All James Bond Actors in Order

As the search for our next 007 continues, fans are on the edge of their seats to learn who Daniel Craig will pass the mantle to after his 17 years in the role. Possible contenders for the role have included Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Golding, and even Lashana Lynch as Hollywood sways toward the prospect of a female Bond.

The first James Bond title, Dr. No, released in 1962, while the latest, No Time To Die, came out in 2021. That marks over 60 years of Bond on our screens, so as we near the latest installment in the franchise adapted from novels by Ian Fleming, let’s return to the character’s roots and honor all the actors who’ve obtained a licence to kill.

Sean Connery (1962-1967, 1971, and 1983)

Sean Connery was the first actor to ever portray James Bond and a lot of fans still consider him the best of them all. He played Bond for the first five films, then returned after skipping the sixth. These films were Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds are Forever (1971).

Connery made his final appearance as Bond in Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of Thunderball, produced by Jack Schwartzman’s Taliafilm. Originally, James Bond creator Ian Fleming wasn’t sold on the idea of Connery as Bond. He said, “He’s not what I envisioned of James Bond looks,” and “I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man.”

David Niven (1967)

Not many people really recognize Niven as Bond. He’s certainly one of the lesser-known names compared to the likes of Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan, but that doesn’t mean his turn as Bond was necessarily bad. It was just forgettable in the long run as Niven only portrayed the character for one singular film, which was the original Casino Royale (1967).

Although, even Casino Royale isn’t considered a Bond property as it wasn’t produced by EON Productions, which is posibly why they remade it with Daniel Craig decades later. Fleming favored Niven’s Bond over that of Connery, picturing 007 as a homely man who’d settled down with a child.