Now that No Time To Die has been released, Daniel Craig is no longer acting as 007, but what age was each James Bond actor when they took on the role of the renowned super-spy? With No Time To Die, Layer Cake actor Daniel Craig put an end to his run as James Bond, and it’s plausible that Mad Max hero/villain Tom Hardy will take his place. assuming rumours and betting odds are to be believed, at least.
When the notion started to spread widely, it sparked discussion online about whether Hardy should portray Bond. Many fans believe that Hardy would otherwise make the ideal Bond, so much has been written about whether or not the Peaky Blinders and Mad Max actor is too old to play Bond. Given that the bulk of Bond actors were chosen because they were rising stars, casting an older actor in the part appears out of the ordinary.
Hardy, 43, wouldn’t be the oldest actor to play Bond if he were cast. Roger Moore now holds that distinction; he portrayed the role from the age of 45 to 57. However, if Tom Hardy is cast, it will be a few years before he receives his death warrant. That’s probably a tiny bit older than Ian Fleming, who invented James Bond, would have like, as the books place Bond in his mid- to late-thirties, with Moonraker specifically stating that he is 37 years old. Here is how close to that age each Bond actor was.
Daniel Craig
The most recent Bond is the last. In the darker, post-9/11 espionage films, Craig’s angry Bond seems to be eternally approaching retirement, yet the actor isn’t actually that much older than his forebears. When Craig assumed the role in 2006’s Casino Royale, he was just 38 years old, making him younger than Brosnan and Dalton were in their respective debuts as James Bond. He was 40 when the critically panned Quantum of Solace sequel came out, 44 when Skyfall came out in 2012, 47 in Spectre, and 50/51 when No Time To Die was being made, albeit he was 53 when the movie ultimately hit theatres.
George Lazenby
George Lazenby’s brief tenure as James Bond was also the character’s youngest iteration; he was only 30 when the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released.
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan, an Irish actor who received praise for his sophisticated portrayal of James Bond, was 42 years old when he first played the character in the 1995 film Goldeneye. He continued to portray Bond for three more films over the next ten years; by the time 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies was released, the actor was 44; by the release of 1999’s The World Is Not Enough, he was 46; and by the time 2002’s Die Another Day marked the end of his tenure as Bond, he was a Roger Moore-caliber 49.
Roger Moore
Tom Hardy won’t become the oldest Bond debutant unless it takes him two years to accept the job. Roger Moore was 45 when he started portraying the role in 1973’s Live and Let Die. He was 46 when he appeared in The Man With the Golden Gun the following year. He was 49 by the time 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me came out. And he was 51 by the time 1979’s James Bond film, Moonraker, was out. Despite getting older, the actor continued to play Bond three more times: at 53 in For Your Eyes Only (1981), 55 in Octopussy (1983), and eventually 57 (the oldest Bond to date) in A View to a Kill (1985).
Sean Connery
When Dr. No was released in 1962, the first Bond was still very young at 32, and Sean Connery portrayed him in 6 movies over a 9-year period. He was 33 when Blofeld made his screen debut in From Russia With Love in 1963, 34 in Goldfinger in 1964, 35 in Thunderball in 1965, and 37 in You Only Live Twice in 1967. In 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, which served as George Lazenby’s final appearance as Bond, Connery, then 41, returned to the character and took Lazenby’s place.
Timothy Dalton
Dalton was actually as old as Connery’s final Bond film when he first started portraying the role, despite being a comparatively fresh-faced newbie after the Moore era. In 1987’s The Living Daylights, the Hot Fuzz actor was 41 years old. He appeared in one more Bond film before quitting the part at 43 years old in 1989’s Licence to Kill.
No Time To Die’s Ending Means James Bond Is Dead – Or Is He?
No Time To Die, Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie, has a scene that appears to be a perfect paradox. Craig’s Bond sacrifices himself to destroy Safin’s island base, sticking behind to take the full brunt of the missiles, yet the movie still has the iconic “James Bond Will Return” concluding title card. This looks, to put it mildly, counterintuitive at first. It’s crucial to keep in mind, though, that James Bond has always relied on constant reinvention. Six actors have played the role of 007 thus far, which is unequivocal evidence of this. Although Craig’s Bond may have died, a tragedy that prior incarnations had never experienced, it was always anticipated that a new Bond would be played by a different actor at some point in the future. Since Daniel Craig’s character obviously died, it would be misleading to imply that he will make a comeback. However, James Bond is perfectly capable of doing so and most certainly will.
Who Played James Bond The Longest
Many people might be curious as to which James Bond actor has played the character onscreen the longest, given that there have been 26 official James Bond films and several more unauthorised ones that weren’t produced by EON. Depending on how one approaches the topic, there are actually several possible responses. Sean Connery and Roger Moore have both starred in seven Bond films, so they are theoretically tied for the most Bond movie appearances. Moore is the official longest-serving James Bond actor, albeit Connery’s final performance was in the unofficial Never Say Never Again.
Daniel Craig holds the distinction of having played James Bond for the most extended period of time. Daniel Craig has played James Bond for more than 15 years, outlasting Roger Moore’s 12-year run. It is still unclear who will eventually succeed Craig as the new 007, but one thing is for sure: It will probably be a while before anyone beats Craig’s record for James Bond actors in terms of longevity.
