Sean Connery was the first actor to portray Bond in film in Dr. No (1962). A Scottish amateur bodybuilder, he had come to the attention of the Bond film producers after several appearances in British films from the late 1950s.
Sean Connery played the big screen's first James Bond in Dr. No (1962), a role he played an additional five times in the official series, while other actors inheriting the role have included George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and, most recently, Daniel Craig.
Who was the oldest actor to start playing James Bond?
Summary. Daniel Craig retired as 007 at 51, ending his tenure as Britain's most iconic spy. The oldest actor to play James Bond was Roger Moore, who played him from ages 45 to 57.
But this isn't actually true as both The Saint and the Bond film series started in 1962, so he couldn't have been inspired by Moore's performance there. He may have seen Moore in an early film/tv series but the only actor Fleming ever endorsed as Bond was David Niven.
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.
Daniel Craig has had the longest tenure as James Bond, spanning from 2006 to 2021, and is credited with rejuvenating the franchise with a grittier and more realistic approach.
Sean Connery defined the role of James Bond and originated the character on the big screen, playing him in the first five films.
As of 2021, George Lazenby is the youngest actor to portray 007, at age 29 during filming. The rest of the actors and their ages, in no particular order: Sir Sean Connery, 31; Sir Roger Moore, 45; Timothy Dalton, 40; Pierce Brosnan, 41; and Daniel Craig, 38.
With that in mind, Connery isn't our first choice (cue gnashing of teeth from hardcore fans), but he's an inescapable part of the franchise's legacy. The Scottish actor was the first Bond to take up the reins seriously and make the role his own. As the original, he is what many would see as the best Bond.
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."
According to reports from The Sun, the offer to portray Bond has been extended to Taylor-Johnson, and Eon Productions is eagerly awaiting his response to kickstart production on a new film. 'It's a big decision," James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli told Variety in 2022.
According to the On Her Majesty's Secret Service book, his full name is James Herbert Bond. If it sounds like he doesn't like it, it's an understatement.
Why Sean Connery Retired After Making The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sean Connery's health had played a small role in his decision to officially retire in 2006, as the actor cited successful surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney at the AFI ceremony.
He made it known to EON Productions, the company in charge of the franchise, that he wanted a $1 million salary for the sixth movie. When his request was refused, Connery decided he was done with the James Bond role, and he was replaced by George Lazenby for 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Retirement. When Connery received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award on 8 June 2006, he confirmed his retirement from acting. Connery's disillusionment with the "idiots now making films in Hollywood" was cited as a reason for his decision to retire.
The first head of MI6 was a man named Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming. He famously signed all his correspondence in the agency with the letter 'C' in green ink. In the Fleming novels M stands for the character's last name, and I think his whole name is Sir Miles Messervy.
Pierce Brosnan's version of James Bond in GoldenEye has the highest kill count with 47 kills. Overall, Brosnan's Bond has the highest kill count of 135 throughout his four films, thanks to the timing and darker tone of the movies.
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!
"I was like, 'Well, you need to reset again. ' So let's kill my character off and go find another Bond and go find another story. Start at [age] 23, start at 25, start at 30." The second reason was indeed designed to benefit Craig and ensure he could never return to Bond-land.
Dalton revealed that he had initially signed a three-film contract, and a third movie was in the works, but it was scrapped because of the lawsuits. Dalton declined the opportunity to return as Bond in another movie when he was asked to sign a longer contract, leading to Pierce Brosnan taking on the role.
