Simon Wade
AFTER five outings in the James Bond franchise, Daniel Craig is eventually revoking his license to kill.
As fans and critics alike ponder on who might replace Craig as 007 after the eagerly-awaited release of “No Time To Die”, it’s time to look back on previous Bond’s and reflect.
Each previous actor has put their own unique spin on the character, but which of them really managed to steal audiences’ hearts?
Findings compiled by Neil Dutta of Angelic Diamonds can now reveal our most beloved Bond of all time is one-time Marbella resident, Sean Connery.
Research from data compiled from monthly Google searches, Instagram hashtags, and Wikipedia page visits revealed the controversial Scotsman to be top.
Before his passing in October 2020, Connery had long since moved to the Bahamas, but was well-remembered during his time on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
Fond for his love of golf in and around Marbella, Connery eventually left Spain in the 1990s, dismayed at the number of new properties being built in the area.
He famously quipped, “These people are not going to see me in my underpants, I am leaving Marbella.”
After his departure, the legacy of an alleged tax fraud and property planning scandal remained, but this was dropped in 2014.
With the affable Scot ‘top of the pops’, where else did the other Bond actors appear on the Favourite Bond charts?
Seventh place: George Lazenby
His very first acting role was as James Bond, and critics are happy to say it shows.
The public also voted the Australian as the least-liked of all “proper” Bonds, after “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969).
With the fewest Wikipedia page visits out of all the Bond actors, this is reflected by the fact that Lazenby hasn’t starred in any films of note during the following five decades.
Most of his success has come from bit parts in TV dramas and the soft-porn ‘Emmanuelle’ movie series of the 1990s.
Sixth place: David Niven
His only appearance as “007” was in the spoof film, “Casino Royale” (1967).
Interestingly, this year’s “No Time to Die” centres around a similar storyline, with an ageing Bond coming out of retirement.
Fifth place: Timothy Dalton
Dalton starred in only two Bond films, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989). Despite this, many fans contend that his portrayal of “007” was the truest to the character from the original Ian Fleming novels.
Fourth place: Roger Moore
Now considered an acting legend after his passing in 2017, Moore starred in seven epic Bond films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.
Favourites include “Live and Let Die” (1973), “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), and “Moonraker” (1979).
He was beloved by fans for bringing humour to the role and putting his own twist on the character – for example, his Bond never actually ordered the famous martini!
Third place: Pierce Brosnan
Brosnan starred in four James Bond films from the mid-nineties through to the new millennium, including “GoldenEye” (1995) and “Die Another Day” (2002)
Famous for his suave and sophisticated style and his witty one-liners, Brosnan is considered to be up there with the best of Bond.
Second place: Daniel Craig
Blonde-haired Craig is certainly the actor that brought a gritty honest reality to the role, making the modern-day Bond role his own.
Movie website, IMDb, shows that his films rate very highly among film fans.
His first outing, “Casino Royale” (2006) is awarded the most stars (eight out of ten), with “Skyfall” (2012) getting 7.7, equal with Sean Connery’s “Goldfinger” (1964)
First place: Sean Connery
Taking the top spot and proving to be the nation’s favourite James Bond of all time, we have Sean Connery.
The star of “Dr. No” (1962), “From Russia with Love” (1963), and five other classic Bond titles, Connery has 450,000 average monthly Google searches, 304,000 hashtags on Instagram, and over 29 million Wikipedia page visits, awarding him first place in the rankings.
Researcher Neil Dutta says, “Full of charm and charisma, Sean Connery certainly set the standard for how this iconic character should be portrayed.”
Questioning, “Who will be next to step into 007’s shoes? Will they showcase the charisma of Connery, the grit of Craig, the wit of Brosnan, or will they bring something fresh and exciting to the role?”
OLIVE PRESS OPINION: This writer would champion a whole new change for the next “007”. New style, new attitude, new sex. My vote would go for the star of BBC’s Killing Eve, Jodie Comer.
READ MORE:
– BREAKING: James Bond legend Sir Sean Connery who lived for 20 years on Spain’s Costa del Sol has died
– Sean Connery’s widow and the ‘nonsense’ claims of Costa del Sol property fraud
– Salute to Sir Sean: Connery was central figure to expats on the Costa del Sol
