfinger | 1964 | Guy Hamilton | $124,900,000 | $3,500,000 | $868,659,354 | |
| 4 | Thunderball | 1965 | Terence Young | $141,200,000 | $11,000,000 | $966,435,555 | |
| 5 | You Only Live Twice | 1967 | Lewis Gilbert | $111,600,000 | $9,500,000 | $720,388,023 | |
| 6 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 1969 | George Lazenby | Peter R. Hunt | $87,400,000 | $7,000,000 | $513,445,231 |
| 7 | Diamonds Are Forever | 1971 | Sean Connery | Guy Hamilton | $116,000,000 | $7,200,000 | $617,520,987 |
| 8 | Live and Let Die | 1973 | Roger Moore | $161,800,000 | $12,000,000 | $785,677,477 | |
| 9 | The Man with the Golden Gun | 1974 | $97,600,000 | $13,000,000 | $426,826,774 | ||
| 10 | The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | Lewis Gilbert | $187,300,000 | $28,000,000 | $666,367,656 | |
| 11 | Moonraker | 1979 | $210,300,000 | $34,000,000 | $624,527,272 | ||
| 12 | For Your Eyes Only | 1981 | John Glen | $202,800,000 | $28,000,000 | $481,005,579 | |
| 13 | Octopussy | 1983 | $187,500,000 | $27,500,000 | $405,873,493 | ||
| 14 | A View to a Kill | 1985 | $157,800,000 | $30,000,000 | $316,186,616 | ||
| 15 | The Living Daylights | 1987 | Timothy Dalton | $191,200,000 | $40,000,000 | $362,876,056 | |
| 16 | Licence to Kill | 1989 | $156,200,000 | $32,000,000 | $271,586,451 | ||
| 17 | GoldenEye | 1995 | Pierce Brosnan | Martin Campbell | $353,400,000 | $60,000,000 | $499,954,330 |
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 1997 | Roger Spottiswoode | $346,600,000 | $110,000,000 | $465,588,535 | |
| 19 | The World Is Not Enough | 1999 | Michael Apted | $390,000,000 | $135,000,000 | $504,705,882 | |
| 20 | Die Another Day | 2002 | Lee Tamahori | $456,000,000 | $142,000,000 | $546,490,272 | |
| 21 | Casino Royale | 2006 | Daniel Craig | Martin Campbell | $599,200,000 | $150,000,000 | $640,803,677 |
| 22 | Quantum of Solace | 2008 | Marc Forster | $586,090,727 | $230,000,000 | $586,090,727 | |
| 23 | Skyfall | 2012 | Sam Mendes | $1,108,283,816 | $150,000,000 | ||
| 24 | Spectre | 2015 | |||||
| 25 | Bond 25 | 2020 | Cary Fukunaga | ||||
| Totals | Movies 1-25 | $4,809,157,447 | $1,123,000,000 | $11,686,214,000 |
Many of the James Bond movies were massive hits. However, there are two movies classed as unofficial Bond films and not recognised as part of the series. The 1967 version of Casino Royale was a spoof, featuring 'Jimmy Bond'. Also, Never Say Never Again was not made by Albert R. Broccoli's production company, EON Productions. Connery is the tallest actor to play James Bond to this day.[1]