Summary

• Daniel Craig has had the longest tenure as James Bond, spanning from 2006 to 2021, and is credited with rejuvenating the franchise with a grittier and more realistic approach.
• Sean Connery defined the role of James Bond and originated the character on the big screen, playing him in the first five films. He returned for a sixth film and shares the top spot with his most prolific successor.
• Roger Moore had a great run as James Bond from 1973 to 1985, appearing in seven films. He brought a breezy and playboy adventurer attitude to the role, making his Bond particularly distinctive.

With No Time to Die, Daniel Craig officially bowed out as James Bond, leaving the franchise to face the inevitable task of selecting a new actor for the role. It's become a ritualistic part of 007, almost as much as the Q-branch gadgets and the villains' secret lairs. Unlike other long-standing franchises, such as Star Trek and Star Wars, Bond is centered around an individual. Recasting for a new James Bond actor is necessary, allowing the character to be reinvented for changing times.

The six actors to play the role have a mixed track record for longevity, and even the series stalwarts grew weary after a time. But which actor has played 007 in the most films?

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on January 23, 2024: The search is still on for the next actor to take on the iconic role of James Bond. Fans are looking back on the actors who have gone before as they anxiously await news on who will be the next 007.

George Lazenby Was A One-Off Bond

Lazenby made only one turn as Bond in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released after Sean Connery departed the role. According to Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang! The Unofficial James Bond Film Companion, the producers wanted Roger Moore to replace Connery, but the war in Cambodia forced a change in plans. Moore took the lead in the TV series The Saint, and the 007 role went to Lazenby.

The actor couldn't match his predecessor's onscreen presence, and while the film itself scored high marks overall, the producers convinced Connery to return for the next outing. Lazenby's tenure as James Bond therefore becomes the shortest of any Bond actor, a mere footnote in the longer history of the franchise.

Timothy Dalton Had Two Great James Bond Films

Dalton fared better than Lazenby in the eyes of Bond fans over time, though it took a while to get there. Although it almost went to Jurassic Park's Sam Neill, Dalton was originally brought on in lieu of Pierce Brosnan, whom fans considered the natural heir to Roger Moore following the success of his TV show Remington Steele. According to the director's commentary on The Living Daylights DVD, NBC spiked the deal that would have made Brosnan the new 007. Dalton was brought in to replace him and initially earned the scorn of fans in response.

The box office failure of his second film, 1989's License to Kill, ended his brief run and put the whole series in limbo for a few years. Fans have subsequently warmed to his comparatively gritty and straightforward take on the character, leaving his turn well-regarded, however brief.

Pierce Brosnan Was The Bond Of The 90s And 2000s

Despite a comparatively lengthy stint in the role, Brosnan suffered from a lack of strong scripts, as well as poor timing that found the franchise searching for a new direction following the end of the Cold War. While the actor proved more than game, the films fell into a bit of a rut, seeking new ways to reinvigorate the formula without taking any appreciable risks.

1995's GoldenEye brought new energy after a six-year hiatus, and Brosnan was able to carry that for three more films -- aided most notably by Judi Dench, who made her debut as M in the Brosnan era. But by the time 2002's Die Another Day delivered an ice fortress and an invisible car, it was clear that the actor's fourth movie would be his last.

Daniel Craig Had The Longest Tenure As James Bond

Craig has been credited with bringing about a renaissance for 007, returning him to the lean espionage storytelling of his roots and abandoning the more outlandish side of the character in favor of 21st-century grit. The high-tech gadgets were gone, replaced by a figure who acted more like a government-licensed hitman than a secret agent. The approach shook the franchise out of the rut it had been in for over a decade, and while his overall track record is hit or miss, two of Craig's films -- 2006's Casino Royale and 2013's Skyfall -- rank among the very best in the franchise.

Sean Connery Defined The Role Of James Bond

Connery is first among equals with James Bond actors, not only because he originated the character on the big screen but because he cemented the image of 007 in the public's eye. He played the role for the first five 007 movies before departing, citing increasing frustration with the franchise's production. After Lazenby's outing, he was lured back a sixth time in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever.

Connery was 41 at the time and beginning to show his age. In other circumstances, it might have been his last outing, leaving Moore with the top spot alone. He returned a final time, however, in the "rogue" Bond picture Never Say Never Again in 1983, produced outside the purveyance of Albert L. Broccoli and competing with Moore's Octopussy, released earlier that year. It nudged his final count up enough to share the top spot with his most prolific successor.

Roger Moore Had A Great Run As James Bond

Moore took over the role in 1973's Live and Let Die and brought with him a breezy, devil-may-care attitude that matched the zeitgeist of the era well. Over the next 12 years, he appeared in six more films, turning Bond into a playboy adventurer as much as a hardened secret agent. The gadgets became wilder and the plots more arch and knowing, though the actor found his share of grittier outings as well.

The approach made his Bond particularly distinctive, and while he lacks the pedigree of Connery or Craig, his stint in the role is embraced by James Bond fans. He's also the de facto winner of the list, with Connery's seventh film coming outside the "official" 007 franchise, making him the most successful James Bond actor. Moore's final turn came at a cost, however. 1985's A View to a Kill was a box office dud, and the aging actor was no longer convincing in the role he has still played more than anyone else thus far.