Sir Sean Connery has retained his crown as the best James Bond of all time beating Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby in a survey for sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX. One almost wonders why anyone bothers to conduct polls to find the definitive Bond: Connery wins each and every time and has done so for years. In true Highlander style, there can be only one.
There's an old Bond adage that says people tend to favour the one they grow up with: poppycock. Roger Moore, old eyebrows himself, was the 007 of my youth and I frequently found it impossible to take him seriously - and not just because of his heinous 1970s wardrobe. He invariably looked as if he'd rather break an egg than break a neck - and you never got that impression with Connery. When his Bond smiled at villains (the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes) you knew they'd be worm food shortly.
Connery beat out many far bigger (and more expensive) names to play Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond in 1962's Dr No. In fact, one of the original choices was Cary Grant, but he would only commit to one film. David Niven, Trevor Howard, Rex Harrison, Patrick McGoohan, James Mason and even Richard Burton were all 007 contenders but Connery took it on and it made him a major 1960s icon.
The inherent violence of the character in the novel was more contained in the screen version, but Connery's air suggested it was never far away. His unflappably cool sophistication and humour were also major winners with cinema-goers back then, and remains so today.
Connery attempted to abandon 007 time and time again, but audiences wouldn't let him. Between 1967's You Only Live Twice and 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, George Lazenby attempted to fill his shoes, but failed. A little paunchy, but still handsome and charismatic, Connery donned his toupee and returned to his most celebrated role for the aptly titled Never Say Never Again in 1983. It was a remake of 1965's Thunderball and followed a similar plotline; even after a 12-year absence from Bond pictures, fans still adored Sean Connery as 007.
This latest survey of Ian Fleming's screen spies put Pierce Brosnan in second place, followed by Moore, Dalton and Lazenby. It reinforces my contention that each successive Bond signs on the dotted line already knowing that their mission isn't to better the actor they've immediately succeeded, but the man who is the quintessential Bond - Connery. Sean Connery. Coming second to the master is probably a massive ego-boost for Brosnan; bet he frames that poll result. Already critics are hailing Daniel Craig's performance, but I'll bet all the money I have in the world that Connery, Sean Connery will still be the Bond top dog as far as the general public is concerned.
Gallery: Top 10 Bond Movies
By Lorna Cooper, Entertainment Editor - Feedback - Discuss - Blog
