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This is a list of actors who were considered for the role of James Bond, both officially and unofficially, but ultimately did not portray Bond. For a comprehensive list of the actors who have actually played the role of James Bond in the official films, please refer to the separate list of James Bond films.
Actors who were under consideration for the role of James Bond but not chosen.
| Actor | Film | Year | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Howard | Dr. No | 1961 | He was first considered by Kevin McClory for the abandoned Longitude 78 West film project, which was later revamped into the novel Thunderball . [1] However, Ian Fleming disagreed, feeling that at 43 years old, he was too old for the role. He was later considered again by Albert R. Broccoli for the film Dr. No. [2] |
| Stanley Baker | He was unwilling to commit to a three-picture contract. [3] | ||
| Rex Harrison | He was turned down in favour of Connery. [4] | ||
| David Niven | He was turned down in favor of Connery (later played Bond in the 1967 parody Casino Royale) (Fleming's personal choice). [4] | ||
| Richard Todd | He was Fleming's first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it. [5] | ||
| Jeremy Brett | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 1967 | He feared the role would harm his career. [6] |
| Peter Purves | Prior to becoming a Blue Peter presenter, Purves auditioned for the role of 007 but was unsuccessful.[ citation needed ] | ||
| Michael Caine | He did not want to be typecast in spy films, having previously starred in the three Harry Palmer spy films. | ||
| Robert Campbell | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. [7] | ||
| Michael Bishop | Father of comedian Des Bishop, who later wrote his biography, titled My Dad Was Nearly James Bond. [8] [9] [10] | ||
| Patrick Mower | Reason unknown. [11] | ||
| Daniel Pilon | Harry Saltzman felt he was too young; aged 27 at the time. [12] | ||
| John Richardson | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. [7] | ||
| Anthony Rogers | |||
| Terence Stamp | His ideas for future films felt too radical for producer Harry Saltzman. [13] | ||
| Hans De Vries | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. [7] | ||
| Eric Braeden | 1968 | Albert R. Broccoli at first thought he was British and so considered him.[ clarification needed ] However, Broccoli, who believed that no one from outside the Commonwealth would be suitable as James Bond, decided against him after finding he was German American. [14] | |
| Peter Snow | He auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but was rejected by Broccoli and Saltzman for being too tall (6'5"). [15] | ||
| Oliver Reed | 1969 | The producers did not want to spend the time or money needed to reshape Reed's poor public image. [16] | |
| Timothy Dalton | 1969–1972 | He thought himself too young and did not wish to follow Connery. He declined the role again in 1979, before finally being cast in 1986. | |
| Roger Green | Diamonds Are Forever | 1970 | He filmed a screen test with Imogen Hassall, but was turned down in favor of Connery. [4] |
| Simon Dee | Live and Let Die | 1971 | Put forward to follow Sean Connery (despite being thought of by most people as a talk show host, rather than an actor).[ citation needed ] |
| William Gaunt | Auditioned for the role as Bond for Live and Let Die but lost the role to Roger Moore. | ||
| John Gavin | Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die | 1971, 1973 | Was signed as the first American Bond after George Lazenby quit, but Sean Connery decided to return to the role instead. He was considered again for Live and Let Die, but was denied as producers felt Bond should remain British. |
| Simon Oates | Was strongly considered but turned down when Sean Connery returned and was working on other projects when Roger Moore was selected. [17] | ||
| Ranulph Fiennes | Live and Let Die | 1972 | For having "hands too big and a face like a farmer". [18] |
| Peter Laughton | Broccoli remarked that he would have been chosen had he auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, following the casting of Lazenby, the producers were wary of choosing actors with limited or no acting experience and decided to settle with Moore. [19] | ||
| Guy Peters | The producers wanted to cast an actor with a "known face". [20] | ||
| Timothy Dalton | For Your Eyes Only | 1979 | Turned the role down for a second time as he did not like the direction the series was taking. He would eventually be cast in 1986 for The Living Daylights. |
| David Warbeck | Was under contract to Eon as a 'reserve Bond' in case Moore quit, but Moore returned. [21] | ||
| Michael Jayston | 1980 | Role up for grabs when Roger Moore was considering quitting but Moore returned. [22] Jayston eventually portrayed the character in 1990 for a two-part BBC radio drama. [23] | |
| Patrick Mower | Auditioned when Roger Moore was considering quitting, but Moore returned [22] | ||
| Lewis Collins | Octopussy | 1982 | Collins claims the producers thought he was too aggressive. [24] |
| Ian Ogilvy | 1983 | Roger Moore agreed to return. | |
| James Brolin | Screen-tested for Octopussy, was lined up for the part, even going so far as buying a house in London for the production, before Roger Moore once again agreed to return. | ||
| Pierce Brosnan | The Living Daylights | 1986 | Became front runner for The Living Daylights after Timothy Dalton could not take the part due to his commitment to Brenda Starr . However, Brosnan's option to star in a further season of Remington Steele was taken up by NBC, and EON refused to have him do both Steele and Bond at the same time. Fortuitously, Dalton became available again at just that time, and so reaccepted the role, which he played until 1989. Brosnan would later play Bond from GoldenEye through to Die Another Day. |
| Daniel Pilon | Timothy Dalton was chosen for the role. [25] | ||
| Sam Neill | Although he impressed producers as Reilly, Ace of Spies, Neill lost out to Timothy Dalton for this iteration of Bond. | ||
| Antony Hamilton | Was in negotiations with the producers before Timothy Dalton was chosen. | ||
| Mel Gibson | 1987 | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wanted him for the role, but was rejected by Broccoli for not being British. [26] | |
| Christopher Lambert | French accent prevented him from being chosen. [27] | ||
| Neil Dickson | Timothy Dalton was chosen. | ||
| Mark Greenstreet | Told Terry Wogan in an interview that he was given a screen test for Bond but lost out to Timothy Dalton. | ||
| Finlay Light | The little-known Australian model was one of the main contenders for the role in The Living Daylights , even signing a ten-year contract. Timothy Dalton was chosen anyway. | ||
| Andrew Clarke | One of the most popular Australian actors of the 1980s, Clarke was considered but lost out to Dalton. | ||
| Simon MacCorkindale | Timothy Dalton was chosen. | ||
| Sean Bean | GoldenEye | 1994 | Was the second choice for EON if Timothy Dalton did not return; however, MGM overruled on both counts, and Pierce Brosnan was given the part. The producers were still impressed, and gave him the part of the villain Alec Trevelyan, rewritten from its original mentor part to become a direct parallel of Bond as Agent 006. |
| Mark Frankel | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. [28] | ||
| Paul McGann | Was given an audition and impressed producers; however, MGM still insisted on Pierce Brosnan for the role. It is believed that McGann would have stepped in if Brosnan turned down the role. | ||
| Lambert Wilson | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. [29] | ||
| Henry Cavill | Casino Royale | 2005 | The preferred choice of director Martin Campbell; however, was deemed too young to portray Bond. [30] |
| Sam Worthington | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. [30] | ||
| Rupert Friend | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. [31] | ||
| Julian McMahon | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. [32] | ||
| Matthew Rhys | Did not impress the producers. [33] | ||
| Alex O'Loughlin | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. References to Bond were featured in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 during the first season. The seventh and eighth seasons of the rebooted Hawaii Five-0 feature a recurring MI6 agent portrayed by Chris Vance (as MI6 agent Harry Langford) in 3 episodes. [34] | ||
| Clive Owen | The producers were unwilling to provide gross profit points. [35] | ||
| Dougray Scott | Reason unknown. [36] | ||
| Goran Višnjić | Was reportedly unable to master a British accent. [30] | ||
Actors who have come under consideration for the role of James Bond but have declined the offer for various reasons.
| Actor | Year considered | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Lawford | Dr. No | 1958 | Felt he was not offered enough money for the part and was reluctant to agree to a five-picture deal. [37] |
| Richard Burton | Dr. No | 1959 | Felt the role was a new untested concept, [38] and wanted more than the producers would pay. [39] |
| 1961 | |||
| Cary Grant | Felt he was too old at time being 58; also just wanted to do one film. [40] | ||
| Richard Johnson | Terence Young's choice but did not want a contract because he was under contract to MGM. [41] | ||
| James Mason | Offered a three-picture contract but turned down the role because he would only agree to do two. Mason was later selected to play the villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker , but the part eventually went to Michael Lonsdale in order to satisfy the requirements of an Anglo-French co-production under the 1965–79 film treaty. | ||
| Patrick McGoohan | Felt the role was too promiscuous. | ||
| Rod Taylor | Felt the role was beneath him. [42] | ||
| Steve Reeves | 1962 | Wanted more money than the producers would offer. [43] | |
| John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 1967 | Declined an offer from Albert R. Broccoli to screen test him for the role after he decided not to pursue acting. Would later become infamous when he vanished after his children's nanny was murdered. |
| Adam West | Felt Bond must be British. [44] | ||
| Clint Eastwood | Diamonds Are Forever | 1970 | Felt Bond must be British. [45] [46] |
| Michael Gambon | Felt he did not have good enough looks to play Bond. [47] | ||
| Burt Reynolds | Felt Bond should be portrayed by a British actor. [48] | ||
| Jon Finch | Live and Let Die | 1972 [49] | Did not want to play the part. [49] [50] |
| Liam Neeson | GoldenEye | 1994 | At first, he claimed he was not interested in starring in action films at that time. [51] However, in reality, his girlfriend and later wife Natasha Richardson would not have married him if he took the role. [52] |
| Dominic West | Casino Royale | 2005 | Heard a rumour that Pierce Brosnan would return and ruled himself out. [53] |
| Christian Bale | Unknown | Considered the franchise to be "very British" and felt that the character embodied "every despicable stereotype about England and British actors." Additionally, he remarked that he had "already played a serial killer" in American Psycho , suggesting he was not interested in taking on the role of Agent 007. [54] |
Both Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan were linked to the role of James Bond at least a decade before eventually taking it, but declined for various reasons.
Dalton was first offered the role in 1967 at the age of 21, but felt he was too young for the part. He ultimately accepted the role 20 years later. Dalton was offered the role again in 1979, but declined once more, citing dissatisfaction with the direction of the Bond films, which he felt had become overly reliant on gadgetry and formulaic plots.
Both Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton were also approached to take over for On Her Majesty's Secret Service , but neither accepted the role at the time, as they did not want to be seen as the actor replacing Sean Connery.
Pierce Brosnan was initially chosen to play Bond in The Living Daylights , but had to withdraw due to his commitment to the television show Remington Steele , which was unexpectedly renewed, keeping him in the lead role. As a result, the part went to Dalton. Brosnan eventually made his debut as James Bond in GoldenEye .
The following actors were considered for the role of James Bond, but were cast as supporting or opposing characters; in the case of Colin Salmon, consideration as Bond came after his appearances in the films.
| Actor | Years auditioned/considered | Film | Character | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Baker | Dr. No | 1961 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Sir Hillary Bray Captain Benson | College of Arms Royal Navy |
| Michael Billington | On Her Majesty's Secret Service Live and Let Die For Your Eyes Only Octopussy | 1968, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1982 | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Sergei Barsov (KGB agent Anya Amasova's lover) | KGB |
| Julian Glover [55] | Live and Let Die For Your Eyes Only | 1971, 1979 | For Your Eyes Only (1981) | Aristotle Kristatos | MI6/KGB (double agent) |
| Sean Bean | The Living Daylights GoldenEye | 1986, 1994 | GoldenEye (1995) | Alec Trevelyan | Former MI6 agent 006 turned villain |
| Ralph Fiennes | GoldenEye Casino Royale | 1994, 2004 | Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015) No Time to Die (2021) | Gareth Mallory/M | MI6 |
| Colin Salmon [56] | Casino Royale | 2004 | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002) | Charles Robinson | MI6 |
Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett is a British actor. He gained international prominence as the fourth actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, starring in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).
Die Another Day is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It was directed by Lee Tamahori, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The fourth and final film starring Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, it was also the only film to feature John Cleese as Q, and the last with Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny. It is also the first film since Live and Let Die (1973) not to feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q as he died three years earlier. Halle Berry co-stars as Bond girl and NSA agent Jinx. In the film, Bond attempts to locate a traitor in British intelligence who betrayed him and a British billionaire who is later revealed to be connected to a North Korean operative who Bond seemingly killed. It is an original story, although it takes influence from Bond creator Ian Fleming's novels Moonraker (1955) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1965), as well as Kingsley Amis's novel, Colonel Sun.
Diamonds Are Forever is a 1971 spy film and the seventh film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth and final Eon film to star Sean Connery, who returned to the role as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, having declined to reprise the role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).
The World Is Not Enough is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Michael Apted, from an original story and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Bruce Feirstein. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The title is the translation of the motto on the Bond family coat of arms, first seen in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Pierce Brendan Brosnan is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent James Bond in the James Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 and in multiple video games, such as GoldenEye 007.
GoldenEye is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the series not to utilize any story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming. GoldenEye was also the first James Bond film not produced by Albert R. Broccoli, following his stepping down from Eon Productions and replacement by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli. The story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later collaboration by other writers. In the film, Bond fights to prevent a rogue ex-MI6 agent from using a satellite weapon against London to cause a global financial meltdown.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay by Bruce Feirstein, it follows Bond as he attempts to prevent Elliot Carver, a power-mad media mogul, from engineering world events to initiate World War III.
George Robert Lazenby is a retired Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Since he appeared in only one film, Lazenby's tenure as Bond is the shortest among the actors in the series.
Licence to Kill is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. In the film, Bond resigns from MI6 in order to take revenge against the drug lord Franz Sanchez, who ordered an attack against Bond's CIA friend Felix Leiter and the murder of Felix's wife after their wedding.
Octopussy is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson.
The Living Daylights is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instalment Casino Royale. It is also the first film to have Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny, replacing Lois Maxwell. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and co-produced by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli. The Living Daylights grossed $191.2 million worldwide.
Casino Royale is a 2006 spy action thriller film, the twenty-first in the Eon Productions James Bond series, and the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name. Directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis, it stars Daniel Craig in his first appearance as Bond, alongside Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, and Jeffrey Wright. In the film, Bond is on a mission to bankrupt terrorism financier Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen) in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.
The gun barrel sequence is a signature device featured in nearly every James Bond film. Shot from the point of view of a presumed assassin, it features James Bond walking, turning, and then shooting directly at the camera, causing blood to run down the screen. The visuals are usually accompanied by the "James Bond Theme", written by Monty Norman.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 1969 spy film and the sixth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on the 1963 novel by Ian Fleming. Following Sean Connery's decision to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon selected George Lazenby, a model with no prior acting credits, to play the part of James Bond. During filming, Lazenby announced that he would play the role of Bond only once. Connery returned to portray Bond in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever.
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film directed by Terence Young. It is the first film in the James Bond series. Starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman and Jack Lord, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather from the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, a partnership that continued until 1975. It was followed by From Russia with Love in 1963. In the film, James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent. The trail leads him to the underground base of Dr. Julius No, who is plotting to disrupt an early American space launch from Cape Canaveral with a radio beam weapon.
The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. It is one of the longest continually running film series in history, having been in ongoing production from 1962 to the present. In that time, Eon Productions has produced 25 films as of 2021, most of them at Pinewood Studios. With a combined gross of over $7 billion, the films produced by Eon constitute the fifth-highest-grossing film series. Six actors have portrayed 007 in the Eon series, the latest being Daniel Craig.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to James Bond:
James Bond is a fictional character created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1952. The character first appeared in a series of twelve novels and two short story collections written by Fleming and a number of continuation novels and spin-off works after Fleming's death in 1964. Bond's literary portrayal differs in some ways from his treatment in the James Bond films, of which there have been twenty-seven in total, produced and released between 1962 and 2021.
James Bond in film | |
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