by Laura-Claire Wales

Created on: March 19, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Comparing the actors who've played Bond, James Bond is a tricky thing. Who hasn't entered in to a debate on the subject only to find themselves descending in to an endless quarrel reminiscent of playground chants like "My dad's better than your dad!". Let's face it, we all have our favourite. From Sean Connery's suave swagger all the way up to Daniel Craig's modern man, Bond is to each and every one of us a different figure.

So how exactly can we compare the different Bonds? Some people prefer statistics. For example, Roger Moore made the most Bond films with seven (from 'Live and Let Die' in 1973 through to 'A View To Kill' in 1985), Sean Connery following close behind on six (from 'Dr No' in 1962 to 'You Only Live Twice' in 1967, and then 'Diamonds Are Forever' in 1971) while new favourite Pierce Brosnan only made four (from 'Goldeneye' in 1995 to 'Die Another Day' in 2002). In this sense, Moore should win but Connery fans are quick to point out that Flemming wrote in to the character history that Bond was of Scottish heritage due to his admiration for the actor after seeing 'Dr No'. So then Connery should win, right?

Wrong. The truth is that statistics have little to do with it. In my experience, a person's favourite Bond tends to be the one they saw first, the one who inspired countless fantasies of becoming a globe-trotting, gadget-laden secret agent with a penchant for exotic women, Aston Martins and Martinis. As such, both Connery and Moore have long remained the strongest competitors for the mantle of the definitive Bond. With the rebirth of the franchise through Pierce Brosnan in the 1990's though, a whole new generation was exposed to the world of 007. As a result, he quickly became a firm favourite, even with those who remember his predecessors, as Brosnan's appearance brought back memories of a childhood spent dreaming of the dangerous world of espionage.

Unfortunately, comparing Bonds has its downsides. Apart from turning father against son, it also turned a lot of supposed fans of the franchise in to little more than vicious bullies when they heard Daniel Craig had been cast as the latest incarnation. Personally, I was all for Pierce Brosnan but seriously, did any of you actually watch the rubbish that was 'Die Another Day'? Thank God for 'Casino Royale'...

All in all, comparing Bonds is therefore a pretty useless but enjoyable pastime. Let's face it, even if someone presented the most convincing argument in the world that Timothy Dalton was the best version, would you ever trade in your alligience to Connery, Moore or Brosnan? No, me neither.

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