Every Actor Who Played James Bond, Ranked from Worst to Best

From live television to blockbuster franchises, multiple performers have officially stepped into the 007 codename across film and TV, each leaving a paper trail of releases, dates, and production facts that map out the character’s history. Below is a complete countdown of everyone who has played James Bond on screen in an official capacity, including the early American TV interpretation and the 1960s big-screen spoof, with each entry noting years active, number of appearances, and key titles and collaborators.

8. Barry Nelson

Barry Nelson first portrayed the character on American television in 1954, playing “Jimmy Bond” in a live CBS broadcast of ‘Casino Royale’ for the anthology series ‘Climax!’. The 50-minute teleplay co-starred Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre and Linda Christian as Valerie Mathis. Produced years before the Eon Productions film series, it adapted Ian Fleming’s debut novel for U.S. audiences. The episode aired on October 21, 1954, and is the earliest on-screen Bond adaptation.

7. David Niven

David Niven appeared as Sir James Bond in Columbia Pictures’ 1967 ensemble spoof ‘Casino Royale’. The film featured an all-star cast including Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Orson Welles, and Woody Allen. Niven’s Bond is a retired spymaster brought back to service as multiple agents adopt the “James Bond 007” name. The production was mounted outside the Eon series and released on April 13, 1967, in the United States.

6. George Lazenby

George Lazenby headlined ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ in 1969, his sole outing as 007. An Australian model-turned-actor, he succeeded Sean Connery for this single film produced by Eon. The movie co-starred Diana Rigg as Tracy and Telly Savalas as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Principal photography took place across Switzerland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, with a release on December 18, 1969, in the U.S.

5. Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton played Bond in two Eon films: ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987) and ‘Licence to Kill’ (1989). His tenure followed Roger Moore and preceded Pierce Brosnan. ‘Licence to Kill’ was the first Bond film to carry a PG-13 rating in the United States, reflecting stronger action elements for the period. Dalton’s era introduced new regulars like Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny alongside returning players such as Desmond Llewelyn as Q.

4. Roger Moore

Roger Moore starred in seven Eon entries between 1973 and 1985, beginning with ‘Live and Let Die’ and concluding with ‘A View to a Kill’. His films also include ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, ‘Moonraker’, ‘For Your Eyes Only’, and ‘Octopussy’. Moore’s run marked the franchise’s longest by number of films for a single actor. Productions during this period filmed across locations such as Egypt, Italy, Brazil, India, and France.

3. Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan’s four-film run—’GoldenEye’ (1995), ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997), ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999), and ‘Die Another Day’ (2002)—relaunched the series after a six-year gap. ‘GoldenEye’ introduced Judi Dench as M and used the then-new Arecibo-inspired dish set in Puerto Rico for its finale. The films featured recurring cast members like Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny and Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky. International shoots spanned the United Kingdom, Russia, Thailand, Spain, and Iceland.

2. Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig portrayed Bond across five films from 2006 to 2021: ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Quantum of Solace’, ‘Skyfall’, ‘Spectre’, and ‘No Time to Die’. ‘Skyfall’ became the first Bond film to surpass $1 billion worldwide, while ‘No Time to Die’ provided a narrative endpoint for the character in that continuity. His era introduced and developed characters such as Vesper Lynd, Mr. White, and a modern iteration of Blofeld. Key collaborators included director Sam Mendes and composer Thomas Newman on two entries.

1. Sean Connery

Sean Connery originated the Eon film role with ‘Dr. No’ (1962) and continued with ‘From Russia with Love’, ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Thunderball’, and ‘You Only Live Twice’, later returning for ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971). Outside the Eon series, he appeared in ‘Never Say Never Again’ (1983), a re-telling of ‘Thunderball’ produced by different rights holders. ‘Goldfinger’ established enduring series hallmarks, including the Aston Martin DB5 and pre-title sequences with bespoke songs. Connery’s films were major box-office successes in the 1960s, with ‘Thunderball’ becoming one of the decade’s top-grossing releases.

Have a favorite portrayal or a specific film era you return to—drop your thoughts in the comments!