9 Actors You Had No Idea Almost Played James Bond

The role of James Bond goes beyond the typical limits of character. It is a brand: enduring, iconic and as definitive as it is defining. As a result, any actor who dons the suit and downs the vodka martini (shaken, not... well, you know the drill) is pretty much known as Bond for the rest of their acting days. It's sort of like being the President in that respect.

That's precisely why the casting process is the subject of such obsessive attention. Whenever it's time for someone new, there's an extremely lengthy period of hype and speculation, which has already begun with Daniel Craig's determination to distance himself from the character.

That climate also makes it interesting to look back into the past and see who very nearly got the role, or decided they didn't want it. Inevitably, some of the names are as starry as the character

Who were they? And why didn't it happen? Read on if you want to find out.

Back in the forties and fifties Cary Grant was one of the most famous actors working in the industry, known for his lengthy collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock (he's the actor who desperately flees from the pursuing crop duster in 1959's North By North West).

When the idea of adapting Ian Fleming's James Bond stories was first being shopped around, Grant was actually the primary person that producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman sought out, long before Sean Connery was on the scene.

Grant was interested in the role, but ultimately declined owing to the fact he wasn't interested in making a franchise. Fearing being typecast, would Grant only commit to a single film.