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Kerth
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Kerth
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I was watching a show on TV tonight and they were debating the actors that played the best James Bond. It was only between Roger Moore and Sean Connery and personally I think Connery not only was the original, but still the best, but what do you guys think? I've only put the names of the actors that we have seen to date. I don't think Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as Bond has been released yet so we can't make a judgement on him just yet.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt with the heart
Helen Keller
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Top Banana
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I voted for Sean Connery, even though I don't like the Bond movies. Like my sister, I think that James Bond is a "man ho."
My dad loves the movies though.
"You take turns, advise and protect one another, even heal or be healed when the going gets too tough. I know! That's not a game--that's friendship!" ~Shelly Mezzanoble, Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Game Darcy\'s Place
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Pierce Brosnan is delicious! He was born to play that role. It's too bad the producers of "Remington Steele" wouldn't let him out of his contract the first time around, but at least he eventually got his turn.
You can find my stories as Groobie on the nfic archives and Susan Young on the gfic archives. In other words, you know me as Groobie. 
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Top Banana
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Best Bond? Sam Neill, without question.  Reilly, Ace of Spies. The RL person on whom Ian Fleming modeled James Bond. c.
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't the first Bond movie Casino Royale? If it was, the first actor to play James Bond was David Niven, believe it or not.
Nan
Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Reilly, Ace of Spies. The RL person on whom Ian Fleming modeled James Bond. I found this interesting, Carol, because I'd always heard that Bond was inspired by Ian Fleming's own adventures working for British Intelligence - he was a pretty amazing character in RL himself, by all accounts. I don't know where I got that impression from, although it might have been from a biography of Fleming. Wherever it comes from, I read it many, many years ago, so the memory's hazy. Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the subject, which is quite fascinating: Since the fictional James Bond's creation, hundreds of reports by various news outlets have suggested names for Ian Fleming's inspiration of Bond. Usually these people have a background of some kind in espionage or other covert operations. Although some names share similarities with Bond, none have ever been confirmed by Fleming, Ian Fleming Publications or any of Ian Fleming's biographers such as Fleming's assistant and friend, John Pearson. Most researchers agree that James Bond is a highly romanticised version of Fleming himself; the author was known for his jetsetting lifestyle and reputation as a womaniser. Both, for the most part, went to the same schools, like the same foods (e.g., scrambled eggs), have the same habits (e.g., drinking and smoking), share the same view on women (e.g., how they should look and how they should dress), and have similar education and military careers both rising to the rank of Commander. Although the character of Bond is not known to be based on anyone but Fleming himself, the look of James Bond, famed for being "suave and sophisticated", is based on a young Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino Royale the character Vesper Lynd says of Bond, "He reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Other characteristics of Bond's look are said to be based on Fleming, such as his height, his hairstyle and his eye colour.
Fleming has, however, admitted to being inspired by true or partially-true events that took place during his career at the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. Most notably, and the basis for Casino Royale, was a trip to Lisbon that Fleming and the Director of Naval Intelligence, Admiral Godfrey, took during World War II en route to the United States. While there they went to the Estoril Casino in Estoril, which, due to the neutral status of Portugal had a number of spies of warring regimes present. Fleming claimed that while there he was cleaned out by a "chief German agent" at a table playing Chemin de Fer; however, Admiral Godfrey tells a different story, that Fleming only played Portuguese businessmen and that afterwards Ian had fantasised about them being German agents and the excitement of cleaning them out. If it was, the first actor to play James Bond was David Niven, believe it or not. Surprisingly enough - no. This was brought up in one of my favourite quiz shows recently - QI. And the answer was pretty surprising. It's quite amazing how far back it goes. Here are the details from Wikipedia: Barry Nelson portrayed Bond in an Americanised television episode adaptation of Casino Royale in 1954. Bob Holness portrayed James Bond in a 1956 South African radio adaptation of Moonraker. The Bob Holness thing is kind of amusing for those of us from the UK, because he's known mostly over here for being a somewhat bland TV quiz host.  So, Barry Nelson (who? <g>) was the first ever actor to portray Bond. You're right though, that David Niven was the third. All of which suggests I'm much more interested in Bond than I truly am. <g> I've never been that keen on the movies. Barring a somewhat uncharacteristic (and quite brief) fascination with The Spy Who Loved Me, which I trotted to the cinema to see 19 times when it was released. Don't ask me now what I saw in it then. These days, I just get mighty irritated with the whole 'disposable female' theme. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
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Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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David Niven in Casino Royale - best Bond movie, imo. Thanks for the reminder, Nan. Checked out ask.com and got a site (AllExperts -the internet is an amazing thing!) listing all the possible models for the Bond character. What, you said, Lab, as well as several others models, including Sidney Reilly who worked for British intelligence in the generation before Fleming. Also a Canadian, William Stephnson! Ian Fleming: "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is... William Stephenson" I am, of course, now signing on to this theory Also from the site: Many Ian Fleming biographers agree that James Bond is largely based on Fleming himself. So.... does this make James Bond a Mary Sue character???  c.
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Kerth
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Kerth
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All wrong on David Niven, I'm afraid - the first big-screen Bond movie was Doctor No in 1962, Niven's Casino Royale was actually 1967, after all of the Connery Bond movies. See this wikipedia page for the full story. It's complicated... I voted for Connery but it's a difficult choice - nearly all of them (even Lazenby) have their good points, Roger Moore is the weakest but even he had occasional good moments.
Marcus L. Rowland
Forgotten Futures, The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Roger Moore is the weakest but even he had occasional good moments. I'd have to disagree... Timothy Dalton lacked the panache the others had - he made James Bond into more of an action hero than a distinguished gentleman and that seriously didn't work for me *at all*. I had to pick Sean Connery, cause to me he's the ultimate Bond. My absolute favorite Bond flic is one with Roger Moore, though - Live and Let Die. Possibly because it's the first one I ever saw! But it looks like I'm not the only one who's enjoyed that one, judging by the data I've seen on Wikipedia... George Lazenby might have had potential, but imho the movie he was in wasn't brilliant and he lacked chemistry with his female counterpart. Roger Moore was OK, but what I remember most is that his flics had so many cool gadgets that Connery's didn't have that I tend to like them more for that than I do for the character. But Moore had his good moments, too. Pierce Brosnan... ahhhh! If there had been no Sean Connery, he'd be my first pick - I love how suave and sexy this guy is. As for the new guy, well, we'll see.
Superman: Why is it that good villains never die?
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=> Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
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Kerth
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Kerth
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The thing is that James Bond is someone who is capable of killing without hesitation, and should be genuinely scary occasionally. Roger Moore just isn't.
Marcus L. Rowland
Forgotten Futures, The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
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Top Banana
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I had to go with Sean Connery. He alone makes bad movies into good movies. Ok, maybe not all of them like that Highlander II movie and First Knight. Ugh. But he's the ultimate Bond. Pierce Brosnan can't be beat for the suave and debonair Bond, though. If I were to think about what Bond would look like, I'd probably have to picture Brosnan. Still Connery was the best.
-- Roger
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself." -- Benjamin Franklin
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Top Banana
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Here's my list: 1. Sean Connery (quintessential Bond: suave, cool, sardonic, good at the action bits, and Scottish - Bond was supposed to have some Scottish blood in him from, I think, his grandmother); 2. Pierce Brosnan (almost as good as Sean Connery, except he's not Scottish ); 3. Timothy Dalton (I liked his angst-filled rendition of Bond). Yvonne
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Well, David Niven notwithstanding, I vote for Sean Connery as the best Bond. To me, none of the other actors quite measured up.
Nan
Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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I really like Roger Moore, especially his smiles when he is up to something.
Pierce Brosnan is just as good (boy, does he look good *sigh*)
I like Timothy Dalton as well, but he's far better in "The Living Daylights" than in "License to kill".
So which of them do I prefer? Hard to tell.
It's never too dark to be cool. 
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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Okay, I think your preferences have a lot to do with who you first saw in the role, but for me there really is only one James Bond... Sean Connery. He was the perfect combination of suave sophisticate and tough guy.
Roger Moore will always be The Saint in my mind.
Lazenby was a stiff. I thought Timothy Dalton had the right 'look' to be Bond, but the writing in his movies was brutal. Pierce Brosden can do the sophistication, but there is no credibility in any physical fight scenes. He's a skinny dude that any normal Bond villian could break in half.
It will be interesting to see this new guy since essentially they are going back to the beginning with this Bond movie. A James Bond 'year one' as it were.
Tank (who can't quite accept a blonde Bond)
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Originally posted by Marcus Rowland:
All wrong on David Niven, I'm afraid - the first big-screen Bond movie was Doctor No in 1962, Niven's Casino Royale was actually 1967, after all of the Connery Bond movies. Sorry, I forgot Never Say Never Again, which was basically a Thunderball remake starring Connery, a long time after the early ones.
Marcus L. Rowland
Forgotten Futures, The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
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