Read How James Bond 007 Went Downhill from Brosnan to Craig

From Connery to Craig: A Bond Fan's Worst Nightmare
After the role of Bond was boldly established by the original 007, Sean Connery, the standard was set for all Bond actors to follow. And from George Lazenby to Pierce Brosnan, Bond was cast with men that were universally regarded as handsome, tall and naturally charismatic, as would be the case with any leading man's role. Why then did Bond producers take the image of Bond to a new low by hiring the likes of Daniel Craig, and actor who can at best be described as average, rough if not downright ugly, is a question that no one in their right mind could answer. Let's take a look at all the previous Bonds, and see how they stack up compared to craggy Daniel Craig.

Bond No. 5 - Pierce Brosnan

Irishman Pierce Brosnan was first approached to play
James Bond as early as 1984, but was unable to sign for
the role until it was offered again following the
announcement of Timothy Dalton's voluntary departure
after filming two Bond movies.

Following many years working backstage and then front
stage in British theatre, Brosnan began to land roles in both
television and motion pictures. The 1980's TV mini-series
'The Manions of America' was his first true break out role,
and it resulted in his landing the title role in the popular and
light-hearted detective series 'Remington Steele', the part
that really made Pierce a household name in the United
States.

Starring with actress Stephanie Zimbalist, ' Remington
Steele' was very successful, and Brosnan starred in the
role for more than 4 seasons. From the time of it debut,
television audiences immediately identified the tall,
handsome, charismatic actor as someone who could fit the
role of British secret agent James Bond.

Oddly enough, the late actress Cassandra Harris,
Brosnan's first wife, was featured 'For Your Eyes Only' with
Roger Moore. It was at that time that Brosnan was first
introduced to Bond producer Cubby Broccoli.

Finally in 1994, Pierce Brosnan was revealed to the world
as the 5th 007. 'GoldenEye', his first Bond role, took in over
$350 million worldwide, the highest take for any Bond film
at the time. His subsequent three films each took in more
and more, and all four films together have made over $1.6
billion worldwide thus far.

Following rumours that he was seeking a higher salary and
part of the gross for his 5th outing as Bond, EON
productions unceremoniously declared that his services
were no longer needed, and against the wishes of most
fans, with whom he had found popularity second only to
Connery, EON announced they were seeking a new face for
James Bond, no doubt the most questionable and
controversial decision they have ever revealed in their 40
years of Bond film making.

To this day, many, many Bond fans still hold out the hope
that Brosnan will return to the role, having already rejected
his altogether unimpressive successor to the role of 007.

As a great choice for the role of Bond, Brosnan gets a 9 out
of 10.

Bond No. 6 - The Bottom of the Barrel

After the infamous and unfair dismissal of Pierce Brosnan,
the most popular Bond since Sean Connery, EON
Productions and partner Sony Pictures managed to find
man who is extraordinarily less handsome and charismatic
than any one of the men who played Bond.

Although several better known and better looking actors
were approached for the role, rumored to have included
Clive Owen and Hugh Jackman, EON was unable to offer a
degree of salary to attract a known leading man actor.

Following an extensive search of unknown and lesser
known actors, EON shocked the world when they
presented the skinny, craggy and wholly unimpressive
Daniel Craig. By and large, he is the first actor they have
ever cast that is completely against type. In fact, his blunt
features are more suggestive of a pugilistic victim of Rocky
Balboa than of suave secret agent.

Even more less suitable is his acting pedigree. Unlike most
of his predecessors, Craig has never really played heroic
or romantic leading men, having looks that scarcely
suggest such a character.

In fact Craig's stock and trade has been playing the part of
criminals, alcoholics, addicts, psychopaths, child
murderers, thieves, perverts and gigolos. In fact, he is much
more the type to play one of Bond's deranged nemeses, ala
Robert Carlyle, than anyone remotely resembling the
handsome, athletic and sinisterly smooth agent 007.

His casting, and the whole reboot of Bond's identity in fact
represent EON's desperate attempt to produce a Bond
movie on the cheap, and is nothing more than one big
shameless gimmick.

If the voice of the fans indicate anything, it is that many are
willing to sit out Craig's first Bond film, hoping to make it his
last. We can only hope that at that point, Sony Pictures will
finally have the smarts to offer Pierce Brosnan whatever he
wants to return as Bond

At least in that thought, there is hope that the real James
Bond will be back once more, because Daniel Craig will
never be really be the real James Bond.

And since he cannot be Bond, we give Daniel Craig a nice
round 0 out of 10, a number that surely matches his
moon-faced countenance!

Bond No. 1 and Still the Best - Sean Connery

Although he had already been featured in several films,
Sean Connery truly broke out as an actor and leading man
as the first person to play James Bond in 1961's 'Dr. No.'
Although hindsight is always 20/20, you can easily look to
Connery's background to see why he was so good in the
role.

Connery came from humble beginnings growing up in
Edinburgh, Scotland. He enlisted in the Royal Navy at the
tender age of sixteen, and after three years of Naval service
he worked as a milkman, bricklayer, and lifeguard. His habit
of bodybuilding helped him to place third in the 1950 Mr.
Universe, from which his modeling and acting career took
off.

Following starring roles with Lana Turner in 'Another Time,
Another Place', and in the Walt Disney Film 'Darby O'Gill
and The Little People', Sean was brilliantly cast as Secret
Agent James Bond in the very first Bond feature film, 'Dr.
No'. To this day, all six Connery's official Bond films remain
the most successful in the series, and all actors to follow
were destined to be compared with him.

Following Bond, Connery went on to star in a variety of
roles before winning the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his performance in 'The
Untouchables'. In 1989, at nearly 60 years old, he was voted
People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive."

If we had to give him a rating as a choice for Bond, clearly
he was a 10 out of ten!

Bond No. 2 - George Lazenby

Before being cast as James Bond, George Lazenby had
already risen to the top of the male modeling world in Great
Britain. At that time his acting experience was limited to TV
commercials. As a result of his looks, his natural physicality
and breaking a stuntman's nose during a fight as apart of
his audition he was cast as 007 in the tragic Ian Fleming
story 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', where Bond fights
his SPECTRE nemesis Blofeld, and also falls in love and
marries in the process, only to be widowed when Blofeld
murders his bride in the end.

Although it was to be his only Bond film, On Her Majesty's
Secret Service, was widely considered one of the best of
the series by both critics and fans.

For his male model looks, his terrific fight scenes and a
sincere if not subdued performance, Lazenby clearly
deserves a rating of 7 out of 10 as a choice for playing
Bond.

Bond No. 3 - Roger Moore

Before accepting the role of James Bond, Roger Moore had
already made a career in male modeling and then acting,
playing several suave playboy action roles similar to Bond.
In fact, he was already an international television star
because of his role as "Simon Templar" in "The Saint."
Moore was unusual at that point being the first well-known
actor to play 007 because producers looked upon him as a
proven draw.

Roger Moore played Bond in 1973's 'Live and Let Die', and
stayed on for the six Bond films that followed, giving him
the record for playing 007 the most times in EON Bond
productions. (Sean Connery actually played Bond seven
times as well, but his last turn was not produced by EON
but by rival Kevin McClory, who was a co-producer of
Thunderball who had held some rights to the original story
along with Fleming.)

Having played Bond for the longest consecutive time,
Moore was most well known and beloved by an entire
generation as Bond. He approached the role with a touch of
light comedy, although he was seen giving the part some of
its most cold-blooded moments as
007.

Moore lent his natural charisma and model good-looks to
the role, and in spite of some complaints that his movie
were the least dark of all the Bonds, you can help liking the
guy or enjoying his performances.

As a choice for Bond, Roger Moore clearly deserves an 8
out of 10!

Bond No. 4 - Timothy Dalton

Unlike other Bond actors, the breadth of Timothy Dalton's
work had already included English theatre, international
theatrical-release films, British and American television, and
numerous voice-overs. Of all the actors to play Bond,
Dalton clearly had the highest pedigree before accepting
the role of 007. Like Connery and Moore, he was often given
to playing handsome leading men in not just adventures,
but in dramatic films as well.

Having announced Roger Moore's decision to retire, Bond
producers were able to inject much warmth into the event
of Moore passing the torch to Timothy Dalton as the next
Bond, and this helped a great deal to gain acceptance
among the fans.

Dalton's performance of James Bond character in his two
Bond films,' The Living Daylights' and 'Licence to Kill' are
considered by most to be closest to author Ian Flemings
original idea for the character of 007, and Dalton remains a
favorite of hard-core Bond fans to this day.

The tallest of the Bonds, Dalton brought a dark intensity
and physicality to the role that had only been seen in Sean
Connery performances, although as written, he was not to
lend the comedic charisma that Connery and Moore often
portrayed.

As a choice for James Bond, Dalton easily deserves a 7 out
of 10.