# Best/Favorite James Bond Actor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687 "2012-02-23T02:52:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/41 "2015-12-01T02:10:42Z")
Doesn’t anyone wonder why David Niven, the first ever screen Bond, was the author’s choice? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/42 "2015-12-01T04:11:26Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Doesn’t anyone wonder why David Niven, the first ever screen Bond, was the author’s choice? Sean Connery beat him by five years. Maybe you mean TV’s Barry Nelson? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/43 "2015-12-01T04:45:34Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Sean Connery beat him by five years. Maybe you mean TV’s Barry Nelson? Big “ooops.” Yeah, Connery was first, but I’m pretty sure Niven was Fleming’s choice. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/44 "2015-12-01T05:44:15Z")
I liked every actor that played Bond. But my vote goes to Dalton. I actually read some of Flemmings work and Dalton came closest to what Bond actually was. I’m always surprised that “The Living Daylights” is rank low among Bond films. I found it topical for the time, interesting, intriguing, and exciting as hell. My absolute favorite Bond movie even if someone else had been in the role!!! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/45 "2015-12-01T19:57:37Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Big “ooops.” Yeah, Connery was first, but I’m pretty sure Niven was Fleming’s choice. That would make sense. I’d heard Cary Grant was, since **Dr. No** played like a drawing room mystery that intended to have Grant as its star, but prime Niven would be great as a gentleman spy. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/46 "2015-12-01T20:45:51Z")
Connery by a mile. He was the one who could pull off a cold-war era spy. Moore, Dalton and Brosnan got too cartoon-y. Craig was good in _Casino Royale_, but devolved into a well dressed soccer hooligan. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/47 "2015-12-01T21:23:08Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > Craig was good in _Casino Royale_, but devolved into a well dressed soccer hooligan. This. His are my favorite movies, but he’ll never quite be my favorite Bond. And Connery, my favorite Bond, has been in some of my least favorite Bond movies. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/48 "2015-12-01T22:18:19Z")
No option for whoever voiced James Bond Jr? For shame. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/49 "2015-12-02T03:13:23Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > No option for whoever voiced James Bond Jr? For shame. Neither of us knows his name or feels motivated to look it up. Funny, that. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/50 "2015-12-02T06:17:19Z")
Roger Moore is always my favorite. Brosnan and Daniel Craig are my least favorites. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/51 "2015-12-02T15:50:17Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Niven would be great as a gentleman spy. > **[Where the Spies Are (1965) ⭐ 5.6 | Adventure, Comedy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059905/)** > > 1h 50m | Approved ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/52 "2015-12-04T05:26:03Z")
Knock on wood, all Bond actors are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687/53 "2015-12-04T08:47:05Z")
Nope. Niven shuffled off this mortal coil in 1983. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-favorite-james-bond-actor/613687.md?page=2)