The most recent James Bond era draws to a close this week with the long-awaited release of No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007—for real this time, he swears! It’s as yet unclear who will inherit the superspy’s Aston Martin, but we do know one thing for sure: When all is said and done, Craig was the best Bond in M16 history. Unless, that is, Sean Connery was actually better. Or Roger Moore. Or…George Lazenby?
To mark the end of Craig’s run, six different V.F. writers make the case for why each of the half-dozen men who have played Bond onscreen in official Bond franchise films—sorry, David Niven—deserves to be named the ultimate iteration of 007. Consider their takes a jumping-off point for your own impassioned James Bond arguments—made, preferably, with a martini in one hand and a watch that’s also a gun in the other. Cheers!
Sean Connery
Yes, Bond creator Ian Fleming initially took umbrage with his beloved character being played by an “overdeveloped stuntman.” But Dr. No director Terence Young gave Connery, then a little-known Scottish actor and former bodybuilder, a crash course in refinement—teaching him how to walk, talk, and even eat with panache. The first onscreen Bond’s sex appeal and charisma, however, were innate. For proof, look no further than the character’s cigarette-aided introduction in the 1962 film.
The performance was so mesmerizing that, in addition to launching Connery’s career, it launched a film franchise that would eventually collect $6.89 billion globally across 59 years, 24 movies, and six leading men. Even Fleming came around to Connery after Dr. No’s smash success—incorporating the actor’s Scottish heritage into future Bond books.
It’s no coincidence that many of Connery’s Bond titles are regularly cited as the franchise’s best—1963’s From Russia With Love, 1964’s Goldfinger, 1965’s Thunderball, and 1967’s You Only Live Twice. But the actor’s Bond was so irresistibly popular that twice, after attempting to pass the Bond baton—to George Lazenby and Roger Moore—Connery was called back for 007 duty in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever and 1983’s Never Say Never Again, sequential casting logic be damned. —Julie Miller
George Lazenby
Lazenby’s one-off run at the Bond character is often maligned. He’s Australian; he isn’t much of an actor; he came to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service from the worlds of modeling and commercials. But in retrospect, his interloper status—Connery would return to the role for Diamonds Are Forever—works quite well. OHMSS is a curious Bond movie, full of pathos and ending on a terribly bleak note. It would be strange to see Connery doing that. Better, then, that it’s Lazenby’s genial, emotive take absorbing and reflecting the film’s darker tones. Yes, he was doing Sad Bond long before Daniel Craig got morose. In that way Lazenby was something of a brave pioneer, one who looks great on skis. —Richard Lawson
Roger Moore
He’s an easy one. Most people who care about James Bond movies enough to talk about them in polite company gush over Roger Moore. His charmingly aloof manner, mischievous glint, posh baritone, and comedic remove from the absolute silliness of the franchise’s ’70s streak can all be perceived from his first moment onscreen as Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die. These days it’s common to hear film critics and moviegoers lament the near disappearance of bona fide stars since the business was rocked by the algorithm—and it turns out we’re right to. They just don’t make them like Moore anymore. —Cassie da Costa
Timothy Dalton
The cold heart of Timothy Dalton’s James Bond is why I maintain a soft spot for him. He only did two films, 1987’s The Living Daylights and 1989’s License to Kill, and both took 007 in a more ruthless and gritty direction than the spoof-like savoir faire of predecessor Roger Moore. Dalton’s Bond was more soldier than playboy, although his terseness sometimes made the punch lines hit a little harder. His films had a strong enough box office, but a third one was derailed by a lawsuit between the producers and their studio that took four years to resolve.
By then, Dalton had moved on, and nostalgia had driven fans backward: Dalton’s Bond fought the Cold War and drug cartels, but Pierce Brosnan’s secret agent would return to sci-fi plots, invisible cars, and villains with ice palaces. Given Daniel Craig’s eventual success, Dalton’s tougher 007 proved to be two decades ahead of his time, and he never got the runway to truly take off. —Anthony Breznican
Pierce Brosnan
For me, it’s Pierce. Oh, it helps that in between obsessive replays of the Nintendo 64 GoldenEye and repeated viewings of Tomorrow Never Dies, Brosnan’s Bond is the one I grew up on. But before Daniel Craig showed up to muss up Bond’s hair and give him the backhanded appeal of a badly beaten face, Pierce Brosnan offered the world the cultured charm of a sharpshooter who is maybe too at ease in a natty tuxedo.
In Brosnan’s hands, Bond evolved from a Cold War–era hero into an agent of the global community, someone comfortable with computerized gadgets and fisticuffs alike—a chameleon who acts on behalf of the queen but is somehow comfortable anywhere in the world. Brosnan’s Bond isn’t vulnerable or nuanced; he isn’t, you know, deep. What he needs is his Walther P99 and a female love interest, and then he becomes bizarrely competent. His movies make a meal out of every gadget reveal, showcasing the last years of Desmond Llewyn, the longtime Q. Of course Q had to make Bond a BMW that spoke to him in a woman’s voice; how else could you get this horny secret agent with a death wish to pay attention?
Ultimately, what I love, though I love Brosnan’s Bond, is that by the end of his run, his version of the spy hero was no longer sustainable. His films are studded with the corpses of women he loves, leaves, and then lets die, and it barely stops him in his tracks. Brosnan was kind of the perfect asshole Bond, a silver-tongued charmer who asserted the crown’s authority in a world that has nearly moved on without it. James Bond: indelible jerk. A jerk who once fenced with Madonna! —Sonia Saraiya
Daniel Craig
Any Bond purist could make a salient argument for the edgy, eternally bemused Daniel Craig as the best 007. From his first (and best) outing, Casino Royale, he just had it. The knowing smirk, the cool demeanor, the tiny blue swim trunks—all of it swirled into a dashing new Bond era that shushed the “b-but he’s blond!” naysayers. Sure, Craig might have grown curmudgeonly about the franchise as his time as Bond wore on, but he’s also been carrying the entire thing on his billion-dollar back for 15 years—longer than any other Bond in history. It’s ironic, then, that his final film has taken so long to be released in theaters. But in a way it’s also perfectly fitting—even the universe didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. —Yohana Desta
— Cover Story: Regina King Is in Her Element
— Even on Film, Dear Evan Hansen Can’t Fix the Musical’s Main Problem
— Linda Tripp’s Daughter Wishes Her Mom Was Around to See Impeachment: American Crime Story
— Unlucky Star: The Brief, Bombastic Life of Rudolph Valentino
— Emmys 2021 Winners: See the Full List Here
— LuLaRich’s Derryl on Taking Down LuLaRoe and Boycotting Kelly Clarkson
— What Michaela Coel Did With I May Destroy You Is Bigger Than the Emmys
— Love Is a Crime: Inside One of Hollywood’s Wildest Scandals
— Dune Gets Lost in Space
— From the Archive: The Making of Ghostbusters
— Sign up for the “HWD Daily” newsletter for must-read industry and awards coverage—plus a special weekly edition of “Awards Insider.”