604 replies to this topic

[Iceskater101]

I have to say Sean Connery was probably my favorite. Then I will go with Daniel Craig, Pierce, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, Barry Nelson. That is my order. I love what Daniel Craig did with the Bond series.

[thecasinoroyale]

I don't think I've commented on this so here's my view...but I hate picking the favourite as I always feel I'm betraying the other actors, as they're all James Bond in their own way! Oh well...here we are which each actor seperated by a 1 - 2% margin (except Lazenby who is just at the bottom. Sorry!) :

1) Timothy Dalton - my original, my template for Bond and my introduction to the franchise. 2 films, but 2 belters and sad not to have any more!

2) Roger Moore - the most watched Bond for me, and always can count on Moore for sheer fun, enjoyment and escapism with his tongue-in-cheek adventures!

3) Daniel Craig - making an impact just 2 films in and has so much potential left to give, and I just need 'Skyfall' to be a 100% James Bond film to get him there!

4) Sean Connery - suave, sophisticated and deadly wins me over in his great films that are pure spy thrillers, and his lethal yet charming portrayal is a winner!

5) Pierce Brosnan - brought Bond back to the '90s and my first cinematic 007. Started well, but steadily his 007 faded to generic action hero. Never mind!

6) George Lazenby - the one hit wonder, and had a decent film to launch him, but can't take his portrayal seriously and find him a little boring.

[IcedCamaro]

Noob here and glad to cast my vote. (Soo gladly impressed with Dalton's ranking!)

1. Dalton:
So dark, dangerous and intense yet elegant and strikingly goodlooking. I get a sense that he is a real person with real, complicated struggles. Nothing smarmy or overly smug about him just stark, magnetic realism. (yeah I could go on and on with the gushy adjectives).

2. Connery
What's not to love? Mesmerizing in both presence and delivery.

3.Craig
Well, there is just something about him that reminds me of Dalton and Connery combined. Really, really liked him in Casino Royale, but there's something missing still.. not sure what.

4. Brosnan
I don't dislike Brosnan... he's a very good Bond. I just don't like him as much as the first three. A couple of things about his Bond have always bothered me but I'll withhold that for now.

5. Moore
He's got a commanding presence, he just makes me roll my eyes and cringe a little too much. Not my favorite interpretation of Bond.

6. Lazenby

[Iceskater101]

Actually I am changing something around.. Connery, Craig, Dalton, Brosnan, Moore and Nelson. That is my new order. Timothy Dalton in License to Kill was really good, wish he would have been able to do more bond movies.

[Redneck007]

1. Connery
2. Craig
3. Moore
4. Brosnan
5. Lazenby
6. Dalton

[Tony_OO_Black]

I've thought long and hard about this... and mine is Roger Moore.

Brosnan was my first cinematic Bond, but Moore was my first 007 watching his movies on TV as a boy. He's not the best fit for the character, most of his movies aren't even all that great, but when Moore is at his best he's massively entertaining.

I like facets of them all though. Yes, even Lazenby.

[Brett Sinclair]

1. Moore
2. Dalton
3. Lazenby
4. Craig
5. Connery
6. Brosnan

I love them all though

[SamuelKevlar]

1 - Dalton.
2 - Brosnan.
3 - Craig.
4 - Moore.
5 - Connery.
...
...
6 - Lazenby.

[Ragal El Mostaheel]

Sean Connery: Up to this day is my favorite Bond actor, he was suave and charming, a trait that would be a major factor with the character throughout the years. However contrary to popular belief, Connery's performance in his early films displayed some of the dark character traits of the Fleming Bond, which in my opinion made him the perfect Bond actor.


Roger Moore: While Connery is my favorite Bond, Moore's Bond was the one I grew up with a kid and he had a lot of great films under his name. However, I felt that the lsome parts of his stint, he made Bond appear as sort of superhero-spy, which wasn't reall a bad thing.


Pierce Brosnan: Brosnan's Bond is a little complicated matter, on one hand he made one of the best Bond films Golden Eye, which was also his debut as 007 (which also inspired the best Bond video game ever made). On the other hand, his last film To Die Another Day is derived by many as one of the if not worst film in the franchise, which led to the reboot. It seemed that they were trying to make him the hybrid Bond, being the movie Bond with elements of Fleming's dark tones, unfortunatly it didn't really work out. Brosnan's era also provide my personal favorite Bond girl, Wai Lin played by the Queen of Hong Kong Action Cinema, Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Daniel Craig: While met with mixed reactions when he was announced as the new Bond, he started with a bang. Casino Royale, which many of longed wished to see properly adapted to the silver screen is hailed as one of the best films in the franchise. While Quantum of Solace is seen as sort of misstep by some, that didn't stop Craig's stint after the success of the latest installment Skyfall.

Timothy Dalton: In my opinion, Dalton was a criminally underrated Bond, The Living Daylights was a great Bond film. I also enjoy License To Kill, a lot, in fact I consider the film's opening soundtrack to be one of my favorite Bond tracks.

George Lazenby: Contrary to popular belief, Lazenby quit the character despite the success of In Her Majesty's Secret Service out of fear of getting typecast, ironically this really hurt his acting career. While he didn't have the same charm of the other actors, until Daniel Craig, he was the Bond who had the better on screen fight scenes (he was one of Bruce Lee's celebrity students). He would sort of reprise the character in a short cameo in a Man From U.N.C.L.E TV movie, bearing the initials J.B.

Edited by Ragal El Mostaheel, 30 November 2012 - 04:01 AM.

[SecretAgentFan]

Pierce Bronson?

Is that you, John Travolta?

[jsteed]

My favorite is Sean Connery, made some of the best films in the series. Still really like Roger Moore in TSWLM and FYEO.

[Yellow Pinky]

I may have posted my thoughts here at some point over the course of this thread but as right now (post-Skyfall), here's where I fall.

1) Sean Connery / Daniel Craig
2) Timothy Dalton
3) George Lazenby
4) Roger Moore
5) Pierce Brosnan

As can probably be seen, I prefer my Bonds to have a more serious edge and be dangerous. That doesn't mean I don't like humor in my 007 adventures, but I like the humor to temper the character and not define it. I grew up on Connery and loved Moore at the time, but once I got a taste of Dalton I knew this was how I preferred by James Bond.

Craig was a real breath of fresh air to me after Brosnan. I simply never took to Brosnan and find almost all of his movies, with the exception of GE, to be almost unwatchable. Even then, I find myself liking GE for every reason other than his portrayal, which comes off as play-acting to me rather than believable.

Even though I'm not a huge fan of Moore's interpretation, I believe his performance and buy him as Bond in his movies. With Pierce it all seems so self-conscious and posed.

[Ragal El Mostaheel]

Pierce Bronson?

Is that you, John Travolta?

I don't get it

[thecasinoroyale]

Well, Daniel Craig has moved up to second place now after 'Skyfall' for his interpretation of the character, and sold me the real humane side of James Bond more than others.

1) Dalton
2) Craig
3) Moore
4) Connery
5) Brosnan
6) Lazenby

[SecretAgentFan]

Pierce Bronson?

Is that you, John Travolta?

I don't get it

Well, Sir, you made the same mistake as Mr. Travolta did when he read out the nominees for a Golden Globe and called our beloved Pierce Brosnan... well, he obviously did not have his reading glasses with him.

[Ragal El Mostaheel]

Pierce Bronson?

Is that you, John Travolta?

I don't get it

Well, Sir, you made the same mistake as Mr. Travolta did when he read out the nominees for a Golden Globe and called our beloved Pierce Brosnan... well, he obviously did not have his reading glasses with him.

What cause I ranked him third? To be fair Daniel Craig is close behind him and I haven't seen Skyfall yet.

[SecretAgentFan]

You called him Bronson, my friend.

His name is Brosnan.

[Ragal El Mostaheel]

You called him Bronson, my friend.

His name is Brosnan.

Oh.....

Well, this is embarrasing

Wait, I've been using the wrong spelling all this time?

Well, I've updated my post with correct name

Edited by Ragal El Mostaheel, 30 November 2012 - 04:02 AM.

[SecretAgentFan]

Mr. B will be grateful!

[Double-Oh Agent]

After having seen Skyfall, my ratings haven't changed--and I still like them all.

1. Pierce Brosnan

2. Roger Moore

3. Sean Connery

4. Daniel Craig

5. Timothy Dalton

6. George Lazenby

[Odd Jobbies]

The one in the books.

It takes them all in sequence to see his downward spiral and eventual escape from self destruction (his biggest nemesis).

It's a riveting journey that ebbs and flows, which the films have never come close to (perhaps the end of OHMSS and parts of the Craig era), but it takes dedication to his character development that Eon have until now been hesitant to dive into.

I believe Craig is the force pushing for this and perhaps his era, once finished, can as a whole approach the greatness of the literary James Bond.

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 01 December 2012 - 10:54 AM.

[B5Erik]

1. Timothy Dalton
2. Sean Connery

3. Pierce Brosnan

4. Daniel Craig
5. George Lazenby
6. Roger Moore

But my signature says it all...

Wow, 5 years later and my list is still the same.

As much as I love Casino Royale and Skyfall I'm still not 100% sold on Daniel Craig as James Bond. He's a great actor, and the movies are great, but in each of his movies there are moments where there's something about him that says, "This isn't really James Bond, it's another Double-0." Then again, there are just as many purely, "James Bond-ian," moments as well. All it will take for me is one purely James Bond movie. Not a movie where it's personal or where Bond has to deal with personal demons/issues, but a movie where he can focus on the job and be confident and a little more upbeat about his place in the world. (Not a lot, just a little. A lot less than Roger Moore, and a tad less than Pierce Brosnan.)

Having re-watched GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies recently I've got to say that I really like Pierce Brosnan as Bond. I think to a degree he's underappreciated among the hard core Bond fans because he is so smooth in the role. He's almost too confident and seems to be enjoying himself a little too much for many Bond fans, but for me he's got the balance almost perfect. Really close. When he's on screen I have no doubt that I'm watching JAMES BOND. Much like when I watch Connery or Dalton in the role.

Lazenby was good, but didn't quite have the acting chops to pull everything off. But he wasn't bad at all and had a ton of potential. Roger Moore was Roger Moore. He wasn't playing Bond, he was playing Roger Moore playing James Bond. He was great at what he did, but it wasn't purely James Bond. That's OK. The movies were entertaining as hell.

But Dalton remains my favorite Bond, as he has been since the release of Licence To Kill.

[Hockey Mask]

1. Sean Connery
2. Daniel Craig
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. George Lazenby
5. Roger Moore

That wraps up all of the Bonds that are worth a darn.

[Nick Bone]

I have to draw the line between "the old series" and "the new series"... since they have done the reboot I like to see things in this way. And to add some more complexity I´ll make a third list which is combining both the old and new. I´m strange.

The old:

1. Connery
2. Dalton
3. Moore
4. Lazenby
5. Brosnan

The new:

1. Craig (wow, one competitor )

The old and the new put together:

1. Craig / Connery
2. Dalton
3. Moore
4. Lazenby
5. Brosnan

[Grard Bond]

I voted for Roger Moore, although I like Roger the most of all the Bond actors, Connery is on the same level for me.

 They are both great!

[sansim]

Sean Connery - suave, confident & full of sexual arrogance...pure classic James Bond.

 

Closely followed by Daniel Craig.

[AMC Hornet]

Lazenby was good, but didn't quite have the acting chops to pull everything off.

I tire of hearing people dis George's limited acting ability, as if you need Laurence Olivier for Bond - as if Laurence Olivier would have fared any better had he been cast in OHMSS! No matter how good he might have been, he - like George - was still guilty of that most heinous of crimes: not being Sean Connery.

 

Sure Sean nailed it from the start, but I've always maintained that you don't need a great actor for Bond - just a charismatic movie star. They had that in Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. Timothy Dalton is a great actor - possibly too great for such a limiting role. No wonder he was under-rated in his day. Now, finally, the character is being written in such a way that it requires a solid actor, and they have that in Daniel Craig.

 

OHMSS remains one of my all-time favorite films, and it's partly because of - rather than in spite of - George's contribution. I can identify with him for getting a plum role and only appearing once. Had he stuck with the part through the 70s, we might today be comparing his canon of work to that other fellow's, the way Whovians rever Tom Baker as the definitive Doctor, despite being the fourth actor in the role.

 

Just my tuppence, of course.

[iBond]

Pierce Brosnan, there is no other James Bond

Here, here!

[archer1949]

I think all of them did good work in their own ways, but it's Dalton for me. He's the first Bond I saw in theaters and he's since been the guy I picture when i read the books.

 

I sometimes fantasize a cool parallel universe where Roger Moore quits on top after FYEO and Dalton takes over to do  a darker, less silly OP. For the next decade he becomes as deservedly identified with the character as Connery. He becomes James Bond for the newly rejuvenated Reagan/Thatcher 80's phase of the Cold War, just as Connery symbolized the 60's. 

 

Following Dalton is Craig and Connery. Connery would be higher if he didn't sleepwalk through his last couple movies.

 

 

[MooreDalton]

1. Timothy Dalton
2. Daniel Craig
3. Roger Moore
4. Sean Connery
5. Pierce Brosnan
6. George Lazenby