Rank the actors

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  • Posts: 251
    "2) Brosnan. Not a popular choice around here, but I find his take on Bond supremely cool and convincing. Played a big part in bringing the masses back to Bond, no bad thing".

    Shoreline, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship :) I just checked out your rankings....right on the money!

    :-D
  • edited May 2011 Posts: 4,622
    I've agonized over this ranking off and on for many years, and now I think I finally have peace with the matter. After having spent the last month or so meditating on what might be the appropriate criteria, I have determined that the most important factor, beyond having the proper look, is that the actor absolutely must be credible as a deadly agent.
    Thus, as much as I like the Rog movies, Rog never quite cut it as a deadly agent. I must even rank Pierce ahead of the Rog. Brozzer barely registers on the scary scale either, but he moves a little better than Rog, but not by much. In a perfect world, Rog and Broz don't even pass the audition and neither does Craig for not having the right look.
    So here now are the authoritative rankings, which I will take to the grave.

    1. Sean, perfect in all respects. The gold standard by which the others are compared.
    2. George. Very near perfect and of the successors - by far the closest to the gold standard. In fact he's the only one that is close.

    Big dropoff to #'s 3 and 4. In fact only Sean and George are really worthy Bonds. The other 4 all suffer from glaring deficiencies.

    3. Blue speedo. Doesn't look the part and never will, plus he reveled in all the pc tripe that tainted his films( very embarassing), but he's believable as a danger man, licensed to kill, so at least there is that vital quality in place, hence his top status among the deficient Bonds.

    4. Dalts. Far too emotional but he's got the look, even with the dorky 80's hair style and he's tough enough. He could be worthy of Sean and George level status if he had paid more attention to how Sean played the character. Such a waste.

    5. Brozzer. A terrible Bond. He does have the right look but that's about it.

    6. Rog looked great as Bond but moved like an ox. Bond does not move like an ox. Even Brozzer moved better, stutter stepping aside.


    Conclusion. For the authentic Bond cinema experience, watch any of the first 7 films.
    The rest rank as excellent Bond entertainment, (some moreso than others) but minus the authentic Bond. Again, the authentic Bond being Sean or as near as other actors can find their own Seanness. Being under 40 helps a lot too, not being hampered by middle aged lack of athleticism and general reduced physical vitality.
    But there is hope. This series is not going away. It will likely outlive us all. There may yet be another Sean/George worthy Bond in the future!
  • 1) Sean Connery
    2) Timothy Dalton
    3) Roger Moore
    4) Pierce Brosnan
    5) Daniel Craig
    6) George Lazenby
  • 1) Pierce Brosnan
    2) Sean Connery
    3) Roger Moore
    4) Timothy Dalton
    5) George Lazenby
    6) Daniel Craig
  • 1. SC
    2. TD
    3. DC
    4. PB
    5. GL
    6. RM
  • Posts: 4,762
    1. Roger Moore
    2. Pierce Brosnan
    3. Sean Connery
    4. Timothy Dalton
    5. Daniel Craig
    6. George Lazenby
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    1. Roger Moore
    You are named member of the month !! :-bd
  • Posts: 4,762
    @DaltonCraig007: Thanks man! We Roger Moore fans have to stick together!
  • edited September 2011 Posts: 165
    1. Connery.
    Has to be really.

    2. Brosnan
    Revitalised the series with a magnificent portrayal in GE. Such a pity his reign ended on such a weak movie, but the same can be said for Connery

    3. Craig
    Closest to Connery we've been. Another who made a magnificent 007 debut.

    4. Lazenby
    Simply because OHMSS was a near perfect movie and he achieved the impossible by sandwiching Connery and more than held his own. Real pity he didn't get another go at it.

    5. Dalton
    Embraced the role respectfully and returned JB from the slapstic nonsense that preceeded him. An era that could have been stronger had it not been for the legal eagles

    6. Moore
    Managed to make 2 worse films than DAF back to back. Repaired some of the early damage with TSWLM, FYEO & OP but should never be forgiven for the Barbara Woodhouse "sit" in the latter. AVTAK was a fitting end to a dreadful period.
  • 1. Roger Moore - Does it for me, unflappable, brilliant with a one liner but fantastic in dramtic scenes.

    2. Sean Connery - the original favoured by most of course with good reason, I just prefer Moore for some reason!

    3. Timothy Dalton - I like Dalton, not everyones cup of tea but I would have like to haves seen more of him in the role.

    4. Pierce Brosnan - not bad or great just mid table, easy to watch and looked the part, I have no problem with him in the role, maybe brought a bit of a wet blanket element to Bond.

    5. Daniel Craig - clearly enjoyed by the masses and hard core fans, doesn't really do it for me, I prefere Dalton as a more serious Bond but again i don't hate him, I just find the films to be generic action films lacking that old flair.

    6. George Lazenby - only did one film, performed ok but not really a strong enough prescene but really it's hard to judge him on one film so this is a bit unfair.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    1. Roger Moore - Does it for me, unflappable, brilliant with a one liner but fantastic in dramtic scenes.
    =D>
  • moore he was the best
    connery
    brosnan
    daulton
    lazemby
  • 1. Connery, Dalton, Craig (tie)
    2. Brosnan
    3. Moore
    4. Lazenby
  • Posts: 1,310
    Before I move on, I would like to say that I do not dislike any Bond, rather I prefer ones to others...ALL of the actors who have portrayed Bond have had at least one good performance. (In my opinion, of course.)

    1. Sean Connery - Naturally. So much so that I even prefer DAF and YOLT Connery to some other Bond performances.

    2. Daniel Craig - I did have some reservations when he was cast, and Casino Royale proved me wrong. Great physicality, great acting, a great Bond. (And he was easily the best part of QOS.)

    3. Timothy Dalton - While he does occasionally balk at a one liner, Dalton's intense Bond is underrated by the masses. It's a shame the public didn't like him too much.

    4. Pierce Brosnan - Like him or not, I think he made Bond financially successful again. GoldenEye was his best film, but worst performance. The problem is that as Brosnan got better in the role, his films got worse.

    5. George Lazenby - Perhaps it is unfair to put George so low, but solely based on one performance, he comes in at number five. I don't care for some of his line delivery (including his very first line), but his final scene is one of the most powerful performances in a Bond film.

    6. Roger Moore - He was for sure a departure from Connery, and perhaps the reason I rank Moore last is because of his obvious lack of physicality to the role. Not many of the Moore fights were believable to say the least. However, he eluded class and charm, and that cannot be overlooked.

    Once again, I do not hold any of the Bond actors in negative light, I feel that all of them have been good to a certain point.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Good points- and I won't shoot you down; we're all friends here!

    But this is one reason I think it may have been beneficial that Brosnan took over after Moore- THEN Dalton came in (in other words, GoldenEye could be his first movie)
    Moore to Brosnan to Dalton would have been a much easier transition- then the public would have been ready for a darker Bond. It makes perfect sense when you think about it-- in the 80's most (not all) people weren't too fond of Dalton, and only now does he have a rapidly growing fan base.
    Maybe you're right but guess what, we'd be having the same arguments and throwing the same points around if it were that way. We'd be talking about if only Brosnan did more films, especially even more so as he's younger than Dalton. So technically it doesn't maKe a whole lot of difference.
  • I always thought Dalton was #1 and he was the closest to Ian Flemings original character, maybe he seemed so good after being introduced after the latter years of some lame Moore efforts or poor attempts at humor especially in Octopussy and A View To A Kill, maybe if he had got the role in 1969 instead of Lazenby and following on from Connery it may would of been different, different age of course but I'm sticking with his 1987 debut and subsequent appearance. I've always thought Tim the best 007 and I ain't gonna change now.

    Really has to be Connery in second place, I watched FRWL and Dr No again in the last few weeks and the Scotsman really did look the part, he looks great dressed up, and can go from serious to playful with some ease, it's a shame it's generally said that Connery just lost the enthusiasm after Thunderball, but it does appear that way and he did resign from the role during the following production, If the Prize of Greatest James Bond had been only Connery in his first three or four films he would of waltzed off with the prize but sadly You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever leaves me (and others) with a less than favorable impression. I can appreciate most people have Connery as their #1 but for me Sean, you can make do with second place

    Moore I think at 3rd, OK, sometimes it was a bit of a bumpy ride, some clowning around that would of made Fleming spin like a top, but I do enjoy his participations for the most part, and it has been showed on more than one occasion that he can take the role seriously, all said Moore does make for a genuinely believable Bond but it's true he should of quit the role after FYEO.

    Lazenby for his one appearance, did not too bad, maybe if he had done further pictures the Australian could of merited a higher standing, but for his lone appearance I put him in 4th place, of course James Bond 007 shouldn't be Australian, but you never think about that when watching his film, I would of liked to have seen him in more than one feature, I think it was his agent that persuaded him to 'step down'

    Something doesn't sit right with Brosnan, too Americanized, smarmy, something along those lines, he doesn't really fit in as Bond, Granted, Goldeneye was a good film, and at times he seems tailor made for the part but on the whole of it the Irishman gets a ranking one off the bottom , I can't quite put my finger on it but this Bond wasn't all that appealing or believable.

    and that only leaves us with Craig. Right off the bat I can't really welcome a blond haired Bond with blue eyes that has the appearance of a WWE wrestler, and let's not forget that QOS was for me at least, hardly oscar nomination material, and said it before you can't have Bond leaping around from tall buildings and doing wild stunts, I guess because it was 2008 that audiences forget about the past and we have to go along with what we see. Actually there were times when Craig did seem the part, cold, calculating and dedicated to the mission, a damn good attempt at the Fleming character even, but for me, the negatives outweigh the positives by some measure so Mr Craig can occupy last place.


    And that's that :-|
  • Posts: 2,107
    Haven't seen all the films in a while, so I just throw these out of the hat.

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

    Moore was better as Simon Templar and Lord Brett Sinclair. From all of these actors, he seems the most likable person. Connery and Craig both have a similar way to carry themselves, Dalton was nearest to Fleming's Bond. Brosnan was perhaps too smarmy and Lazenby I didn't get to see that much of.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    That's a good point about Brosnan. Over the weekend I watched all 4 of his Bond movies and I think a glaring problem with Brosnan when compared to the other 5 is, he comes off as the least British. There's just something about his voice, mannerisms and overall demeanour that just doesn't scream British to me.

    As for Connery, I'm a bit perplexed by some of the logic that stops him being a number of people's number 1 because of his last 2 EON efforts, when the first 4 are so highly praised. Surely, Connery's first 4 movies beats that of any other Bond actor. Laz did 1, Moore did 7 and I don't think he had close to 4 hot films with brilliant performances, Dalton did 2, Brosnan did 4 and we all know what his era was like and Craig thus far has only done 2. Going by the excellent 4 performances of Connery surely that should fundamentally rank him numero uno?
  • edited September 2011 Posts: 1,497
    Rethinking this question, I'm almost tempted to rank them at least all on the same level. Each of actors brought something impressive to the table. Connery is my favorite portrayal, yet there are areas that others did better: Lazenby in the action and for his youthfulness, Moore for comedy and romance, Dalts for being more dark and brooding and Fleminesque, and Brosnan for looking the best in a suit.

    There hasn't been one actor who really missed the mark in my mind. Brosnan, despite having weaker scripts and production, looked and acted the part well enough for him to convince me that he was Bond.
  • Rethinking this question, I'm almost to tempted to rank them at least all on the same level. Each of actors brought something impressive to the table. Connery is my favorite portrayal, yet there are areas that others did better: Lazenby in the action and for his youthfulness, Moore for comedy and romance, Dalts for being more dark and brooding and Fleminesque, and Brosnan for looking the best in a suit.

    There hasn't been one actor who really missed the mark in my mind. Brosnan, despite having weaker scripts and production, looked and acted the part well enough for him to convince me that he was Bond.
    Agreed. I've been staying away from this thread because I honestly don't know how to rank them. I do like each and every one of them in a different way and so it's incredibly hard to come up with a clear ranking. I'f i'd have to do it tho, this is my current on the spot thoughts:

    1.Moore
    2.Dalton
    3.Connery
    4.Craig
    5.Brosnan
    6.Lazenby
  • Posts: 2,107
    I have to be honest about something. When for example I have a Moore-a-thon, I tend to think he's my favorite. Or if I'm watching the two Dalton flicks, I tend to think he's my favorite. So overall I also have the actors in same line. When I think outside of the movies, meaning when I haven't watched some of them in a while, I tend to rank Connery, Craig and Moore at the top. But this was just kind of throwing names out of the hat situation based on my most resent feeling.

    I will probably have a Mooregasm when I watch the Moore films again :p
  • edited December 2011 Posts: 11,425
    1. Connery - you just can't fault him although he shouldn't have bothered with Diamonds are Forever
    2. Moore - timeless class; fantastic voice; humour and gravitas rolled into one
    3. Dalton - underrated, underrated, underrated
    4. Craig - not bad but has still not fully proved himself in my opinion; touch boring perhaps and also brings out the bullying aspects of Bond without demonstrating the charm - without the latter, Bond is simply a tw*t
    5. Lazenby - nice little movie and George does most things right, but no one was very sorry to see him go


    6. Brosnan - dear oh dear; least said the better

    Looks like we're on something of a downward trajectory...
  • 1 CRAIG 2 SIR SEAN 3 GEORGE 4 TIM 5 BROZER 6 THE CLOWN
  • Posts: 4,762
    craigrules wrote:
    1 CRAIG 2 SIR SEAN 3 GEORGE 4 TIM 5 BROZER 6 THE CLOWN

    Woah, woah, woah! Hold on a minute! Lazenby before Moore? We've got a problem here! Hahaha, I'm just kidding, whoever you rank is fine with me. I'm a Roger fan, so this is a bit surprising!
  • edited December 2011 Posts: 12,837
    1- timothy dalton. He was closest to flemmings bond than connery or craig could even dream of being. He was a cold dark killer, the ultimate 007, shame he only did 2

    2- sean connery/pierce brosnan. Connery, in alot of ways, WAS james bond. He was the template, his films set up the whole idea of a classic bond film. And brosnan was awesome. He could be killing baddies and letting out cheesy one liners one minute then being cold, dark and deadly the next.

    3- daniel craig. Depending on how skyfall is, he could be my fave by the end of 2012. Craigs extreme attitude is great, he's a great actor and CR was one of the best bond films in the series (QOS was pretty crap though). One thing I don't think is fair though is tons of people say craig is better than brosnan when craig had the advantage of starring in a great film like CR. If brosnan had CR for his debut, then im sure everybody would consider him the best.

    4- roger moore. Roger moore isn't a bad james bond, no matter what you lot say. He had a different aproach on the part, which is important because if all the bonds tried to stay close to flemming then we would have no variety. Moore had lots of classic moments, memorable villians and great action sequences in his films. His one liners were quick and delivered perfectly, he wasn't half as bad fighting as some of you make out, he was great.

    5- george lasenby. Poor guy, its nothing personal, I liked OHMSS and thought he made a good bond, but he only did one film and he wasn't a brilliant actor was he. If he'd stuck around and done afew more, he would've grown as an actor and I'd like him better, and im sure he'd probably be higher up.
  • 1) Lazenby
    2) Craig
    3) Connery

    4) Moore


    5) Dalton





    6) Brosnan
  • Posts: 2,341
    1. Connery
    2. (tie) Lazenby, Dalton, Craig
    3. Moore
    4. Brosnan
  • Posts: 4,762
    1. Roger Moore
    2. Pierce Brosnan
    3. Sean Connery
    4. Timothy Dalton
    5. Daniel Craig
    6. George Lazenby
  • 1. Connery- The first and the best. He really had it all. The charm, the quick remarks, and he looked like a man who could himself in a fight.
    2. Dalton- I really admire the passion he put into the two films he did. I know alot of people are saying he wasn't charming, but I must humbly disagree. I found Dalton very charming, but also someone who played the role of an aging agent who may have just had enough of MI6 perfectly. I wish there wasn't that legal dispute so he could have done more.
    3. Moore- Old Roger was too over the top at times, but he did pla the role of menacing agent well when it was rarely given to him. Yes he should have stopped two or three films before he did, but all his films have some sort of funny charm to them that he defintely contributes to.
    4. Craig- He's an interesting guy. He plays the role with the intensity of Dalton, but his charm just isn't there to me. He looks and plays the role of budding agent well, and I can't wait to see what he does with Skyfall.
    5. Remington Steele- Brosnan pretty much epitomized his decade. Alot of flash and a lacking story. His charm wasn't as top noch for me, and he looked like he lose in a fight. He still put together some good moments in what was one of the lower points of the series.
    6. Lazenby- George deserved another movie. His acting was nothing special, and it showed, but he was physical. Also it's hard to make an impression on just one film. If he did two or three he probably be higher.
  • SAMSAM
    Posts: 107
    Timothy Dalton: A fine acting talent that is no question underated

    Daniel Craig: Obviously a talented actor - best when portraying gritty serious roles (which I prefer)

    Roger Moore: A pleasure to watch on screen - always entertaining though no Robert DeNiro (Convingly act across the board regardless of genre and character). Moore is best with light hearted action and so forth.

    Sean Connery: A good actor though perhaps a little overrated (he installs his strong Scottish accent regardless of film role - This can break character i.e. Scottish accent playing some Spanish fella in Highlander (poor film incidently)

    George Lazenby: Based on one viewed performance - a degree of acting talent; though a fine James Bond

    Pierce Brosnan: quite simply, this individual cannot act - period !!!
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