Best actor to play Bond? Why?
Backstory
Many fans who grew up watching the original films of the 60s might claim their favorite was the one of their generation. Personally, having read most of the original Ian Fleming novels, it's an easy choice for me: Timothy Dalton.And here's why: he embodies Fleming's Bond better than the other 8 people who have played him. Bond was described as having a cruel mouth and cold eyes. He was handsome but not in a double-take-sexy kind of way. He was noticeable and forgettable in the same moment, which only helped his role as a secret agent. And there was no sense of humor. (It was not until the novel You Only Live Twice where Bond began his trademark one-liners, an addition by Fleming to go along with the success of the one-liners added for the movie scripts.)
And Dalton is the best Bond for those reasons. Dark and menacing, cold and efficient. He wasn't the womanizing man-whore like Connery and Moore were. He did not exude sex appeal like Brosnan did. And he wasn't blond like Craig is. Those actors brought a quality to the character of Bond, but not like Dalton did. He best reflected the author's idea of what a British operative looked and acted like.
by DukeRaider in Six Words Questions on Nov 30, 2012 | 
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Comments
Wench says,
Connery. Dalton probably is the best for the reasons you gave and blonde hair aside, the Craig movies supposedly attempt to get back to the books. But Connery was my favorite. He was effortless. That, and he's in my Top 5 Most Handsome Men of All Time.DukeRaider says,
Wench, yes the Bond that Craig embodies does a very good job of portraying Fleming's Bond: cold, detached yet vulnerable, with no thought beyond his assignment. Interestingly enough, that's the one aspect of Dalton's portrayal that was lacking: humanity. Craig shows a more human Bond, a main reason why many feels he outranks Connery as the best Bond.Dean6805 says,
I'm a fan of Daniel Craig's Bond. He's not the suave caricature that some other actors portrayed, but a smart, intensely loyal, unstoppable force. He's cold, he's calculating, he's no-nonsense.Bartender: "Shaken or stirred?" Bond: "Do I look like I give a damn?"
-Casino Royale
Dragonflower says,
As someone who usually reads the books before the movies, I really appreciate your thoughtful and detailed backstory. You are a person after my own heart! However, I never read any Ian Fleming books and I never understand the plot of the Bond movies! Never. I feel lost. So, my answer is based on emotion. And Connery to me brought the most emotion. Like Wench said, he was effortless. He seemed to own every room he entered with an ease that none of the others had, exactly. That's hard to describe. With Connery, I didn't feel I needed to understand the plot. Or who the badguys were. I could just enjoy the action. I have enjoyed what each of the Bond men have brought to the role. Back in the day, I used to look at all male actors on a scale of how well I thought they could play Bond--a sort of personal rating system of mine,Bevvie says,
"Who was the best James Bond?" was my question here on June 27, 2011. Most who answered named Sean Connery as the best!