We Officially Ranked Every James Bond Actor

Image via Eon/MGM/DANJAQ Published Nov 12, 2026, 5:19 PM EST Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Sign in to your Collider account James Bond is one of cinema’s great characters, and one that will never fall out of fashion. Although other franchises have attempted to invent or expand upon new continuities, the Bond series has adapted to the times by reframing its story to fit the cultural, social, and political trends of the era. Bond is unabashed entertainment representing pure heroism, but he’s drawn from a darker character imagined by Ian Fleming as a ruthless assassin who wears his license to kill as a badge of honor. Each actor to take on the role has had to contend with the pressures of being a smoldering hero, a fantasy of charisma, a loyal patriot, and a womanizing charmer, resulting in very different performances over time. The speculation as to who could be the next Bond always illuminates conversation, as it's more than just a role that can be recycled in the vein of Batman, Spider-Man, or even more classical characters like Robin Hood or King Arthur. The Bond films screen for the Royal Family and become historical artifacts that attract attention and analysis for years on end, making it all the more important to make the right choice in selecting the person to play him. Denis Villeneuve is currently underway on casting the next actor to take on the role, meaning that either Robert Pattinson, Nicholas Hoult, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, or Jack Lowden will have massive shoes to fill. Each Bond actor has value in one way or another, but time has painted a fairly evident hierarchy. 7 David Niven Image via Columbia Pictures It’s often forgotten that there were two Casino Royale adaptations before the 2006 film that launched the most recent iteration of the series. The first was a television episode of an anthology show from the ‘50s, but the first cinematic version was in a feature length parody film released by Warner Bros. as one of two non-EON entries in the series. Although it’s a spoof that gathers an entire cast to play different versions of Bond, the main star is David Niven, who had ironically enough been Fleming’s first choice during the casting of Dr. No. Niven is a charismatic actor who can deliver the one-liners needed to play a slick version of Bond, but he’s trapped within an insufferable parody film that wasn’t all that funny in 1967, and has aged even worse today. Bond becomes a caricature and Niven is encouraged to be a stickler for British protocol in a manner that doesn’t fit with the edgier persona that Fleming had created. It is nonetheless interesting to consider what Niven could have done with the role had he been given the chance to make a “proper” Bond film; the best idea of what his 007 would have looked like is in the World War II classic The Guns of Navarone, where he plays a sharp British commando whose bravery and intelligence feel quite Bond-ian. 6 George Lazenby Image via United Artists On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is one of the best Bond films ever made, and it would contend Skyfall and Goldfinger to be the top pick if it weren’t for a mediocre performance by George Lazenby. Lazenby does a decent enough job, all things considered; he has virtually no acting experience before being cast, and attracted a fair amount of backlash for doing something different with the character. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service plays Bond as being a more wholesome, romantic character with a wry sense of whimsy, and Lazenby both gives a charming performance without ever feeling totally believable as a secret agent. Lazenby lacked the physical prowess needed to be an action hero and can come off as rather stiff in some of the dialogue exchanges, although to be fair there’s no telling what more he could have done with the part had he agreed to star in Diamonds Are Forever. That Lazenby refused to return is partially due to the pressure he was facing from EON and the fan backlash, but it also might simply be because he never felt completely comfortable in the part. While he’s not necessarily a great Bond, the chemistry Lazenby has with Diana Rigg makes for one of cinema’s greatest love stories. 5 Roger Moore Image via United Artists Roger Moore is a divisive Bond who is widely misunderstood by some contemporary Bond viewers who don’t understand that his version of the character was intentionally campy and completely in-on-the-joke. Moore was an older version of Bond who developed a more bemused perspective on the potentially world-ending scenarios he often found himself in, and the fact that his emotions rarely rise above mild concern is part of the charm of his films. With that being said, each Bond can only be judged by the totality of their time as the character, and Moore’s output in the role was quite mixed. Live and Let Die is a fantastic debut that showed Moore could be suave and swanky in a way that was different from Connery, as he felt both decidedly modern and classically gentlemanly. The Spy Who Loved Me is a similarly great film that offers Moore the chance to show the most range because it unlocks a darker side of the character; a moment where he reveals a shocking secret to Barbara Bach’s Agent XXX is among the greatest moments of acting in the franchise’s entire history. Yet, Moore often felt secondary to the spectacle in some of the sillier installments, and even admitted by the end of his run that he was far too old to be playing the character. 4 Timothy Dalton Image via United Artists Timothy Dalton is perhaps the hardest Bond to judge, even more so than Lazenby, because his run as the character was cut short prematurely. While On Her Majesty’s Secret Service felt like a complete statement about Bond as a character, Dalton had only really started to encompass the role by the time that his two entries in the series were up. The Living Daylights is a good movie, but the script was clearly styled in Moore’s sensibilities and didn’t totally unlock the more mature take that Dalton had. License to Kill was a swing in the completely different direction that turned Bond into a vengeance-seeking vigilante, and it’s not until the end of the film that he returns to MI6 to become a more classical version of the character. Dalton is nonetheless one of the few Bond actors to show an actual interest in Fleming’s books and clearly knew the text well enough to purposefully distinguish himself from his cinematic predecessors. 3 Pierce Brosnan Keith Hamshere/Mgm/Eon/Kobal/Shutterstock Pierce Brosnan is in a similar place to Moore in his run as Bond being somewhat uneven, but the difference is that he was locked into his performance the entire time. Brosnan’s debut in Goldeneye didn’t just save the franchise as a whole, but split the difference in terms of what every film since should aim for; it retained all the classical elements of the series, but felt hip and modern, showing self-awareness without being too cheeky. Brosnan was believable as a killer and a master of spycraft, but he was also the most handsome and charming actor to play Bond as a romantic foil. Brosnan’s strength in Bond is made clear by how much he elevates his films, as he was able to successfully bring a darker component to The World Is Not Enough in spite of a ridiculous script with some truly terrible lines. Although Brosnan has admitted to being disappointed that he did not get to make a fifth film, Amazon and MGM would make a lot of fans happy if they brought him back for a one-off legacy sequel. COLLIDERInteractive Service File Film/Quizzes/Which Bond Name Branch Status ActiveFile 06 of 06 Comparative AssessmentEyes Only Collider QuizWhich James BondAre You?8 Questions · 6 ActorsSix actors. Six completely different visions of the same man: dangerous, charming, complicated, and almost certainly wearing a very good suit. Only one of them shares your particular way of moving through the world. Eight questions will figure out which Bond you really are.The Six Connery Moore Dalton Brosnan Lazenby Craig Find Your Bond Question 01PRESENCE 01How do you carry yourself when you walk into a room?Bond is always the most interesting person in the room. The question is how he makes you feel it. AWith absolute authority. I don't announce myself. I simply make everyone aware that I've arrived.BWith a raised eyebrow and a ready quip. I'd rather disarm a room than dominate it.CWith focused intensity. I'm taking everything in, and people can tell.DWith polish and ease. I look like I belong everywhere, because I've decided I do.EWith quiet confidence. I'm still figuring out my place, but I carry myself as if I already know it.FWith guarded stillness. I notice everything and give nothing away until I choose to. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 02DANGER 02How do you handle a dangerous situation?Every Bond faces it differently. What does your version look like? AWith dangerous calm. I've been here before, and the threat already knows it's made a mistake.BWith improvisation and a degree of theatrical flair. Tension should never be wasted.CHead-on and without hesitation. I don't need gadgets. I have training, and I use it.DWith the right tool for the job. I came prepared, and preparation is its own form of confidence.EInstinctively. I react faster than I think, and it usually works out.FWith controlled force. I don't enjoy it, but I don't flinch from what the moment requires. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 03CHARM 03How do you charm someone you need on your side?Bond always gets what he needs. The method varies considerably. AI make them feel like the most interesting person in the room, for exactly as long as I need them to be.BI make them laugh. A shared laugh is the fastest way to make someone trust you.CI'm direct and honest. I tell them what I need and why. Manipulation wastes time.DWith surface perfection: the right words, the right smile, deployed with enough precision to look effortless.EBy being present and genuine. I'm still developing my technique, but sincerity covers a lot of ground.FReluctantly and sparingly. I'd rather earn trust through actions than manufacture it through charm. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 04EMOTION 04How do you handle your emotions on the job?Every Bond deals with this differently. Most of them not particularly well. AI suppress them completely. Detachment is a professional requirement, not a personal failing.BI deflect with humor. A well-timed joke is the best defense against genuine feeling.CI let them show. I'm not ashamed of feeling things, and I think pretending not to is its own kind of weakness.DI compartmentalize with precision. Everything in its place, nothing bleeding into the mission.EWith difficulty. I haven't quite worked out the system yet, and sometimes it shows.FBy burying them, deeply and imperfectly, in ways that eventually cost me something important. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 05STYLE 05How would your colleagues describe your working style?MI6 has opinions about all of its 00s. What are theirs about you? AEffective and uncompromising. Results-focused to the point where the methods occasionally become a concern.BReliably brilliant in the field, occasionally exasperating in the briefing room.CPrincipled to a fault. They'd rather do it right than do it fast, and they'll tell you so.DPolished, capable, and slightly too good at making it look easy.ERaw potential. Still developing, but there's something there that's hard to teach.FA blunt instrument. Pointed at problems, usually effective, occasionally unpredictable. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 06RULES 06How do you feel about operating within the rules?The 00 designation comes with terms and conditions. Not everyone reads them. ARules are for people who haven't earned the judgment to know when to break them.BI follow them in spirit and bend them in practice. The important thing is the outcome.CI take them seriously. There are things I won't do regardless of what the mission requires.DI work within them effectively and creatively. The system has its uses if you know how to navigate it.EI'm still working out where my lines are. The job has a way of moving them on you.FI follow orders until I decide the order is wrong. Then I act on my own judgment and accept the consequences. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 07LOVE 07What is your relationship with love?Every Bond has a different answer. None of them have found it easy. AA liability I've learned to manage. I don't let it interfere with the work, and I try not to examine why.BA pleasure I take seriously in the moment, lightly in the long term, and honestly in between.CSomething I want sincerely, and struggle to reconcile with the life I've chosen.DPart of the performance. I'm charming, and I enjoy it, but I keep the door to anything deeper firmly closed.ESomething that surprised me. I found it when I wasn't looking and it changed everything, briefly.FA wound I carry. Something happened, and I haven't fully processed what it means for everything since. ← BackPick one, then Next Next Question Question 08LEGACY 08When the mission is over, how do you want to be remembered?The name is Bond. The rest is entirely up to the man behind it. AAs the original. The one who defined what this could be before anyone else knew what it was.BAs someone who made it enjoyable, who understood that entertainment is its own kind of excellence.CAs someone who took it seriously, who refused to coast and pushed harder than the role required.DAs the complete package, who had the looks, the timing, and the ability to make it all seem inevitable.EAs an underrated chapter, one that deserved more time and more credit than it received.FAs the one who made it human, who found the cost beneath the cool and didn't look away from it. ← BackPick one, then Next Reveal My Bond The Name Has Been DeterminedYour Bond Is Six actors. One role. Your answers point to the Bond who shares your presence, your method, and your particular way of carrying the weight of being the most dangerous person in the room. 1962-1971Sean ConneryDr. No to Diamonds Are ForeverYou were always going to end up here. You are the original, and you carry that fact without needing to announce it. There is an authority in the way you occupy a room that others spend careers trying to replicate.Why This Is You You don't explain yourself, justify yourself, or soften yourself for anyone's comfort. The confidence is structural, not performed. Connery's Bond established everything, the tone, the danger, the cool, because Connery himself had the innate presence to make something that had never existed feel inevitable. You share that quality: the sense that you were always going to end up exactly here, doing exactly this. The name is Bond. In your case, it always was. The OriginalStructural CoolAuthority 1973-1985Roger MooreLive and Let Die to A View to a KillThe lightness is the technique. You understand something that more serious people miss: that wit is its own form of intelligence, and that making people laugh is not a retreat from danger but a way of mastering it.Why This Is You Moore's Bond is underrated precisely because the effortlessness looks easy, and effortlessness is the hardest thing to manufacture. You have the same quality: a lightness that disarms people before they realize how sharp you really are. The raised eyebrow, the perfectly timed quip, the refusal to be rattled. These are not affectations. They are a philosophy about how to move through a world that would like to take itself too seriously. You have never let it. The QuipUnrattledEffortless 1987-1989Timothy DaltonThe Living Daylights, Licence to KillYou took it seriously when nobody asked you to. You took the role seriously when everyone wanted you to coast, and that refusal to take the easy version of anything is the most defining thing about you.Why This Is You Dalton's Bond has genuine moral weight: he feels the cost of what he does, he has lines he won't cross, and he is not interested in the version of himself that pretends otherwise. You share that intensity. You push harder than the situation technically requires, because you have a standard and you hold yourself to it. He was ahead of his time, the Bond the franchise wasn't quite ready for yet, arriving exactly when he was meant to. You know what that feels like. Moral WeightNo CoastingAhead Of It 1995-2002Pierce BrosnanGoldenEye to Die Another DaySome people simply fit their moment. You are the complete package, and you know it, which is part of what makes you so effective and occasionally so infuriating to the people around you.Why This Is You Brosnan arrived at the role looking exactly like Bond was supposed to look, and he delivered on that expectation with a professionalism that made it seem effortless. You have the same quality: a smooth competence, a charm that operates like a precision instrument, and the ability to make even difficult things look like they weren't. His four films revived the franchise after a six-year gap and made Bond a blockbuster property again. There is a reason for that. The reason is that some people simply fit their moment perfectly. You are one of those people. The PackagePrecision CharmRevival 1969George LazenbyOn Her Majesty's Secret ServiceHistory tends to catch up with people like you. You stepped into something enormous with less preparation than anyone around you thought was sufficient, and you delivered something genuine anyway, which is the more impressive achievement.Why This Is You Lazenby's single outing is, by many measures, one of the finest Bond films ever made, and he is not a small part of why. You share his quality of raw authenticity: less polished than the alternatives, more honest for it, capable of something real that technique alone can't produce. He was underestimated, and then he wasn't, and then history caught up with him. You are the kind of person history catches up with. Give it time. One Film OnlyRawUnderrated 2006-2021Daniel CraigCasino Royale to No Time to DieUnderestimated, then undeniable. You stripped everything back and found what was underneath, and what was underneath was harder, more honest, and more human than anyone expected.Why This Is You Craig's Bond is the franchise's most psychologically complete: a man doing a punishing job, carrying its costs imperfectly, capable of love and loss in ways that can't be dismissed. You share that depth. You don't hide behind the role or the charm or the suit. You let the work show what it really costs. He was controversial from the moment he was announced and definitive by the time he was finished. The skeptics became the believers. That arc, of being underestimated and then undeniable, is one you know intimately. Stripped BackHuman CostDefinitive Closest Matches 1· · ·0% 2· · ·0% 3· · ·0% Retake The QuizCopied A Collider InteractiveCOLLIDERMore quizzes at collider.com 2 Sean Connery Image via Amazon MGM Studios Sean Connery is one of the greatest movie stars of all-time and is responsible for defining what Bond became. There is no question that he is the reason that the character remains a popular culture titan and not an obscure character from Cold War-era spy novels, as Connery created a larger-than-life hero who still had one foot planted in reality. Connery had the dexterity as an actor to lean into the Hitchcockian elements of From Russia With Love or the spectacular audacity of Goldfinger, but he was so naturally compelling that he turned more routine Bond adventures like Thunderball and You Only Live Twice into great entertainment. Connery found something very unique within Bond that cut through some of the character’s inherent contradictions. He’s an unabashed servant of the crown who doesn’t feel prickly, a womanizer who isn’t toxic, and a killer who can still deliver a one-liner. Bond is more than just an action hero, and Connery is still who most people think of when they imagine the character. 1 Daniel Craig Daniel Craig is responsible for revamping Bond for the modern age and turning him into a truly complex character while also delivering the most authentic interpretation of what Fleming imagined him to be. Casino Royale wasn’t just the technically impressive and gritty installment in the series, but a truly harrowing drama that saw Craig making a vulnerable character stooped in tragedy. Skyfall placed Craig’s Bond in a place where he had to advocate for his own existence, arguing on behalf of the franchise itself, and it was so convincing that it became the highest-grossing entry in the series to date with over $1 billion. Craig retained the dry sensibilities of Connery while showing the intensity of Dalton, and also took Brosnan’s tips of doing extensive training to ensure that his stunts would look real. One of the reasons the next era of the franchise faces so much pressure is the intimidation of following Craig.