10 The actors who have played James Bond
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This article is from the James Bond FAQ, by Michael Reed reed55@core.com with numerous contributions by others.
10 The actors who have played James Bond
A few talented men have gotten to portray James Bond. We start with the EON
five, and then the others as well. Note that Roger Moore is older than Sean
Connery.
A - Sean Connery, born August 25, 1930. Played Bond from 1962-1967, 1971,
1983.
A Scot with minimal credits to his name in 1962, he was handpicked by
Broccoli and Saltzman to star in the first Bond motion picture. There is
less dialogue for Connery than in future turns, and his name was not
marketed particularly heavily in the release of either of the first two
films. But Connery proved to be the perfect person to assimilate Fleming's
cold warrior on screen. He was tough yet suave, strong yet smooth, and able
to appeal to both ticket buying genders.
By the time of his fifth outing, "You Only Live Twice", the marketing
machine said he "IS James Bond". While true in the public's mind, Connery
tired of the constant pressure of the role and the potential to suffocate
any other projects he wanted to be involved in. He left after 1967 and
declined to appear in the sixth release. After a lackluster box office
performance, EON prodded and finally got their star back for the seventh
outing, "Diamonds Are Forever". Then Connery left once more, stating he
would "never again" portray the superspy that he had made a phenomenon. But
he did come back for a reprise, in 1983's "Never Say Never Again". For the
story on that film, see Brief #1, Section #10, E "Thunderball / Never Say
Never Again".
Connery has said in interviews that he is proudest of "From Russia With
Love". However, he made a severe and nasty break from the Broccoli clan and
any thought of him returning to the EON series in any capacity is a pipe
dream. Connery won an Academy Award for his supporting role in 1987's "The
Untouchables". He is still an A-list box office draw to date and is also
staunch in his support of his native Scotland. While he did not look like
Ian Fleming's written character on the surface, he was impressive enough to
earn the ultimate praise. Fleming himself had his character assume some of
Connery's roots in "You Only Live Twice". He told IMBD.com in 2002 that
there is no chance of him returning to EON's series, particularly not as a
villain. "Absolutely no way - I could never be an enemy of James Bond."
B - George Lazenby, born September 5, 1939. Played Bond in 1969.
The only Bond star to make a solitary film appearance, George Lazenby won
the role after a worldwide search. He was actually an Australian wrestler,
car salesman and model who excelled in physical presence and impressed the
producers. But he was not prepared for the glimmer of fame and fortune that
came with the part.
He was cast in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", one of Fleming's most
detailed and harrowing novels. It required more characterization than the
typical Bond fare and Lazenby faced an uphill battle to achieve it. Director
Peter Hunt ignored him at one point, though it was an unwitting mistake.
During filming of some emotional scenes, Hunt wanted his star to relate to
the isolation Bond would be feeling so he left him alone. Lazenby did not
take this as direction or method of acting, but rather a lack of respect by
the director. He complained publicly and friction grew between the men,
which was duly noted by the press.
He also had trouble with female lead Diana Rigg. The most famous example of
tension between them, however, is actually a myth. Before a kissing scene,
Rigg was heard telling Lazenby at lunch that she was having "garlic with
[her] pate." She meant it to be humorous but it was easily taken
out-of-context given Lazenby's tenuous relationship with Hunt and EON. While
in later years he did complain about Rigg's ego, the Bond actor never
validated this story.
What did him in, in the end, was as much box-office failure as his own
immaturity. The fans were being exposed to a new leading actor who had
burned bridges with Broccoli and Saltzman before the film was in release. It
would have been a hard sell following Connery in the best of circumstances.
With EON trying its best to hide his face in the nominal promotion they did
for the film, not to mention the script's deviation from the usual Bond
formula, Lazenby was ill fated. Critics and fans at the time were quick to
place the blame squarely on the actor and EON was quick to publicly agree
with that assessment. They seemed to disregard the film for years afterward.
His own career was spotty at best after his big break. Lazenby appeared in
"The Kentucky Fried Movie" and spoofed the Bond image in, among other
things, the TV movie "Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. " and the CD-ROM
game, "Spy Hunt". In time, many Bond fans would come to regard "On Her
Majesty's Secret Service" as a high point in the series.
C - Roger Moore, born October 14, 1927. Played Bond from 1973-1985.
Already an established personality via television's "The Saint" and "The
Persuaders", Roger Moore stepped into the role at a time when the series was
facing a crisis. Connery had left for a second time, after a successful
commercial entry. EON knew that they had to avoid the difficult sequence of
events when Lazenby was hired. So for the first time they did not look at
unknown actors and hired Moore, who had been approached for the role earlier
in his career. Evidence suggests that he was an initial consideration for
the first Bond film. It is endlessly speculative to suggest what would have
happened had he landed the role.
Be that as it may, he instead saw Sean Connery become a household figure and
wanted no part of replacing him in 1969. But after 1971 he was willing to
give it a go.
It is odd that so many things in his debut, 1973's "Live And Let Die", stood
in stark contrast to the previous entries in the series. It featured a new
composer for the first time in ten years and the first rock 'n' roll theme
song. Combined with focusing on Moore as an attractive leading man, EON
seemed to market Bond as a youthful icon. While kids from ten years before
had loved Connery, it cannot be said that the films were aimed at that
teenaged audience. Yet it was clear that demographic was of utmost
importance by the 1970's.
Moore came into his own with his third entry, "The Spy Who Loved Me". He
would start squawking about retirement as early as 1979. He meant it firmly
in 1983 but still cam back for a final swan song in 1985. By then no one
could hide from three obvious conclusions. First, that Moore had aged so
much as to be unbelievable in the role. Two, that his lighthearted approach
had made Bond accessible to a large audience but had made him closer to a
comic book hero than a serious role. And three, that despite both of the
previous points, Moore cast a large shadow that EON would have a tough time
trying to fill.
D - Timothy Dalton, born March 21, 1946. Played Bond on screen in
1987-1989, and stayed with the role publicly until 1994.
Timothy Dalton earned the role of Bond only after Pierce Brosnan was
prevented from taking the reins from Moore due to a contract conflict with
the NBC television show "Remington Steele". It was Dalton's second time
approaching the role. He wanted no part of it in 1971, saying in a 1987
interview on "Good Morning America" (and elsewhere) that he turned it down
because he was "too young" for it and because of the imposing legacy of
Connery.
His first outing was "The Living Daylights". The script, originally written
with Moore's character in mind and tweaked slightly for what would have been
Brosnan's approach, was adjusted noticeably for Dalton. The film was a bit
more serious in tone and viewers could not help but compare Dalton's
physicality and attempt to restructure the character in comparison to Moore,
19 years his senior. The next film, "Licence To Kill", was written for
Dalton's strengths as an actor.
He had indeed read the Fleming novels, and wanted to use them as a backdrop
for his interpretation of Bond. The film enjoyed huge popularity across the
world - except in the USA. The MGM/UA advertising campaign, easily the
weakest for a Bond film, was a result of the studio wrestling with huge
legal and financial troubles and helped doom the film in the midst of a very
competitive box office season.
Nonetheless, plans proceeded for Bond 17 with Timothy Dalton still signed on
for that film and at least one more. But a series of events cropped up that
estranged EON from its studio, the most notable being the selling of
television rights of the EON series.
When at last these issues were resolved and work resumed on Bond 17
(eventually known as "GoldenEye"), Dalton surprised many by announcing he
would NOT return as Bond. The public, he said, had associated him with the
role for eight years, and that was long enough for him. He was eager to move
on to new challenges. He left the 007 family in the spring of 1994.
Cubby Broccoli and his daughter Barbara stated many times that they were
disappointed to lose Dalton. The official account endorsed by Dalton, EON,
and MGM/UA, is that Dalton left the series of his own accord. Dalton remains
a friend of the Broccoli family and spoke kindly of Cubby when he died.
There is credible evidence to suggest that by 1994 the powers that be inside
MGM/UA made it clear that they would not support a new Bond film starring
Dalton but as of yet the smoking gun has yet to uncovered for ballistic
testing.
E - Pierce Brosnan, born May 16, 1953. Began in 1995, and is the current
star of the franchise.
In the end, it was a great thing that Pierce Brosnan had to wait to secure
the role of the world's most famous secret agent. By the time he was
introduced, Brosnan looked the part and was truly hungry to succeed. By
replacing Dalton instead of Moore, he was able to avoid either following
Moore's lighthearted lead or be compared in reaction to it.
Dalton pleased hardcore Fleming fans with his darker, more realistic
portrayal of Bond. But the fans of Moore's approach were never as smitten
with him. Brosnan has proven to surprise both camps. He has played Bond
straight but with verve. And Brosnan has that X factor. He has embodied the
same charisma that Connery had once brought into the role. He has made Bond
"cool" to the masses once again. He has been able to handle the publicity
and the expectations with panache. Best of all, he has won over the majority
of critics and fans alike.
Brosnan has indicated he is interested in doing a fifth, and final, turn as
James Bond, following the 2002 release of "Die Another Day". As of now, EON
is NOT SEEKING A NEW BOND. Any speculation at this time is not only
premature, but also wholly false.
F - Barry Nelson, born April 16, 1920. Played Bond in 1954.
American born Nelson was the first actor to portray James Bond. In was not,
however, a theatrical release. Instead in was on episodic television. See
Brief #2, Section #10, A "Casino Royale - the television episode"
G - David Niven, born March 1, 1910. Played Bond in 1967.
A film star from features like "The Guns Of Navarone", "Bonjour Tristesse"
and "The Pink Panther", David Niven was cast in the Bond spoof "Casino
Royale". For details about it, go to Brief #2, Section #10, B "Casino
Royale - the movie". The Scot actor, who usually answered to English when
abroad, died in 1983 of ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease).
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