1. Daniel Craig- I think for bringing some balls back to Bond and making the Franchise cool again, i just love that you believe he rip your head off while charming the ladies the next minute. I think SF and CR are two stone cold classic's and QOS is a misunderstood gem, while I wasn't blown away by Spectre it's faults aren't Craig's performance in fact he's the best thing about it. I hope he gets to do one more and finish off on a high.
2. Sean Connery- Craig probably wins out cause of his ass kicking and he adds more depth to the role, but peak Connery was Bond at it's very best like Craig i prefer his darker Bond turns rather then his OTT ones, From Russia with Love, Dr No and Goldfinger are all classic's, not a fan of DAF and he looked old in that. But the man is a legend and it was tough to pick between him and Craig.
3. Timothy Dalton- I admire him for wanting to take things darker and more in depth, his films don't always work fully but they are very good Bond films overall and it's down to him. LTK i love for been a dark bleak film in parts and Dalton for been a cold blooded bastard in it.
4. George Lazenby- just for OHMSS alone and his performance isn't anywhere near as bad as many like to think it is, his fighting skills are up with Craig's for me.
5. Roger Moore- I think Sir Roger is without the funniest and most enjoyable of the Bond actors offscreen, and he makes 5th cause of AVTAK been the first Bond film i ever saw. But I just hate seen Bond played they way he does it, not my cup of tea. Although FYEO is one of my favourites cause of some of the darker moments.
6. Pierce Brosnan- I feel like I'm very hard on Brosnan but he bought nothing new to he table like the others above did. His films aside from Goldeneye, thanks to Sean Bean and the Bond ladies for that been awesome. I just never enjoyed them, plus i never bought Brosnan in a fight, like Moore I still think i kick his ass ). That's what i don't want from a Bond actor.
This one is by default really. Connery truly was the total package, kind of like myself lol. Handsome, witty, serious, and could kick ass. All his films are great although YOLT and DAF aren't as good as his flawless first four. 10/10
2. Roger Moore
The quintessential gentleman spy. Even as he got a little old for the part, he still gave it his all, which is more than I can say for Connery. If I had a chance to meet a Bond actor it would've been him. RIP. 10/10
3. Timothy Dalton
Fleming's James Bond. While occasionally he would overact, Dalton was truly amazing as Bond. His Bond was a man who was a killer who is slightly jaded due to the things he's done to protect Queen and Country. 9/10
4. Pierce Brosnan
Brosnan took a little bit from each of the previous actors and made it his own. He had the badassery of Connery, the romanticism of Lazenby, the humor of Moore, and the seriousness of Dalton. He was a great Bond who is unfairly treated. 9/10
5. Daniel Craig
The only reason Craig is this low is because of my nostalgia for Dalton and Brosnan. He's a damn fine Bond. His portrayal is reminiscent of Dalton but more physical and with a Connery vibe in his later films. 9/10
6. George Lazenby
It's an amazing thing that even the weakest actor is more than decent. Lazenby wasn't an actor but he showed tremendous potential. His fight scenes were the best till Craig and he leaves a huge mark during the final scene. 8/10
Every actor who has played James Bond is great in his own way.
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1. Timothy Dalton - The Ian Fleming James Bond, and in my opinion the most real and serious. He does have a few humorous parts put in but it's not his cup of tea. His two performances were 'flawless' for me, and I really see this man as the 007, even though he was ahead of his time. He made the Bond films more real, and less gimmicky and with more to give. His focus was always to the mission, even if 'M' would disagree with him. He was not afraid to stand up for what was right, even if it came with poor consequences. My favourite Bond, only let down by the lack of films he did.
2. Sean Connery - While I generally do prefer RM's later films over the Connery era, you can't help but admit that this man WAS James Bond. In my opinion, he pulled off a very 'perfect' performance in DN and especially FRWL, while later on it became comedic and a bit campy at times. I also loved his performance in TB, a true man who goes after what he wants, when he wants. The way he talks, walks and fights just simplifies why he is the true Bond we all love. Only negative aspects were YOLT, where he didn't care anymore, and DAF, which was a dud.
3. Roger Moore - It was a very tough choice for me between Connery and Moore as second and third, because both are extremely talented men who gave much to the role. One thing that struck me with RM was the fact that he didn't purely copy SC or even GL, he went for how he felt Bond should be played and did a good job for 12 years. This was ultimately the establishment of a new era throughout the 70's and early 80's. I especially loved his performance in FYEO, being down to earth and serious for which he did an excellent job for, and I have a soft spot for his AVTAK performance as well (despite being old). He did go over the top in MR with the one-liners and comedic tone, and an outright beater in TMWTGG, but overall - his films are enjoyable and he is essentially 007.
4. Daniel Craig - This is the point where I begin to talk about actors who are good, but are in some way lacking in assets for being James Bond. I honestly didn't care for DC's performances in CR and QOS, as neither felt like James Bond films and in the latter, he came off as a murderous killer. It wasn't until SF was released where my opinion changed for the better, and he IS the present James Bond of the modern era, and for good reason. He pulls off a very similar style to TD, which audiences of today can tolerate. Sure, he is blonde, but many of his assets are exactly how James Bond would be, a ladies-man, serious, dangerous and memorable. He also gave a wicked performance in SP, which is probably debatable among users here.
5. George Lazenby - Yeah you all probably thought I would rank GL right at the bottom, like everyone else. No, not exactly - he was bad in a lot of areas, but he was also fantastic in others. Lazenby only got one shot at the role, but the film he did is my second favorite JB film, and he was so awesome near the beginning segment in Portugal and once he catches up with Tracy again - in Switzerland. The issues I have with his acting came down to the entire Sir Hillary Bray section of the film for obvious reasons. The good aspects make him worthy to be a good JB on my list, despite being wooden in others.
6. Pierce Brosnan - This is the one JB actor that I just did not grow into, not ten years ago, and my opinion hasn't changed. PB tried to replicate the styles of all previous actors who had played 007, and it just didn't work. I can tolerate GE as a good time-pass, but the rest of his films are not only a major letdown and virtually unwatchable for me, but his smart-a** approach to the series just killed whatever respect I had of him as Bond. Don't get me wrong, he is awesome in practically all his other movies (Mrs Doubtfire, Dante's Peak, At World's End etc.) but he just doesn't feel like JB to me.
The original James Bond. He managed to perfectly establish the full range of characteristics which we think of as part and parcel of Bond’s personality- the danger, the charisma, the humour, the screen presence. He delivers consistently excellent performances in DN, FRWL, GF and TB, and while his contributions aren’t quite as up to par in YOLT and DAF, he still has fine moments in both films. Ultimately, the most iconic Bond- and with good reason.
2. Pierce Brosnan
A controversial second choice, I admit, but there’s a particularly refined quality to Brosnan’s Bond that sometimes feels as if his go-to acting choice as Bond is to blend together the strongest attributes of his predecessors- the sophistication of Connery, the camp of Moore, the toughness of Dalton. Some have criticised this style as a generic impersonation, but I find the combination works very effectively at times. There’s undoubtedly a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ quality to Brosnan’s Bond, yet I feel this helps rather than hinders his slick and watchable version of 007. GE is Brosnan’s most entertaining film, while Brosnan’s best-acted performance comes in TWINE.
3. Daniel Craig
The incumbent Bond in 2021. While some might criticise Craig as one-note, lacking the classical sophistication of a Connery or a Brosnan as well as failing to physically resemble Fleming’s literary character, Craig earns the third place owing to the strengths of his committed acting performances in CR and SF. He also gives a decent, more ‘traditional’ Bond performance in SP. Craig’s speciality is clearly in playing a grittily dangerous, serious incarnation of Bond, but he also displays a dry wit in SF and SP that broadens the range of his interpretation.
4. Roger Moore
Roger Moore is a difficult Bond to place. On the one hand, his greater emphasis on humour and camp provides a clearly defined and enjoyable contrast with Connery, which helped the series to adapt to the changing moods of the 1970s. He can also, given the chance, play a more grounded and subdued version of 007, as FYEO demonstrates effectively. On the other hand, the actual quality of Moore’s films is wildly unpredictable, ranging from the iconic (TSPWLM) to the embarrassing (TMWTGG) and the downright bizarre and ridiculous (MR, OP).
5. Timothy Dalton
The literary Bond. Timothy Dalton is clearly the Bond who derived the most from Fleming’s original version of the character in terms of their acting choices and this comes across on screen. However, Dalton is let down by his brief tenure as well as the sharp divergence in quality between TLD and LTK. TLD is an enjoyable and inventive Cold War thriller, while LTK is an unpleasant and uninspiring experience that drags down Dalton’s place on this list.
6. George Lazenby.
The one-time Bond. In OHMSS Lazenby acquits himself well during the fight scenes, and looks the part of Bond compared alongside Connery, but handles the emotional side of the story with less panache. Lazenby had potential and could well have improved significantly with more films, but on the strengths of OHMSS alone he has to rank below his five competitors.
A while back, we were inundated with ranking threads and they were moved to the Trivia Challenge forum. This one seems to have missed that purge, but I'll leave it here unless a lot of other ones suddenly appear.
(Moderator's hat off.)
Sean Connery is number one. All others are number two, or lower. ("Mystery Men")
I'm not sure how I'll rank the Bond actors, but I think Connery is both on top and at the bottom. Connery is the best Bond in DN-TB, but he's the least good one in DAF and NSNA.
I had a quick scroll through to see if I ranked the actors back when this thread was started. Sadly I seem to have given it a miss...it would have been interesting to compare now and then (although I think I know how I would have ranked them in 2007)
Sean Connery
Timothy Dalton
Daniel Craig
Roger Moore
Pierce Brosnan
George Lazenby
I think my 2007 version would have been Connery-Craig-Brosnan-Dalton-Moore-Lazenby. So Dalton is the biggest gainer of places, and Brosnan is the unlucky fella who falls to 5th place. Not that his Bond has fallen in my estimation since 2007, but my appreciation for Dalton has grown massively, and I was also a bit harsh on Roger Moore's levity in the role in those days.
I don't think I ever added to this thread. I was probably too busy writing about green trainers earlier, but here I go now.
Roger Moore. My first Bond and therefore will always be number one for personal/emotional/nostalgic reasons.
Sean Connery. DN, FRWL, GF and TB will always be amongst my most favourite.
A tie for third: Pierce Brosnan: Rollicking good films, very suave and charming and seems like a lovely guy in real life, and Daniel Craig: A great re-boot Bond with CR being one of my all-time favourites.
Timothy Dalton. Very good Bond but I'm not a huge fan of the films.
Comments
2. Sean Connery- Craig probably wins out cause of his ass kicking and he adds more depth to the role, but peak Connery was Bond at it's very best like Craig i prefer his darker Bond turns rather then his OTT ones, From Russia with Love, Dr No and Goldfinger are all classic's, not a fan of DAF and he looked old in that. But the man is a legend and it was tough to pick between him and Craig.
3. Timothy Dalton- I admire him for wanting to take things darker and more in depth, his films don't always work fully but they are very good Bond films overall and it's down to him. LTK i love for been a dark bleak film in parts and Dalton for been a cold blooded bastard in it.
4. George Lazenby- just for OHMSS alone and his performance isn't anywhere near as bad as many like to think it is, his fighting skills are up with Craig's for me.
5. Roger Moore- I think Sir Roger is without the funniest and most enjoyable of the Bond actors offscreen, and he makes 5th cause of AVTAK been the first Bond film i ever saw. But I just hate seen Bond played they way he does it, not my cup of tea. Although FYEO is one of my favourites cause of some of the darker moments.
6. Pierce Brosnan- I feel like I'm very hard on Brosnan but he bought nothing new to he table like the others above did. His films aside from Goldeneye, thanks to Sean Bean and the Bond ladies for that been awesome. I just never enjoyed them, plus i never bought Brosnan in a fight, like Moore I still think i kick his ass
This one is by default really. Connery truly was the total package, kind of like myself lol. Handsome, witty, serious, and could kick ass. All his films are great although YOLT and DAF aren't as good as his flawless first four. 10/10
2. Roger Moore
The quintessential gentleman spy. Even as he got a little old for the part, he still gave it his all, which is more than I can say for Connery. If I had a chance to meet a Bond actor it would've been him. RIP. 10/10
3. Timothy Dalton
Fleming's James Bond. While occasionally he would overact, Dalton was truly amazing as Bond. His Bond was a man who was a killer who is slightly jaded due to the things he's done to protect Queen and Country. 9/10
4. Pierce Brosnan
Brosnan took a little bit from each of the previous actors and made it his own. He had the badassery of Connery, the romanticism of Lazenby, the humor of Moore, and the seriousness of Dalton. He was a great Bond who is unfairly treated. 9/10
5. Daniel Craig
The only reason Craig is this low is because of my nostalgia for Dalton and Brosnan. He's a damn fine Bond. His portrayal is reminiscent of Dalton but more physical and with a Connery vibe in his later films. 9/10
6. George Lazenby
It's an amazing thing that even the weakest actor is more than decent. Lazenby wasn't an actor but he showed tremendous potential. His fight scenes were the best till Craig and he leaves a huge mark during the final scene. 8/10
Every actor who has played James Bond is great in his own way.
-{
8. TMwtGG 9. AVtaK 10. TSWLM 11. SF 12. LtK 13. TND 14. YOLT
15. NTtD 16. MR 17. LaLD 18. GF 19. SP 20. DN 21. TB
22. TWiNE 23. DAD 24. QoS 25. DaF
2. Sean Connery - While I generally do prefer RM's later films over the Connery era, you can't help but admit that this man WAS James Bond. In my opinion, he pulled off a very 'perfect' performance in DN and especially FRWL, while later on it became comedic and a bit campy at times. I also loved his performance in TB, a true man who goes after what he wants, when he wants. The way he talks, walks and fights just simplifies why he is the true Bond we all love. Only negative aspects were YOLT, where he didn't care anymore, and DAF, which was a dud.
3. Roger Moore - It was a very tough choice for me between Connery and Moore as second and third, because both are extremely talented men who gave much to the role. One thing that struck me with RM was the fact that he didn't purely copy SC or even GL, he went for how he felt Bond should be played and did a good job for 12 years. This was ultimately the establishment of a new era throughout the 70's and early 80's. I especially loved his performance in FYEO, being down to earth and serious for which he did an excellent job for, and I have a soft spot for his AVTAK performance as well (despite being old). He did go over the top in MR with the one-liners and comedic tone, and an outright beater in TMWTGG, but overall - his films are enjoyable and he is essentially 007.
4. Daniel Craig - This is the point where I begin to talk about actors who are good, but are in some way lacking in assets for being James Bond. I honestly didn't care for DC's performances in CR and QOS, as neither felt like James Bond films and in the latter, he came off as a murderous killer. It wasn't until SF was released where my opinion changed for the better, and he IS the present James Bond of the modern era, and for good reason. He pulls off a very similar style to TD, which audiences of today can tolerate. Sure, he is blonde, but many of his assets are exactly how James Bond would be, a ladies-man, serious, dangerous and memorable. He also gave a wicked performance in SP, which is probably debatable among users here.
5. George Lazenby - Yeah you all probably thought I would rank GL right at the bottom, like everyone else. No, not exactly - he was bad in a lot of areas, but he was also fantastic in others. Lazenby only got one shot at the role, but the film he did is my second favorite JB film, and he was so awesome near the beginning segment in Portugal and once he catches up with Tracy again - in Switzerland. The issues I have with his acting came down to the entire Sir Hillary Bray section of the film for obvious reasons. The good aspects make him worthy to be a good JB on my list, despite being wooden in others.
6. Pierce Brosnan - This is the one JB actor that I just did not grow into, not ten years ago, and my opinion hasn't changed. PB tried to replicate the styles of all previous actors who had played 007, and it just didn't work. I can tolerate GE as a good time-pass, but the rest of his films are not only a major letdown and virtually unwatchable for me, but his smart-a** approach to the series just killed whatever respect I had of him as Bond. Don't get me wrong, he is awesome in practically all his other movies (Mrs Doubtfire, Dante's Peak, At World's End etc.) but he just doesn't feel like JB to me.
1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Lazenby 5. Craig 6. Brosnan
1) Laz
2) Connery
3) Craig
GAP
4) Moore
5) Dalton
GAP
6) Brosnan
1. Sean Connery
The original James Bond. He managed to perfectly establish the full range of characteristics which we think of as part and parcel of Bond’s personality- the danger, the charisma, the humour, the screen presence. He delivers consistently excellent performances in DN, FRWL, GF and TB, and while his contributions aren’t quite as up to par in YOLT and DAF, he still has fine moments in both films. Ultimately, the most iconic Bond- and with good reason.
2. Pierce Brosnan
A controversial second choice, I admit, but there’s a particularly refined quality to Brosnan’s Bond that sometimes feels as if his go-to acting choice as Bond is to blend together the strongest attributes of his predecessors- the sophistication of Connery, the camp of Moore, the toughness of Dalton. Some have criticised this style as a generic impersonation, but I find the combination works very effectively at times. There’s undoubtedly a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ quality to Brosnan’s Bond, yet I feel this helps rather than hinders his slick and watchable version of 007. GE is Brosnan’s most entertaining film, while Brosnan’s best-acted performance comes in TWINE.
3. Daniel Craig
The incumbent Bond in 2021. While some might criticise Craig as one-note, lacking the classical sophistication of a Connery or a Brosnan as well as failing to physically resemble Fleming’s literary character, Craig earns the third place owing to the strengths of his committed acting performances in CR and SF. He also gives a decent, more ‘traditional’ Bond performance in SP. Craig’s speciality is clearly in playing a grittily dangerous, serious incarnation of Bond, but he also displays a dry wit in SF and SP that broadens the range of his interpretation.
4. Roger Moore
Roger Moore is a difficult Bond to place. On the one hand, his greater emphasis on humour and camp provides a clearly defined and enjoyable contrast with Connery, which helped the series to adapt to the changing moods of the 1970s. He can also, given the chance, play a more grounded and subdued version of 007, as FYEO demonstrates effectively. On the other hand, the actual quality of Moore’s films is wildly unpredictable, ranging from the iconic (TSPWLM) to the embarrassing (TMWTGG) and the downright bizarre and ridiculous (MR, OP).
5. Timothy Dalton
The literary Bond. Timothy Dalton is clearly the Bond who derived the most from Fleming’s original version of the character in terms of their acting choices and this comes across on screen. However, Dalton is let down by his brief tenure as well as the sharp divergence in quality between TLD and LTK. TLD is an enjoyable and inventive Cold War thriller, while LTK is an unpleasant and uninspiring experience that drags down Dalton’s place on this list.
6. George Lazenby.
The one-time Bond. In OHMSS Lazenby acquits himself well during the fight scenes, and looks the part of Bond compared alongside Connery, but handles the emotional side of the story with less panache. Lazenby had potential and could well have improved significantly with more films, but on the strengths of OHMSS alone he has to rank below his five competitors.
"The spectre of defeat..."
(Moderator's hat in place.)
A while back, we were inundated with ranking threads and they were moved to the Trivia Challenge forum. This one seems to have missed that purge, but I'll leave it here unless a lot of other ones suddenly appear.
(Moderator's hat off.)
Sean Connery is number one. All others are number two, or lower. ("Mystery Men")
I'm not sure how I'll rank the Bond actors, but I think Connery is both on top and at the bottom. Connery is the best Bond in DN-TB, but he's the least good one in DAF and NSNA.
I had a quick scroll through to see if I ranked the actors back when this thread was started. Sadly I seem to have given it a miss...it would have been interesting to compare now and then (although I think I know how I would have ranked them in 2007)
I think my 2007 version would have been Connery-Craig-Brosnan-Dalton-Moore-Lazenby. So Dalton is the biggest gainer of places, and Brosnan is the unlucky fella who falls to 5th place. Not that his Bond has fallen in my estimation since 2007, but my appreciation for Dalton has grown massively, and I was also a bit harsh on Roger Moore's levity in the role in those days.
I don't think I ever added to this thread. I was probably too busy writing about green trainers earlier, but here I go now.