Sean Connery wasn’t the first cinematic James Bond, apparently. Dirk Bogarde was to have appeared in a 1956 black & white film adaptation of Moonraker produced by Dayton Mace and directed by Orson Wells (who also appeared as Sir Hugo Drax, with Peter Lorre as his henchman, Krebs.)
A British film historian has found the completed footage from this first abortive Bond movie. The film was never completed because of a fight between the studio and the producer over a topless scene by the actress playing Gala Brand and the untimely death of producer Dayton Mace.