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.
In 1958 Peter Lawford was chosen to play the first James Bond in the movie project Dr.No. But he declined the offer as he was unable to do a 5 picture deal. But Richard Todd was Ian Fleming's choice. That apart a CBS TV movie episodes based on Casino Royale was aired in 1954 as a part of the Climax TV series.
British Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson Offered New James Bond Role, Reports Say. The iconic film role of James Bond, MI6's most famous spy, has been offered to 33-year-old British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, according to reports from The Sun.
Why Henry Cavill’s 007 Performance Was TREMENDOUS..
Who turned down the role of Dr. No.?
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!
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.
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.
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.
1. Sean Connery. The tall, handsome and muscular Scottish actor Sean Connery is best known as the original actor to portray James Bond in the hugely successful movie franchise, starring in seven films between 1962 and 1983.
Daniel Craig's salary for portraying James Bond in Spectre (USA/UK, 2015) is estimated to have totalled around $39 million (£25.4 million), making him by far the highest-paid actor to have appeared in the Bond series to date, even allowing for inflation.
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.
Other potential Bonds through the years included Michael Caine, who passed because didn't want to be typecast after playing several other spies; Dick Van Dyke, who couldn't nail the accent (see: Mary Poppins); Clint Eastwood, who felt Bond should be British; and Mel Gibson, who was rejected by the studio for not being ...
Connery was not James Bond author Ian Fleming's first choice for the role – that was Irish actor Richard Todd. Fleming wanted Todd for Dr No, the movie that introduced the iconic character to moviegoing audiences the world over.
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.
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".
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has reportedly been offered the role of the next James Bond. The 33-year-old British actor has been asked to take over from Daniel Craig, who played the role for 15 years.
