# Roger Moore was the best James Bond! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623 "2003-07-01T18:18:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/1 "2003-07-01T18:18:08Z")
Before the bricks start flying let me splain-\> As a devout fan of Bond, I grade each James bond that comes along according to several factors: Britishness - Is he an Iconic Briton. Suave - How gracious and sophisticated is he. Secret Agent - How cloak and dagger is his performance. believability - Does he pull off the role well. and Tact - Does he have a keen sense of what to do or say when in sticky situations. Or with the iconic final scenes with the ladies. I have to admit Sean Connery was an OK Bond. He wasn’t British and that slight variation to the scotish accent always throws me. Pierce Brosnan is good, very good in fact, however his stature compared to the tall razor-jawed Moore just doesn’t make for the same stage presence. Biography of Ian Fleming says: > [@](#): > > It has been said that Moore is closer to Ian Fleming’s original concept of Bond, So anyone else thing Roger Moore was the best at playing James Bond? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/2 "2003-07-01T18:20:25Z")
You have GOT to be kidding. Dalton was the best, except for Connery. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/3 "2003-07-01T18:25:30Z")
You didn’t even give any evidence! As far as I can tell, Moore scores points only in the “British” category. He fails in all the others. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/4 "2003-07-01T18:35:37Z")
Uh, “scotish” (sic) _is_ British. And nobody played Bond better than Connery. Then comes Dalton, then Brosnan, then Lazenby, and Moore trails the field. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/5 "2003-07-01T18:37:48Z")
I guess I really should explain my assertion. If you read the books, you will see that Bond was not a lighthearted suave leading man type. He was a cold blooded killer who hated his job, his boss, and his life. He did what he had to do, and bitched about it to himself. Only Dalton put across that true inner nature of the man. Connery was almost as gritty as Dalton, when needed, but he added in the suave part in between dealing out death blows. That makes him a better movie Bond, and almost as true to the novels. Just MHO!..Timmy ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/6 "2003-07-01T18:54:29Z")
Oh yeah? Well check this thread I made awhile back if you want controversy. [Octopussy is the Best Bond Movie. Discuss.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=173797&highlight=octopussy) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/7 "2003-07-01T19:07:50Z")
Nice Link. I like your POV regarding Octopussy. As for everyone else. We are talking about the motion pictures. Not the books. And IMHO Roger Moore incorporates more British-secret-agent-suave than any other Bond. Though I like Brosnan and I loved Connery in Goldfinger, I think Moore just blowes them all out of the water. Maybe it was the fab 70’s and 80’s that did it for me. I don’t know. Then again I think Tom Baker was the Best Dr.Who too! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/8 "2003-07-01T19:12:28Z")
I think Timothy Dalton was definitely the best Bond… IF you want somebody who embodies what Ian Fleming envisioned. On the other hand, the Moore movies were usually the most fun to watch. In fact, the thing that some people hated about Moore (that he played Bond with a wink and a nudge, rather than as a serious, cold-blooded killer) is what I LIKED about him! James Bond, like Batman, is a pretty ridiculous, implausible character, when you get right down to it. In a book (or a comic book), it’s easy enough to suspend disbelief, but when you SEE the absurdly impossible things that a James Bond or Batman does on screen, it’s hard not to laugh. That’s why, in my opinion, Roger Moore was RIGHT to play James Bond with a wink and a nudge, just as Adam West was RIGHT to play Batman as the campy joke he is! ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/9 "2003-07-01T20:34:44Z")
Connery. Roger Moore was the _worst_ Bond. Even Geroge Lazenby had a better handle on the character. Oh, and since the movies are (loosely) based on the books, you can’t toss the books out of the discussion. If you were to read the novels, you’d find out that James Bond is Scottish, just like Sean Connery. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Plankton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@David\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/10 "2003-07-01T21:10:02Z")
James Bond was half Scots half Swiss. And the best James Bond that should have been is Clive Owen ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/11 "2003-07-01T21:11:56Z")
Um, the movies _were_ based on the books. I have no idea where they get the stories now, only that they keep getting more ridiculous. EON needs to go back to the books. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/12 "2003-07-01T21:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilt-wearin’ man \* > \*\*If you were to read the novels, you’d find out that James Bond is Scottish, just like Sean Connery. \*\* Yes, _literally_ like Connery. Fleming originally wrote the character as an Englishman but was so impressed with Connery’s performance in _Dr No_ and _From Russia with Love_ that he added the Scottish origins to Bond’s obituary in _You Only Live Twice_. So Connery as Bond at least has the author’s own stamp of approval. Who wrote the biography you quoted **Phlosphr**? Everybody’s favourite Bond is supposed to be the first we saw in the movies, so mine ought to be Moore, but I do prefer Connery. Dalton surely deserves an honourable mention for his portrayal of the man described in the novels, but the film series has generated its own genre, independent from the novels, and so each actor who plays Bond brings his own personal quality to the role, and plays him to suit the expectations of the contemporary audience. Moore’s Bond had the most humour, Brosnan’s comes a close second. Lazenby suffered through playing the least Bond-like Bond, being married and blubbing when she gets killed. Contractual problems also interrupted any chance he might have had to play Bond again. It’s funny that the OP believed that Connery wasn’t British but never made the same observation about Brosnan or Lazenby. Given Connery’s politics, it’s debatable whether he would consider himself to be British these days, but you’d have to ask him yourself. If you care about his nationality, you may be amused to note that of the actors that have played Bond in all the movies, one (Moore) was English, one (Dalton) was Welsh, one (Brosnan) is Irish and one (Lazenby) was Australian. David Niven was either English or Scottish by birth depending on who you ask. All the James Bond novels have already been filmed, **Jeff** , and Fleming won’t be writing any more. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/13 "2003-07-01T21:44:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Plankton \* > \*\*James Bond was half Scots half Swiss. And the best James Bond that should have been is Clive Owen \*\* Pierce Brosnan turned 50 this year and Clive Owen is not yet 39, so time is on his side. His name keeps coming up as a future candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/14 "2003-07-01T22:46:34Z")
I hear that Alexis Denisof is shortlisted for the role too. He certainly looks right, but would they use an American? I wish Brosnan would play Bond, the way he played Andrew Osnard in ‘The Tailor from Panama’. That mischief and ruthlessness is what I want from Bond. And it was how Connery played him. Moore was the first Bond I saw (Live and let die), but it’s strange that he replaced Connery, since he’s actually three years older. There’s no doubt which is the better actor of the two. Connery might only be able to play three roles, but Moore can only play Moore. He never played Bond, and all his movies are under par for Bond. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/15 "2003-07-01T23:48:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*_All the James Bond novels have already been filmed, Jeff_, and Fleming won’t be writing any more. \* There’s plenty of other sources around. John Gardner’s 007 books are _way_ better than the last few movies. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/16 "2003-07-02T00:50:21Z")
“Roger Moore: The Smirk that Swallowed James Bond Whole.” I don’t know where that came from, but I agree with it. Moore was even more mysogynistic than Connery, and he came off as an over-sexed high schooler. “Tee hee! I touched her bum!” Connery is the best Bond. He’s much more suave, more of a “secret agent”, more believable, and more tactful. And he blows a guy away in cold blood in _Dr. No_. “That’s a Smith and Wesson. You’ve had your six.” _Phut!_ He shoots an unarmed man. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/17 "2003-07-02T02:03:52Z")
Yeah, what **Johnny L.A** said, and I’ll second **Dr. Rieux** ’s rankings. When Dalton took over from Moore, I was really impressed that they were going back to a Bond who actually got sweaty, bloodied and irritated. That, to me, gave the series the shot in the arm it needed to continue, rather than become a laughing stock. The fact that the plot was getting back to simpler, sordid things like drug running and arms dealing also helped of course, but Dalton was a Bond you could believe in. My first Bond film was also ‘Live and Let Die’, and Roger Moore’s best performance, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/18 "2003-07-02T05:18:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr. Rieux \* > \*\*And nobody played Bond better than Connery. Then comes Dalton, then Brosnan, then Lazenby, and Moore trails the field. \*\* This is the correct order. Although I think the first 3 are very close together. When more time has passed after Brosnan finishes, he may, _may_, squeeze past Dalton. Lazenby would probably do better if he had been able to do a couple more movies. Moore was lots of fun, but as **Gaspode** said, Moore only plays Moore. Well, I liked him as the Saint, but he was still playing the same character. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/19 "2003-07-02T05:46:42Z")
For me there’s only one James Bond and that is Connery. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623/20 "2003-07-02T08:13:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*For me there’s only one James Bond and that is Connery. \*\* YES! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-the-best-james-bond/185623.md?page=2)