Over the course of more than 20 films and five leading men, the
James Bond series has defined the quintessential glamorized spy film. Exceedingly suave and debonair, Agent 007 never fails to stop the bad guy, while encountering a barrage of beautiful and seductive women along the way, women with such subtle monikers as Pussy Galore, Mary Goodnight, and Xenia Onatopp.
Sean Connery was the first and perhaps most popular Bond, beginning with 1962's Dr. No and continuing through 1967's
You Only Live Twice, at which point Connery took a break from the franchise, making way for
George Lazenby's one-film stint in 1969's
On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Connery returned for 1971's
Diamonds Are Forever, his sixth, and what he swore would be his last, time in the role. Two years later,
Roger Moore made his debut as Bond with 1973's
Live and Let Die. The role would belong to Moore exclusively for four more films. Then, in 1983, in the wake of a court ruling regarding the rights to 1965's
Thunderball, two different
Bond films were released,
Octopussy with Moore and
Never Say Never Again, a remake of
Thunderball that saw Connery wooed back to the role by a large paycheck. After that, Moore played Bond one more time in 1985's
A View to a Kill, tying Connery with a total of seven appearances as 007. Next up,
Timothy Dalton took over for two films, 1987's
The Living Daylights and 1989's
Licence to Kill, both of which were met with tepid reactions by audiences and critics alike. In need of a jump-start, the series took a six-year hiatus before returning in 1995 with
GoldenEye, the first of four (and counting) financially successful
Bond films starring
Pierce Brosnan. In 2006, the dashing spy returned to the screen with another actor under the bowtie --
Daniel Craig, who brought a gruff finesse to the role in the massive international hit
Casino Royale. The actor will return to the role in 2008, when the 22nd
Bond film is slated to hit theaters. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide