Timothy Dalton's portrayal of James Bond closely adhered to Ian Fleming's vision of the character, embodying a gritty realism and seriousness. Dalton's serious approach to Bond was a departure from the previous jokey and lighthearted portrayal by Roger Moore, polarizing audiences and critics.

Was Timothy Dalton the best James Bond?

Timothy Dalton is generally regarded as one of the better James Bond actors, although opinions may vary. He played the role of James Bond in two films, "The Living Daylights" (1987) and "Licence to Kill" (1989), and his portrayal of the character was generally well-received by fans and critics.

Why did Timothy Dalton only do 1 James Bond?

A complicated legal dispute between the companies who owned the rights to James Bond and the distributing rights to the movies ensued, leading to Dalton's third film being tossed in the garbage. The actor said: "Because of the lawsuit, I was free of the contract.

Who was the most accurate Bond?

Raymond Benson noted that Dalton "purposely played Bond as a ruthless and serious man with very little of the wit displayed by Connery, Lazenby or Moore", and considered him "the most accurate and literal interpretation of the role ... ever seen on screen".

Why didn't Timothy Dalton do a third Bond film?

Why Timothy Dalton's Third James Bond Movie Didn't Happen. As Dalton revealed, the third film already had a good script, and even directors were being interviewed for helming it. However, a legal dispute between Eon Productions and MGM put a hiatus on the film's production, indefinitely delaying its release date.

Defending Dalton - Is Timothy Dalton the ULTIMATE James Bond?

Why was Timothy Dalton not in Goldeneye?

The film was released after a six-year hiatus in the series caused by legal disputes, during which Timothy Dalton's contract for the role of James Bond expired and he decided to leave the role, so he was replaced by Brosnan.

Why did Sean Connery stop being James Bond?

Sean Connery's love/hate relationship with the James Bond role led him to quit the franchise twice, as he grew tired of the fame, pressure, and being typecast.

Who is the least popular James Bond?

6) George Lazenby

Poor George Lazenby: forever fated to grace the bottom of every (proper) 007 ranking. The Australian actor donned the tuxedo for one solitary outing, 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and his Bond is certainly a lot less polished than many of the others.

Who was Ian Fleming's favorite Bond?

Fleming was also very fond of David Niven for the role (Niven famously/infamously played Bond in the "non-canon" James Bond film Casino Royale).

Who played James Bond the least?

3. George Lazenby – 1969. The only actor to portray Bond only once – in a serious role, that is – is George Lazenby: an unjustly hated replacement for Sean Connery at the time.

Why did Timothy Dalton quit?

Yet, that wasn't why Dalton left after only two movies as 007. It was in fact something completely out of his control: he was all set for a third movie in 1990, only for legal issues between Eon Productions and MGM to delay the production. "Because of the lawsuit, I was free of the contract," Dalton told The Week.

Why did Sean Connery do Diamonds Are Forever?

Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman wanted to cast Roger Moore, but he was busy filming The Persuaders!. Picker was unhappy with this decision and made it clear that Connery was to be enticed back to the role and that money was no object.

Who was the first choice for James Bond?

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.

Who was the most liked Bond?

And in at number one, Pierce Brosnan

Then let's press on. For us, the Irishman swings the top spot, purely because he marks the perfect mid-point between everything that makes Bond great. His films see a blend of Timothy Dalton's grittiness and Roger Moore's campiness.

How old was Timothy Dalton when he became Bond?

Timothy Dalton

The Hot Fuzz actor was 41 in 1987's The Living Daylights and only lasted one more outing in the role, retiring his iteration of Bond at the age of 43 in 1989's License to Kill.

Who was the real-life James Bond?

Many have speculated that Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, likely drew inspiration from more than one secret agent he learned of from his experience working with British naval intelligence. Potential real-life inspirations for Bond included World War II secret agent F.F.E. Yeo-Thomas and Serbian double agent Dusko Popov.

What did Ian Fleming think of Sean Connery as Bond?

In fact, Fleming didn't want Connery at all. “He's not my idea of Bond at all, I just want an elegant man, not this roughneck,” Fleming allegedly told his film agent Robert Fenn (via Variety) when Connery was cast, apparently angered by the fact the actor “couldn't speak the Queen's English.”

What does 007 stand for?

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.

What is considered the best Bond film?

1. Goldfinger. Here it is: This 1964 Sean Connery entry is, per the critical consensus, the best James Bond movie.

Who played James Bond the longest?

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.

Which James Bond movie made the most money?

The highest-grossing Bond film of all time, Skyfall raked in a stunning $1.1 billion upon its release in 2012, that's $1.5 billion (£1.12bn) today. The star-studded cast featured Daniel Craig as Bond, Javier Bardem as the villainous Raoul Silva, and Judi Dench in her final appearance as M.

Why did Daniel Craig not want to do James Bond anymore?

But somehow it felt like we needed to finish something off. If I'd left it at Spectre, something at the back of my head would have been going, 'I wish I'd done one more'." As dramatic and surprising as No Time to Die's ending might have felt, it was actually something that had been planned by Craig for a while.

Why did Roger Moore quit Bond?

When asked about retirement and any problems regarding doing James Bond stunts at his age, Roger Moore explained, “It wasn't because of the physical stuff.” Instead, it was his realization that other aspects of playing James Bond were a young man's game that he left.

Did Sean Connery and Roger Moore get along?

Moore insisted the two actors were rivals: "No more than two jockeys who are going to be paid anyway for running the race. But it would be nice if you won because you'd get the extra bonus. But really, no more than that. Sean and I are friends."