All 8 James Bond Actors, Ranked by Number of Movies

With how long the franchise has been running, the movies can't keep recycling the same actor for the same role. It's been on for numerous decades, and people age or have other commitments, which means sometimes, the actor has to be recast. Some last a long time in the role, some have only appeared once. This is the definitive ranking of every actor to play James Bond, ranked by how many films they starred in.

Barry Nelson

Film Count: 1

Prior to the release of the Eon/MGM films that are widely regarded as the canon movies, there was a 50s TV adaptation of Sir Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. This short bond movie is less than an hour in length, and stars American actor Barry Nelson in the role. This made Barry Nelson the first to ever play James Bond, even if it wasn't in an Eon film.

This film came out in 1954, and was completely in black-and-white. But of course, with it being a TV film, not many people know it exists, and it mostly flies under the radar. Truth be told, it's just not a very notable film. It also doesn't really capture the feel of the character very well. In any event, the showrunners worked with what they had, which led to a product of mixed results.

David Niven

Film Count: 1

1967 saw the release of a second adaptation of Casino Royale, once again, a non-Eon film. It seems that other film companies were trying to cash in on the success of the recently-released Bond franchise. What results though is quite the travesty. This adaptation tried to take a more comedic route, and it suffers tremendously for it.

It stars David Niven, who not only doesn't look the part of James Bond, but doesn't act in the role very well, either. It's not clear what the filmmakers of this one were really thinking, but it's a darn good thing it doesn't fit into the canon established by Eon, because this one-off film is definitely an odd duck. It's not that David Niven is a bad actor, it's just that he shouldn't have been given this role.

George Lazenby

Film Count: 1

Australian actor George Lazenby only appeared in one Eon film as the world's greatest superspy, starring in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He is often cited as the worst Bond actor, but maybe he just didn't really have enough time to show off his acting chops. He was, after all, only given one movie. To be honest, both him and the movie are severely underrated, and desperately deserve some more love.

The one film Lazenby stars in is one of the most emotional installments in the classic Bond franchise. It's also the one that connects all the other films together, making it a really important film in the Eon series. While many tend to overlook Lazenby, his performance is a crucial one. On top of that, he had some big shoes to fill since he was preceded by Sir Sean Connery, so it was kind of hard to live up to the hype. In the end though, he does a fantastic job, and the world deserved to see more of him in the role.

Timothy Dalton

Film Count: 2

Timothy Dalton's time as James Bond is kind of a strange place in the Eon films, which is often overlooked or forgotten about. It's not that his two films are bad, it's just that, for whatever reason, they're not very popular. He began with 1987's The Living Daylights, and followed up with 1989's Licence to Kill, but this would mark the end of his very short tenure as James Bond due to some internal issues with Eon themselves.

See, in the late 80s and early 90s, MGM and Eon were locked in a legal battle over distribution rights for the Bond franchise. By the time the case had been settled, Dalton's contract had expired. This meant that they had to bring in a new actor, or get Dalton to renew his contract. However, Eon wanted Dalton to commit to four or five additional films to make up for the long hiatus, which Dalton, understandably, didn't want to do. While his run as Bond may have been cut short, his era is criminally underrated.

Pierce Brosnan

Film Count: 4

Irish actor Pierce Brosnan has a complex legacy for his role of James Bond. On the one hand, he had quite possibly the most explosive entry into the series ever with 1995's GoldenEye, one of the greatest spy-action movies of the decade. But on the other hand, the other three Bond movies he starred in failed to live up to the expectations of the fans, and let a lot of people down. Brosnan's departure from the role after Die Another Day made it abundantly clear that the classic era of Bond was over, and the series was in desperate need of a change.

That said, Brosnan does do a good job in the role. Even though he isn't English, he still manages to capture James Bond's signature British humour and manners, as well as his love for England and his effortless suave. Unfortunately, the negative reception to the three films that came after GoldenEye kind of chased him out of the role, which is understandable. Still, he is a memorable actor to play the role, and for many nostalgic fans, the first they ever saw.

Daniel Craig

Film Count: 5

Daniel Craig serves as the most recent actor to play James Bond, though he has announced he will be retiring the role after 2021's No Time to Die. To be fair, the ending of the film made it pretty apparent that this would be a definitive conclusion to Craig's chapter of the story. Craig made his debut in the role with Casino Royale in 2006, which made for a more serious and gritty entry in the series, almost like a soft reboot.

The rest of Craig's films were up and down. Some, like Skyfall, were absolutely terrific, while other, like Spectre, left much to be desired. For many of today's youth, Daniel Craig is the James Bond actor. Even though he isn't the original, he was the first to introduce a much-needed overhaul of the franchise's style, and he excelled in the role, no matter the quality of the film itself.

Sir Sean Connery

Film Count: 6 (Eon) + 1 (Non-Eon)

Sir Sean Connery was the first actor to take on the role of James Bond in 1962's Dr. No. Despite being the most legendary actor to have the role, and the one that is most commonly associated with the role, it wasn't a part that he particularly liked playing. He did five films with Eon before leaving, paving the way for George Lazenby to come in. Sir Connery returned soon after, though, doing one last Eon film in 1971.

However, Sir Connery did once again appear in the role in Never Say Never Again, a non-Eon film about an aging James Bond. Which was pretty fitting considering that Sir Connery was also getting into his middle years. Decades after he last played the role, and years after his death, Sir Connery's legacy remains strong, with him still being the ultimate bond actor, appearing in some of the franchise's finest films.

Sir Roger Moore

Film Count: 7

Sir Roger Moore stands strong as the actor to star in the most Bond films, at a whopping seven titles. He first emerged into the role with 1973's Live and Let Die, hot on the heels of Sir Sean Connery. While, like George Lazenby, Sir Moore had a major role to fill, he managed to fulfill all expectations and become one of the actors that became synonymous with the role. Unfortunately, most of Sir Moore's films are kind of meh, with only a couple of good ones.

He left the role with 1985's A View to a Kill, but soon felt he was getting too old for such a demanding and intense role. Sir Moore's era remains arguably the campiest part of the James Bond franchise, with lots of 70s and 80s cheese and over-the-top situations, but Sir Moore owns it like the trooper he is. Though Sir Roger Moore passed away some time ago, his long run as the world's greatest superspy remains the defining role of his career.