James Bond Actor Rankings – Who Was the Best 007 Ever?

There are three ongoing debates in the James Bond realm; who will play the role next, who’s done it the best, and which film stands out as the top movie in the franchise.

I’m here to settle one of those debates with my James Bond actor rankings.

The rest is for a different day, but certainly they are conversations that need to happen. That said, many ponder over who the best James Bond of all-time is.

You really have to go back in time to properly analyze this debate. There have been seven James Bond actors to this point, with an eighth on the way in the very near future. Once we find out who it is, I’ll gladly update my James Bond rankings.

So, who owns the top spot? Let’s dissect – and rank – the best James Bond actors ever and see who is #1.

7. David Niven

Niven is basically an honorable mention when starting the James Bond ranking discussion. He appeared in one James Bond film (Casino Royale), and it didn’t go so well. The movie earned a 26% critics scores and just a 34% audience score at Rotten Tomatoes.

As you’d expect, Niven wasn’t able to carry one of three Casino Royale films on his own, as he never really fully “looked the part”.

It didn’t help that he was following in the footsteps of the much more cold and calculated Sean Connery (more on him in a bit).

Niven was oddly enough rumored to be Ian Fleming’s first choice to play the character (although so was Roger Moore), so at least he got to see what the could do with the role one time.

6. George Lazenby

Another very brief Bond rendition came thanks to Lazenby, whose only turn as 007 came in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Much like Niven, Lazenby did not have Connery’s edge. Instead, he offered a more vulnerable and emotional interpretation of the famous character.

To his credit, his performance was a breath of fresh air and arguably better than Niven’s. That, and his one stop in 007 territory produced a very good overall film (81% rating from the critics).

Lazenby did a solid job as Bond in his one try, and it’s worth arguing that he deserved more time in the role. That said, with just one movie under his belt, it’s impossible to rank him much higher in my James Bond actor rankings.

5. Timothy Dalton

Where Lazenby and Niven were a bit lighter and more cerebral, Dalton’s take on Bond was much harder and darker.

It was fun to get such an edgy Bond, with Dalton doing a fine job in two separate installments. Oddly enough, Dalton was in competition for the role with future Bond successor, Pierce Brosnan.

The latter couldn’t take the role due to contract issues, so we got two films with Dalton leading the charge.

Dalton was convincing enough, but many critics felt he played the role too dark and too seriously. Here’s what Raymond Benson had to say about the portrayal.

“[Dalton] purposely played Bond as as a ruthless and serious man with very little of the wit displayed by Connery, Lazenby, or Moore [and was] the most accurate and literal interpretation of the role [ever].”

Raymond Benson – James Bond Author

Strong words, to be sure.

Unsurprisingly, Dalton’s Bond was accepted, but not fully well received. As it turns out, you can’t just by Dirty Harry in this role. You need to be vulnerable and sport some unassuming charm, as well.

Dalton gave us a good Bond, but it doesn’t get him inside the top four of my James Bond rankings.

4. Roger Moore

Next up in my James Bond actor rankings is Roger Moore, who certainly gets an A+ in regards to longevity. Moore starred in an impressive seven James Bond films, starting with Live and Let Die in 1976, and ending with A View to a Kill in 1985.

Moore was known for his sharp wit and catchy one-liners, but some would argue he was borderline campy.

Still, Moore carried himself in a very regal way, was a convincing badass, and definitely played a hand in some of the more entertaining James Bond flicks.

Starring in seven films has to mean something, too.

Moore looked the part and got the job done well, and Hollywood kept bringing him back for more. He lacked the edge and grit of someone like Dalton, but his long tenure and affability give him a narrow edge in my James Bond rankings.

3. Pierce Brosnan

From here, everyone’s James Bond rankings are admittedly somewhat similar. You’re likely looking at the same three 007 actors, but the actual rank and reasoning may differ.

Could Pierce Brosnan be argued as the best James Bond ever? Sure, but much like Moore, he was probably victim of a more campy Bond franchise.

Even so, Brosnan knocked it out of the park in four trips around the world as Agent 007, starring in the iconic Goldeneye, where we first witnessed impeccable delivery of some trademark lines.

He later capped his Bond arc off in Die Another Day.

Brosnan made sense as Bond because he offered the total package. He had the wit, charm, and swagger of Roger Moore, but he was also still incredibly convincing in the clutch. Never quite as hard-edged as Dalton or as stoic as Daniel Craig, Brosnan may have given viewers the most balanced Bond of all-time.

Balance isn’t everything, of course.

Brosnan is undeniably one of the best James Bond actors, but he still lacked the extra “something” to push his performance in the lead role to the very top.

2. Sean Connery

Blasphemy! I am sure you can guess where this is going by now, but yes, the late great Sean Connery ranks second on my James Bond list.

It’s a bold claim, to be sure. Connery dominated this role for decades, getting his start as the original Bond in Dr. No back in 1962.

Connery ultimately appeared on screen in a James Bond feature seven different times.

In fact, Connery was so good as 007 that he twice came back to star as Bond after another actor had picked up the mantle.

Connery didn’t have the nasty edge of some of his Bond counterparts, but he certainly wasn’t a pushover and knew how to handle himself.

As far as being cool and collected and knowing how to get himself out of a jam – or into bed with a woman – he was as good as it gets. If you want to play it safe and roll with a legend that got this thing going, I won’t hold it against you for choosing Connery as the best Bond of all-time.

However, if we’re truly searching for the best Bond actor ever, he simply isn’t it.

1. Daniel Craig

Finally, we’ve arrived at the #1 James Bond actor of all-time. Of course, it’s just one writer’s opinion, and you can absolutely argue for Connery and perhaps even a different actor.

However, nobody offered the total package quite like Daniel Craig. In terms of action, delivery, and poise, he very well gave us the best portrayal ever, as well as the best installments of the franchise as a whole.

Craig took over as Bond for the first time in the unforgettable Casino Royale, giving us a positively dashing, brazen, and totally cool Bond.

When you think of a composed yet wild agent gone rogue, you think of Craig’s Bond. Equal parts sophisticated and brute, Craig added serious grit and badassery to a character that was already gushing with sex appeal and confidence.

In my opinion, it wasn’t until the dark and tormented Skyfall that we truly noticed what Craig’s Bond actually was; human.

Craig peeled back the layers while simultaneously reminding us that Bond is the greatest double agent ever conjured up by Hollywood.

He wasn’t a traditional Bond, and perhaps that’s what brought his take to the top for me. He still had the presence of who Bond was supposed to be, while injecting legit flavor and personality to the role.

Who Was the Best James Bond of All-Time?

There you have it; my top 7 James Bond actors ever. You can disagree with my James Bond rankings, but I don’t know if you can argue the top four.

I’d even go as far as to say the top two are borderline interchangeable.

Craig and Connery were extremely different.
Where you put them as 1A and 1B is up to you, but they’re above the other James Bond actors, and it’s really not all that close.

Of course, it’s worth wondering who will play James Bond next, or even who could have in the past. This is surprisingly among the top movie roles Hugh Jackman has turned down, after all.

Whatever other actors could have been 007, and who will be 007 in the future? Those are conversations for another day, of course.

For now, you can slam or applaud my James Bond actor rankings in the comments below!