Rank the Bond actors in order

LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
edited June 2007 in The James Bond Films
For me:

1) Connery (DN - TB)
2) Craig and Laz (tie)
3) Connery (DAF and YOLT)
4) Rog
5) Dalton
6) Brosnan
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Comments

  • Nicko1234Nicko1234 Posts: 74MI6 Agent
    I've no idea how you go about judging who was best so I will just choose my favourites.

    1, Moore - Possibly because he gets so much stick that I feel sorry for him and possibly because I like him as a person more than any of the others. I do think that he kept the franchise going though and was a very gifted actor. Both comedic and serious.

    2, Lazenby - I know that he had no acting experience and had to be dubbed for large sections of the film but OHMSS is the best Bond film, imo, and he did well considering his limitations.

    3, Dalton - I like him as a person again and think that he's underrated.

    4, Connery - First 3 films are all excellent and he is very good in them of course. After that i think the quality of the films and his performances declined.

    5, Craig - Very good I'm sure but not for me.

    6, Brosnan - Seems to be a really nice guy and did a good job but I just don't like any of the films that he's in.
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    Nicko1234 wrote:
    I will just choose my favourites.

    That's really all one can do.
    Nicko1234 wrote:
    but OHMSS is the best Bond film

    Indeed sir!
    Nicko1234 wrote:
    and he did well considering his limitations.

    He most certainly did. He was one of only 3 of the actors who I found to be completely convincing in the role and who still to this day inspires the 12 year-old in me to want to be Bond.
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    1. Connery
    2. Craig
    3. Brosnan
    4. Lazenby*
    5. Dalton
    6. Moore

    * Only because he made one film; very close to a tie with Brozzer, IMO
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • MoniqueMonique USAPosts: 696MI6 Agent
    Haven't done this in a while:

    1) Connery
    2) Brosnan
    3) Moore
    4) Lazenby
    5) Craig
    6) Dalton
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    1)Connery
    2)Brosnan
    3)Moore
    4)Craig
    5)Lazenby
    6)Dalton

    This might be the first time that I've ranked all six actors, including Craig.

    BTW, the top three actors on my list are in an entirely different league to the bottom three actors.
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    the top three actors on my list are in an entirely different league to the bottom three actors.

    Same.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    Lazenby wrote:
    Dan Same wrote:
    the top three actors on my list are in an entirely different league to the bottom three actors.
    Same.
    No pun intended I assume? :p Sorry, bad joke. ;)
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Lazenby wrote:
    Dan Same wrote:
    the top three actors on my list are in an entirely different league to the bottom three actors.

    Same.

    I can't break mine down that way...though if pressed I'd assert that the top two are in a league of their own ;) Acting talent exists at the top, bottom and in-between spots...it's just my opinion of their respective effectiveness as Bond :007)
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • MoniqueMonique USAPosts: 696MI6 Agent
    Loeff, I gotta say it warms my heart you put Brozzer as high as you did!! I thought he'd be dead last on your list!! And I thought you'd rank Dalton higher. Good to know!

    Apparently Dan Same and I agree on his place! :)
  • LazenbyLazenby The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    I can't break mine down that way...though if pressed I'd assert that the top two are in a league of their own ;) Acting talent exists at the top, bottom and in-between spots...it's just my opinion of their respective effectiveness as Bond :007)

    For me it has little to do with acting ability; in fact I would argue that the characteristics inherent in a good Bond (toughness, suave self-assurance, magnetism, "manliness") can't be acted-- they're either inherent in the individual playing Bond or they're not. Connery, Craig and Lazenby had it (in my estimation) and the other three, it seemed to me, were only pretending. As I've said before I do quite enjoy some of Moore's work, but I don't regard him as a true incarnation of Bond as I do the other three. He was entertaining, but I never looked up to him as a representative of my (fantasy) version of an "ideal man", which I suppose is where the appeal of the Bond character has always been for me. Connery, Craig and Lazenby-- to this day-- excite my inner action hero and make me want to /be/ that guy on the screen. The other actors never had this effect on me. Regarding Brosnan and Dalton, as I've explained elsewhere, they didn't really do much for me, but this is just my own personal taste and I've elaborated on this ad nauseum in other threads.
  • Willie GarvinWillie Garvin Posts: 1,412MI6 Agent
    1)Connery
    2)Dalton
    3)Craig
    4)Moore
    5)Lazenby
    6)Brosnan

    In my opinion these actors are all talented individuals and they each bring something unique and valid to their portrayals of 007.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Lazenby wrote:
    For me it has nothing to do with acting ability; in fact I would argue that the characteristics inherent in a good Bond (toughness, suave self-assurance, magnetism, "manliness") can't be acted-- they're either inherent in the individual playing Bond or they're not.
    I completely agree. Although my favourite Bond (Connery) is also a brilliant actor, I don't think that one needs to be an Peter O'Toole to be Bond; and in fact, I wouldn't want O'Toole to play Bond. ;)
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Lazenby wrote:
    For me it has nothing to do with acting ability; in fact I would argue that the characteristics inherent in a good Bond (toughness, suave self-assurance, magnetism, "manliness") can't be acted-- they're either inherent in the individual playing Bond or they're not.

    Well, that's fair enough. Following this template, my list only has two names on it :007)

    However, like Mr. Garvin, I think each actor has brought a distinctive interpretation to the role {[]
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • AlexAlex The Eastern SeaboardPosts: 2,694MI6 Agent
    Connery
    Moore
    Dalton
    Lazenby
    Craig
    Brosnan
  • Krassno GranitskiKrassno Granitski USAPosts: 896MI6 Agent
    Connery
    Craig
    Dalton
    Lazenby
    Moore
    Brosnan
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    Monique wrote:
    Loeff, I gotta say it warms my heart you put Brozzer as high as you did!! I thought he'd be dead last on your list!!
    What and not put Moore last? :o You obviously don't know Loeff at all. :D
    Monique wrote:
    Apparently Dan Same and I agree on his place! :)
    In fact you and I agree on practically everything. {[]
    Monique wrote:
    Haven't done this in a while:
    1) Connery
    2) Brosnan
    3) Moore
    4) Lazenby
    5) Craig
    6) Dalton
    As I said, we agree on practically everything. The sole difference being Craig and Lazenby which is reversed on my list. However, I think that Lazenby's strengths were such that, for all intents and purposes, he could have stwitched places with Craig on my list and it wouldn't particularly bother me. (The other five actors on my list are in fixed positions.)
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    Dan Same wrote:
    Monique wrote:
    Loeff, I gotta say it warms my heart you put Brozzer as high as you did!! I thought he'd be dead last on your list!!
    What and not put Moore last? :o You obviously don't know Loeff at all. :D

    Touche :D
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    :007) Moore -{
    Connery
    Brosnan
    Dalton
    Lazenby
    Craig

    Ironically, the actors in my list are arranged according to the number of official Bond films in which they appeared.

    However, I have a feeling that this trend will come to an end in 2008 with Craig's second outing. I simply don't forsee Danny leaving slot #6 anytime soon...
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • s96024s96024 Posts: 1,519MI6 Agent
    SC
    RM
    PB
    DC
    GL
    TD

    Connery is well out ahead. The next three are pretty close together and Lazenby just pushes Dalton into last.
  • Tilly Masterson 007Tilly Masterson 007 UKPosts: 1,473MI6 Agent
    Timothy Dalton
    Roger Moore
    Sean Connery
    Pierce Brosnan
    Daniel Craig
    George Lazenby
  • JarvioJarvio EnglandPosts: 4,234MI6 Agent
    1 - Good owd Roger Moore - My favourite Bond and very underrated. As someone said, he gets a lot of stick. This makes me feel sorry for him and like him more. But if he didn't get stick, he would probably still be my favourite anyway. I love all of his films except Moonraker.

    2 - Sean Connery - Classic Bond. Has charisma, and a very iconic figure in the world of Bond. Great accent. Only problem is that I wasn't a big fan of the films he was in.

    3 - Daniel Craig - Excellent and very impressive thus far. Hard to say really though because he's only been in the one film. Casino Royale wasn't the best IMO (or the worst), but Daniel Craig was amazing as Bond.

    4 - Timothy Dalton - Again, hard to say because he's only been in two films. But I think both are excellent films and Dalton does a good job.

    5 - Pierce Brosnan - Apart from Goldeneye, his films are not great. As Bond, he is certainly good enough - but not good enough to rank higher on this list IMO.

    6 - George Lazenby - Well, he did a good enough job for OHMSS. But I just didn't think he suited the role of Bond. Just my opinion. OHMSS is a great film though.
    1 - LALD, 2 - AVTAK, 3 - LTK, 4 - OP, 5 - NTTD, 6 - FYEO, 7 - SF, 8 - DN, 9 - DAF, 10 - TSWLM, 11 - OHMSS, 12 - TMWTGG, 13 - GE, 14 - MR, 15 - TLD, 16 - YOLT, 17 - GF, 18 - DAD, 19 - TWINE, 20 - SP, 21 - TND, 22 - FRWL, 23 - TB, 24 - CR, 25 - QOS

    1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
  • stumac7stumac7 ScotlandPosts: 295MI6 Agent
    1. Connery
    2. Brosnan
    3. Craig
    4. Lazenby
    5. Dalton
    6. Moore
  • Lady RoseLady Rose London,UKPosts: 2,667MI6 Agent
    1)Connery
    2)Dalton
    3)Craig
    4)Moore
    5)Lazenby
    6)Brosnan

    Ditto .. though the bottom 4 change around from time to time and I was tempted to put Moore ahead of Craig.
  • 00-Agent00-Agent CaliforniaPosts: 453MI6 Agent
    1. Moore
    2. Connery
    3. Brosnan
    4. Craig
    5. Dalton
    6. Lazenby
    "A blunt instrument wielded by a Government department. Hard, ruthless, sardonic, fatalistic. He likes gambling, golf, fast motor cars. All his movements are relaxed and economical". Ian Fleming
  • baccaretbaccaret Posts: 61MI6 Agent
    connery
    brosnam
    craig
    moore
    dalton
    lazenby
    thats my list for now ,but of course things change,and craig has only one movie.
  • Back to basics BondBack to basics Bond Posts: 8MI6 Agent
    1.Connery
    2.Dalton
    3.Craig
    4.Lazenby
    5.Moore
    6.Brosnan
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,279MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    1. Connery - The first. The best. Period.

    2A. Dalton - A great Bond in some really disappointing movies. It is utterly criminal that he never got to make a third film.

    2B. Brosnan - A "greatest hits" style of Bond but still entertaining.

    4. Moore - Overstayed his welcome by a couple of films but had many great moments and shepherded the character thru the turbulent 1970's.

    5. Lazenby - A very entertaining and commendable performance considering his lack of acting experience and the scrutiny he was under. Physically, he held his own with everyone else. Would have been interesting to see what he did with a second appearance as Bond.

    6. Craig - Better than I thought he would be but utterly devoid of charm and humor. He took the role far too seriously for my tastes.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Tony, I am quite surprised that you would put Dalton at number 3. I would have thought that you would have had him lower. Do you not believe that 'he took the role far too seriously'?
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • TonyDPTonyDP Inside the MonolithPosts: 4,279MI6 Agent
    edited June 2007
    Dan Same wrote:
    Tony, I am quite surprised that you would put Dalton at number 3. I would have thought that you would have had him lower. Do you not believe that 'he took the role far too seriously'?

    No Dan, I don't. Even though he took the role far more seriously than his immediate predecessor, both his films gave him lighter moments which he was able to pull off. He was capable of delivering a funny line and he could be charming when he wanted to be. He was also a far more "romantic" Bond than anyone else. This is all especially true in TLD, which was originally written for Moore and then toughened up somewhat for Dalton.

    My enjoyment of Dalton and Brosnan as Bond - regardless of the quality of their respective movies - is very close, that's why I gave them a tie and numbered them 2A and 2B. It's all just my opinion of course, and it's no more or less valid than anyone else's.
  • Andy A 007Andy A 007 Posts: 199MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    Here's my contribution:

    1.Daniel Craig-Casino Royale was a masterpiece of the Bond canon, and a great deal of credit goes to Daniel Craig. IMO Craig plays the James Bond that Ian Fleming wrote about almost to a tee, or at least better than any of his predecessors. His blend of charm and underlying snobbery with ruggedness, anger, and cold-bloodedness makes him the ideal Bond. His physical looks also resemble very closely the Bond I picture while reading the books. For me, Daniel Craig IS James Bond. "Its that simple and that profound."

    2.Sean Connery-What can be said about the great Sean Connery. This man is one of my idols, and the reason I want to be an actor. His presence on screen has no rival. In 1962, he was the perfect man to play Bond. He was rugged yet sophisticated. He could beat the crap out of a bad guy but looked great in a suit. Connery, through his magnificent portrayal of Bond, represented a new kind of hero, and is the reason we are discussing on this forum today.

    3.Timothy Dalton-It drives me crazy when I think about how underrated Timothy Dalton is. He had the bad luck of replacing a man whose ridiculous, slapstick interpretation of Bond had become popular and accepted by society. Timothy Dalton brought back the dark tone and realism that Bond should have, and in the process made two of the best films in the entire Bond series. While he did lack in the charm and wit department a tad, he made up for it by saving Bond with his rare talent and dedication to potraying Ian Fleming's James Bond the best he could.

    4.George Lazenby-Its a shame that George Lazenby only did one film. His interpretation was straightforward. He didn't try too hard to be different, but brought some human characteristics to the role that had been missing since the early days of DN and FRWL. He also maintained the rugged masculinity that was lost over the following years with Roger Moore. In George Lazenby, I see the potential of a fantastic Bond. Had Lazenby done a few more Bond films, I think he would have been a fantastic fit, maybe even rivaling Connery.

    5.Pierce Brosnan-It can't be argued that Pierce Brosnan saved the series after 6 years of looming darkness. He blew audiences away in Goldeneye and continued for 3 more hugely popular films. He made the role his own, moreso than perhaps any other Bond since Connery. But while all this is true, for some reason, Pierce just doesn't do it for me. First of all, he's a pretty boy. With Pierce, Bond was no longer a man's man, but a Calvin Klein model with a gun. His portrayal and approach to the character seems uninspired and one-dimensional. This isn't really Pierce's fault, however. The scripts for his last three Bond outings were fairly bland and disinterested in character. had he been given better, grittier, character-driven scripts, Pierce Brosnan could have been a great Bond. But he didn't so he's not. Sounds harsh, but its how I feel.

    6.Roger Moore-Sorry, have to say it; This guy takes last place by a landslide. IMO, Roger Moore is, at times, an adequete Bond, depending on the caliber of the script he's working with (FYEO was good.) Most of the time, however, he's a terrible Bond. His light-hearted, snobby, and ridiculously slapstick approach to the character came close to ruining Bond for over a decade. When Moore took over the role, everything that I love most about bond went out the door. Gone was the troubled spy, the rugged killer, the human being living in a dangerous world. In the place of the real James Bond stood some fop whom I could imagine serving someone a cup of tea rather than beating them up. My apologies to everyone who loves Moore and his popular contribution to the series, but for me, Roger Moore is a joke.
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