James Bond: Ranking The 007 Actors From Worst To Best

The generations-old pub debate; who made the best Bond?

By Scott Campbell /

Even in a time where big-budget franchises are in real danger of reaching saturation point, the James Bond movies remain a unique entity in blockbuster filmmaking; much like the lead character, the series itself has constantly moved with the times and reinvented itself over and over again since its inception in 1962 in order to remain relevant, earning over $6bn at the box office in the process. Just as popular now as it was 50 years ago, James Bond is all-but-guaranteed to feature on the big-screen for decades to come.

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The twenty-fourth James Bond movie Spectre is currently in the midst of shooting, and the project comes burdened with incredibly high expectations; Sam Mendes becomes the first director in over 25 years to helm back-to-back installments, looking to build on the unprecedented success of Skyfall. The last Bond enjoyed huge critical and commercial success, currently boasting a score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and a position as the ninth highest-grossing movie in history.

With the character having been played by numerous actors during the storied history of the franchise, debates have raged for years in classrooms, offices and pubs across the world about who made the best Bond. It's time to stir up the conversation once more by ranking every actor to have played James Bond, from worst to best, taking in every live-action interpretation of the character.

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