Rank the Bond Actors

Now I do not know if this is in the right part of the forum but I was just wondering where exactly everybody has ranked the actrors who have played Bond. For me, this is even harder than ranking the Bond films, but at this moment in time, this is how I rank them:


01) Sean Connery
The first (film Bond anyway) and in my opinion, still the best. Now I am not one of those ignorant people who outright refuses to even give any of the other actors even a chance as Bond, but in my opinion, he is still quite clearly the best.

02) Roger Moore
Say what you want about Moore being too old to play Bond and playing him too lightly but when I look at his Bond films I always feel that despite everything else, I could never once criticise him or his performance. Moore clearly had fun playing Bond and I for one am grateful that he had a good run at seven Bond films which will most likely never be matched. Extra cudos to Moore for making the role his own and proving that another man besides Connery could plausibly play the role of Bond.

03) Daniel Craig
Still a little bit early for me to rate him considering his tenure as Bond is still ongoing and in my opinion will probably continue for another couple of Bond films post-SF but this is how I rate him as of now. Like Moore, Craig is the one thing in his films which I can never criticise. Once again, nostalgia plays a part because I was only 11 when he was announced for the role and so it was interesting to see a 'new' Bond for the first time who had not already been established. Finally I have a great amount of respect and admiration towards the actor himself for his honesty about the role and how he has helped to open the door for more slightly unconventional actors to pay Bond.

04) Timothy Dalton
A brilliant actor who, more than any other, reminds me of 'Fleming's Bond' and is the Bond who I imagine in my head in most of the novels when I read them. Extra cudos goes to him for playing Bond in TLD, my favourite Bond film, which is largely to do with his performance in the film. Even though Connery is my favourite actor as Bond I still feel that TLD suits Dalton's Bond more than it would any of the other Bonds. A crying shame that he was only in two Bond films.

05) Pierce Brosnan
I do not know why but I have always had a soft spot for Brosnan and never felt that he deserved the harsh criticism whch he has recieved post-2005-ish with the audience being brainwashed into thinking that everybody had hated him for the past 10 years or so. I know that he wasn't the most unique or memorable Bond and was essentialy just a mix of previous Bonds but I still feel that he played the role well and pulled it off. Who knows, maybe it is nostalgia speaking with him being Bond for my first three years of being a fan but there you have it.

06) George Lazenby
Unfortunately for me,Lazenby has to come last. Despite starring in one of my favourite Bond films and doing brilliantly with it (especially considering it was quite heavy acting-wise for a first Bond film and that Lazenby had no professional acting experience prior to this), he just didn't cut the mustard (whatever that means) with me. He was far too young and inexperienced to take on the role of Bond, and although a good mover and a good fighter, he was essentialy just imitating Connery, so much so that he could not put his own stamp on the role. Also, with just one Bond film under his belt, it is hard to judge how he could have been and whether or not he would have grown into the role. Although had Lazenby returned to do any more Bond films I believe that he would have brought the franchise to its knees so despite missing a proper follow-up to OHMSS starring Lazenby again as Bond, in the end it was probably far better in the long run that things worked out as they did. Extra cudos goes to him for daring to dive in at the deep-end and attempting to take on the role after Connery had left (for the first time anyway). Not a 'bad' Bond, but certainly nothing particularly special.

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

1. Connery/Brosnan: It's impossible to me to choose the best actor between them. It's incredible that I imagine both when I read the novels, the Bond I imagine is a mixture between Brosnan and Connery.
2. Lazenby: I really liked it. He tried to copy Connery, but maybe that's the reason I loved his acting and his movie.
3. Craig
4. Moore
5. Dalton

1. Connery Defined the role in every important way, was capable of delivering all the facets of the character in a way that never felt forced or unnatural - there is a balance to his Bond that fitted all scenarios something his successors never quite pulled off imho.

2. Dalton In only two films what Dalton delivers is imo quite remarkable, he brings Bond back to earth makes him a fully rounded character once again.

3. Moore Once allowed to be more himself, or should that be Moore himself....with a Bond likewise attuned Moore is an impeccable lead.

4. Lazenby With only one film he wasn't able to build on his performance like the others, but what a film and what a challenge for any actor - there are a few weaker moments to his performance but they tend to be less significant elements while all the key targets are imo hit brilliantly.

5. Brosnan/Craig These two flip a lot in my estimation, I like both but imo neither convinces as the full article; Brosnan can do suave and cunning but flounders in some of the physical and emotional areas, and Craig pretty much the polar opposite in terms of elements that work well. I may be a little harsh but I see Craig as the better actor but his Bond is a bit too generic and bland, Brosnan in the other hand makes for a more interesting character but really flounders with some of the weaker dialogue and exchanges that Craig would probably make work.

Connery - The definitive Bond

Craig - Reinvigorated my interest in Bond and still remains strong in the role. Skyfall is a big test for him.

Dalton - Brilliant in the role but he was let down by a poor director and the 80's. I really wish he had done moret than two movies

Brosnan - let down by poor directors and scripts but improved in the role with every film but the films themselves became poorer.


Lazenby- Flawed performance in OHMSS but had the potential to be a great Bond had he done more.


Moore - The least faithful adaptation of the character but had a bundle of fun playing the part. My least favourite but in no way the worst Bond.

Connery
Dalton
Craig
Moore
Lazenby
Brosnan

If I am ranking by how much I enjoy their films then this is real easy, and I think this is a valid criteria because the Bond actor also helps set the tone of the film.

1. Connery
2. Lazybee
3. Moore
4. Dalton
5. Broz
6. blue snuggers.

If I am ranking by who is simply the most convincing Bond, in terms of taking down the bad guys, with both style and ruthless efficiency, its not that hard either.

1. Connery
2. Lazerbee
3. blue snuggers
4. Dalts
5. Broz
6. Rog

Aggregate totals: based on above; eg 5 pts for 1st, down to 0 for 6th

1 Connery.............10
2 Lazerbee.............8
3 Dalts..................4
4 Rog................... 3
Mini Hulk............. 3
6. Broz..................2

Blue snuggers/ Mini Hulk

My ranking now
Connery
Dalton
Lazenby
Craig.

Special mention: Moore, cannot be ranked, he's just special.
Special unmentioned: You know who, he's disqualified.

Connery-Moore-Lazenby-Dalton tie. Each gives a slightly different performance in each film, so you in effect have 20 Bonds and not five. Brosnan had the ability but could only suggest subtleties due to increasingly poor material. Look at Tailor of Panama for five minutes and your mouth will fall open.

Moore is so much more than people give him credit for, and has a great reserved toughness that completely outshines the oft-maligned safari suit. (What's wrong with it?)
Dalton's take only gets better with time, as you can see that he truly felt it.
Lazenby is effectively the character and does not give a performance. his odd direction style from Peter Hunt allowed the character to become him or vice versa so that the inexperienced actor gives one of if not the finest performance of all. This is as close as we get to classic Fleming characterization onscreen.
Connery is a heart-stoppingly effective cinematic interpretation of the literary character. The initial direction and style of Terrence Young, with the refinement of Guy Hamilton's influence combined with Connery's roughness and supremely underrated acting skills created a debonair mortal superman.

Again, Craig is not Bond. He is a fine actor, but is not the person who should be portraying the character, along with this new interpretation which is not that but a bastardization. Barry Nelson and the entire cast of the 1967 film give more credible Bond performances.

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

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

Cinematically Sean is an icon while Timothy is the most faithful to Ian Fleming.

George and Pierce are the missed opportunities. George was also very close to Fleming and a very human Bond while physycally impressive. Pierce mixed the different blends of his predecessors succesfully and confidently. George should have accepted the 7-picture deal to become the best Bond and Pierce was unfortunate to get some would-be funny oneliners while to me he could have done something such as CR as well.

Roger and Daniel, I both appreciate. I like Roger's self-awareness and upper-class tongue-in-cheeck performances though he clearly could pull of more serious scenes. Still, his Bond is deliberately taking a step away from Fleming most of the time. Daniel is a very good actor and pulls off good performances but he does miss a certain sparkle that Sean and Pierce did possess and in the end he does what TImothy and George did but without being ahead of his time (cf. a human Bond).

8 Barry Nelson

The only one I do not care for at all.

7 David Niven

Nice to see a Fleming favourite in the part, even in a dumb part like this. He does look good, and has presence.

6 Pierce Brosnan

Mixed impressions. GE is a bit hit and miss, he is fine in TND, then awful in TWINE before ending up with an awesome performance in DAD

5 Timothy Dalton

Starts as forced and unnatural, theatrical and exaggerated in TLD (some scenes), but is fantastic for the most part in LTK.

4 Roger Moore

The Bond I grew up with and my first, so feels a little bad putting him this low, but he also gives some mixed performances. He is brilliant in TMWTGG, where he is more the Connery type of Bond. He also gives a great performance in FYEO where he shows a wide range and comes off as a likable Bond. That goes for AVTAK as well, but here he is maybe a bit past retirement age. At the other end of the spectrum he is just dreadful in much of Moonraker.

3 Daniel Craig

Stellar in all of QOS and NTTD. Still great in the others, but lacks charisma in some scenes.

2 George Lazenby

Very much like the Fleming Bond, and closest to Bond in real life. I found him to be perfect, but he gets pulled down a little from some strained line deliveries in a few scenes. He still beat out over 400 others in 1968, all with acting experience. What a legend.

1 Sean Connery

Still the golden standard, and for good reason. This one had it all, the looks, the moves, the presence and charisma. Plus an accomplished actor who handles any situation the right way.  Ubercool.

Connery and Dalton - cream of the crop, lightyears above the rest.

Brosnan and, well, I guess Lazenby, despite how awkward he is with swinging punches like a girl and not stepping into the boat in a very Bond like fashion.

Moore and Craig. I always detested Moore's take on Bond (wish he'd played it more like his intro in THE WILD GEESE), but honestly, compared to what we've gotten since 2006, Rog seems like a fairly safe choice.

Can’t believe I’ve not contributed here.




1. Connery and Brosnan
The most effortless of balances, from charm and sexual magnetism to comedic timing to ruthlessness and brutality, Bond is the role Connery and Brosnan were born to play.



2. Lazenby
They say good acting is good casting, and I firmly believe that’s the case here. Lazenby’s personality outside of Bond gives him an arrogance, thirst for life and brutality that gives him the edge of many other Bonds.

3. Moore / Dalton



Two actors with great screen presence. Their respective Bond characterisations on either end of the scale of light and dark. Moore is obviously brilliant with the lighter side of Bond, but I think he works well when playing the deadly side of the character too. He comes short when the script demands anything deeper than that, such as when Anya confronts him about her lover’s assassination. With Dalton, as deadly and emotionally charged as he is, there’s still something rather bookish and awkward about him, particularly in his interactions with his women.



Last: Daniel Craig
They say good acting is good casting... Ahem. That couldn’t be truer here. Craig is ok in other films, here he just falls flat. The pouting, the poor diction, the near-constant dourness. Physically too built for the role. Then the laughable outbursts of emotion (“TURN IT OFF! MADELINE - LOOK AT ME!”). It doesn’t help that the characterisation of his Bond in the writing is completely off.

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

I think Connery and Dalton are in their own category and I would rank them well ahead of the rest of the pack.
I like early Moore but he had gotten way too old for the part by the time he last played the role.
I probably like Lazenby more than most, though it's hard to judge how good a Bond he might have ended up being on just the one film.
I like Brosnan in Goldeneye. To a certain extent he was a victim of the very 1990s writing. And he definitely did one Bond film too many himself.
Craig is a fine actor, I just never thought he was a very convincing Bond. Also, it was very clear in his last two outings that he was so done with the character and had only returned for the very generous paychecks.