To date, James Bond has been played by four English actors, one Irish actor, one Australian actor and just a single solitary Scottish actor – but parts of 007's heritage will be forever Scottish.
Of course for the majority of Scots, Sean Connery will always be James Bond – and even though the Edinburgh-born actor starred in many of the most loved Bo nd films he remains the only performer north of the border to take on the iconic role.
Sean Connery (born August 25, 1930, Edinburgh, Scotland—died October 31, 2020, Nassau, Bahamas) was a Scottish-born actor whose popularity in James Bond spy thrillers led to a successful decades-long film career.
Even though Cage says James Bond should always be British, non-Brit actors such as Australian George Lazenby and Irishman Pierce Brosnan have played 007.
Sir Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983.
Sean Connery talks about Roger Moore & Daniel Craig as James Bond
Why doesn't James Bond have a Scottish accent?
Sean Connery had been advised early in his career to “get rid” of his Scottish accent, and the Australian George Lazenby had elocution lessons to prepare for his role as Bond. It is unlikely that Bond would ever use a more regional accent, one which might suggest a working-class hero.
Fleming favoured either David Niven, Moore or his cousin, Christopher Lee, with his neighbour in Jamaica, Noel Coward, as Dr No, all of whom were deemed unsuitable for one reason or another. In fact Coward himself turned down the part, famously sending a telegraph to the producers which simply read: "Dr. No? No!
To date, James Bond has been played by four English actors, one Irish actor, one Australian actor and just a single solitary Scottish actor – but parts of 007's heritage will be forever Scottish.
Skyfall, the twenty-third installment of the James Bond film series, took the world by storm with its captivating story and stunning visuals and an iconic scene was shot in Scotland!
"I'd been waiting for the offer on Bond for long enough, but it was (director) Matthew Vaughn who decided that it was a good combination," Firth added. The actor admits the director only approached him because he felt he was such a surprising choice for the part.
Connery was polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". In 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine, and in 1999, at age 69, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man of the Century." Thomas "Sean" Connery was born on August 25, 1930 in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh.
In terms of timespan, Daniel Craig is the longest-serving Bond of all time, with 15 years passing between his debut in Casino Royale (2006) and his swan song in No Time To Die (2021). But both Sean Connery and Roger Moore actually played the character in more films than Craig.
In the films and novels, the 00 prefix indicates Bond's discretionary "licence to kill", in executing his duties. Bond's number—007—was assigned by Fleming in reference to one of British naval intelligence's key achievements of the First World War: the breaking of the German diplomatic code.
Moore appeared as Simon Templar on the television series The Saint, airing in the United Kingdom for the first time on 4 October 1962, only one day before the premiere of Dr. No. Ultimately, the producers turned to 31-year-old Sean Connery for five films.
At 58 years old at the time of release in 1962, Grant felt he was too old for the role of Bond. Although that's the age Roger Moore was when his seventh and final 007 movie A View to a Kill hit cinemas in 1985. The Hitchcock movie star also only wanted to commit to one movie, not five.
Who was supposed to play James Bond instead of Daniel Craig?
One of the current favourites to take on the role is Super Man and Mission: Impossible actor Henry Cavill who was thought to be in the running to play Bond before Craig was cast. He told GQ in 2020 that he "would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting".
The decision to cast Taylor-Johnson signifies a significant shift for the franchise. Taking over from Daniel Craig, who starred in the last five Bond films, is no small feat, and Taylor-Johnson faces the challenge of redefining the character while honoring its rich legacy.
According to the Sun, an inside source said "Bond is Aaron's job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back." At the time (March 2024), the report expected Eon to announce Taylor-Johnson as the next Bond "in the coming days."
