Popular as James Bond has been in the action/thriller cinema with a number of actors bringing Ian Fleming’s character to life on the screen, the question of who played Bond best outlives even the release of Bond movies. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, who really nailed it?
Countless threads on social media have been asking movie fans about their favorite James Bond actor. And the answers keep pouring in with as much dissent as one’s imagination can reach. In the same thread, one person’s all-time favorite Bond is another person’s worst 007. Starting with Connery’s historic 1962 Bond performance in Dr. No, four more actors are generally in the race for the best James Bond, each having played the character at least twice in the Bond films: Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Who among these five made the best Bond is a question that never dies (like Brosnan’s titutar “Tomorrow”).
But bigger than the question of who is that of how. How do we know which one of our heroes made the perfect 007 to date? And then the questions multiply. Do we survey the audiences from different generations across the English-speaking world? Do we average out the reviews and rankings of critics? Who qualifies for an expert on the topic? And more.
My own take is the same as some have expressed on these threads: whoever you grew up with as James Bond is your best Bond. It’s a nostalgic connection that strikes emotional cords going back to your young/younger years. As a kid of the 80s, mine’s Roger Moore. A guy named Paul spoke my mind when he posted the following on the thread asking the best Bond question.
I haven’t seen a new Bond film since The World Is Not Enough (1999) so I can’t testify to Craig’s performance as Bond and I’m still watching old Bond movies. But my vote is in regardless of what and how much I’ve seen of all these talented guys in their 007 shoes. The best James Bond verdict is essentially not a critic’s assessment but a subjective feeling rooted in our formative years as a movie fan.
One important point in assessing an actor’s performance as Bond relates familiarity with the original Ian Fleming novels and stories that gave birth to Bond’s character. And it works as a modifier to the question from who the best Bond is to which actor played the James Bond by the book. Of course when watching a movie, one has to remember the lion’s share of the director in wresting the desired performance out of his actors while also shaping their screen appearance. I haven’t read Fleming’s books still but there are Bond movie fans that claim Timothy Dalton played the Bond closest to the book’s character.
Not asking you to cast your best Bond vote here – though feel free to do if you can’t help it. But keeping in mind the fact that it’s always a British actor (and I’m including the Irish and Scots in this term), what American actor you think would have made a great James Bond if allowed the opportunity?
