Top 10 Interpretations 
Of 
James Bond
10. Matthew Burke
As Seen In: GI Joe
“The Spy Who Rooked Me” is the 16th episode
of the original G. I. Joe series. The Bond
character is called Matthew Burke. Appropriately,
the main villain in the episode is Dr. Mindbender,
who bears more than a passing resemblance
to the classic Bond villain Blofield. The
main plot device is a paralyzing nerve gas
which Burke and the Joes are trying to stop
Cobra from possessing. Burke wears a tux,
drives a fast car with lots of gadgets, and
shamelessly flirts with Lady Jaye. Ultimately,
Burke smuggles out the nerve gas, but escaped
by using the Joes as decoys. Burke takes all
the credit for the mission being successful;
the Joes are less than impressed. In the end,
the episode shows a pretty honest assessment
of the flaws in Bond’s character.
9. James Bond Jr.
As Seen In: James Bond Jr. (obviously)
James Bond Jr. was an animated series in 1991-1992,
featuring a main character described as being
the nephew of James Bond. Junior does battle
with classic Bond villains such as Dr. No
(who is green skinned), Jaws, and Oddjob.
The evil organization that Bond Jr. fights
is called S.C.U.M (Saboteurs and Criminals
United in Mayhem). Junior also fights alongside
a team which includes Q’s grandson, as well
as a relative of Felix Leiter. James Bond
Jr. only lasted one season as a cartoon. However,
he did spawn a series of young adult novels
and a Marvel comic book series, as well as
a Nintendo game.
8. Jimmy
As Seen In: The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:The
Black Dossier is a graphic novel by Alan Moore,
released in 2007. The story takes place in
1958, and focuses on Mina Harker and Allan
Quartermain attempting to recover The Black
Dossier, a secret history of the now-defunct
League of Extraordinary Gentleman. The Bond
character here is simply called “Jimmy,”
but is every bit James Bond, right down to
the Walther PPK. Jimmy is portrayed as being
a cruel, abusive, womanizing, inept louse.
The impression is left that James Bond has
a long way to go before being considered as
one of the great British characters. It would
be interesting to see what Mr. Moore thinks
of Hogwarts.
7. George Lazenby
As Seen In: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Australian actor George Lazenby was actually
the fourth choice to play Bond in On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service. Of course, Australian actor
Hugh Jackman was a last-minute replacement
for the part of Wolverine in X-Men, so sometimes
your last-ditch alternative works out. Not
always though, as is the case with poor Lazenby.
Basically, Sean Connery had a falling out
with the producers during You Only Live Twice.
Roger Moore was considered for the role, but
he was filming rival franchise The Saint at
the time. A young Timothy Dalton was then
approached about the role, but he himself
thought he was too young to play it.
Lazenby certainly looked the part, but he
was seen as little more than a placeholder
until a real Bond could be hired. He ultimately
did nothing to enhance the role, but nothing
to diminish it either. He ended up being like
a backup quarterback who is ordered to hand
the ball to a runner for one or two plays,
while not turning the ball over in the process.
6. Peter Sellers
As Seen In: Casino Royale (1967)
The producers of the 1967 film Casino Royale
knew that they had little chance of truly
competing with the actual film franchise.
So, they chose a different route, making Casino
Royale into a satire starring David Niven
as an elder Bond, Peter Sellers as the current
Bond, and Woody Allen as the evil young Jimmy/Dr.
Noah. The irony is that, while casting for
Dr. No, Ian Fleming believed Niven would be
a superior choice to Sean Connery.
The end result was a very uneven satire that
seemed equal parts The Pink Panther and Austin
Powers. The Casino Royale explodes in the
end, and all of the Bonds end up as angels
in Heaven, except for Allen’s Dr. Noah,
who descends down into Hell.
5. Pierce Brosnan
As Seen In: Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies,
The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day
Pierce Brosnan is technically everything that
you would expect in a Bond. He absolutely
looks the part, and has all the gadgets, girls,
and action that you would expect a Bond to
have. As such, it never really felt like Brosnan
was adding anything to the character, or effectively
making James Bond his own. Brosnan really
should have asserted the type of creative
freedom that he showed when he was on Remington
Steele. Overall, Brosnan’s Bond movies stand
as exactly the type of fun, yet predictable,
entertainment that a moviegoer would pay to
see in a James Bond movie.
4. Timothy Dalton
As Seen In: The Living Daylights, License
To Kill
If Timothy Dalton had been cast for On Her
Majesty’s Secret Service, the whole Bond
franchise might have been healthier overall.
Dalton played Bond exactly the way that Fleming
wrote the character in his books. Dalton was
surly, nasty, and possessed many irredeemable
qualities. Unfortunately, after a solidified
image of what Bond was supposed to be on film,
audiences just were not quite ready for Dalton’s
dirty 007. Dalton’s portrayal does gain
high marks on this list though.
3. Roger Moore
As Seen In: Live And Let Die, The Man With
The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker,
For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A
Kill
Roger Moore’s greatest sin, in the eyes
of most Bond fans, is not being Sean Connery.
Compared against Connery, most everyone would
fall short. Nevertheless, Moore’s Bond was
the defining Bond for a generation of movie
goers. With Moore’s Bond, you started to
see a loosening up of the franchise. He was
more of a gentleman, and was also statistically
more willing to bed beautiful women. Gadgets
were more prevalent in the Moore movies than
with Connery’s. Later Bonds appear just
as ready to ape Moore’s interpretation as
Connery’s. Again, Moore was not Sean Connery,
but Moore still managed to make his own indelible
mark on the series.
2. Daniel Craig
As Seen In: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum
of Solace, Skyfall
By 2006, audiences were finally ready to accept
a Bond closer to what Ian Fleming envisioned.
Daniel Craig’s Bond does not always come
off as a “good guy.” He’s not nearly
as refined as Moore, or as cinematic as Brosnan.
Craig gives you a Bond who is learning on
the job, and who will make colossal mistakes
in the process. Craig’s Bond is a Bond who
will bleed. Combine this with the depth and
range that Daniel Craig possesses as an actor,
and you end up with a potent combination.
Craig’s Bond exists in a universe where
you cannot tell who the bad guys are, simply
by looking at them. That alone makes you believe
that the universe this Bond exists in, is
actually our own.
1. Sean Connery
As Seen In: Dr. No, From Russia With Love,
Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice,
Diamonds Are Forever, Never Say Never Again
“Bond, James Bond.” Sean Connery did not
have a lot of lines in Dr. No, but Connery’s
greeting helped to draw everything out of
what he had. It also helped define the character
for moviegoers. To many, there is literally
one James Bond to exist, and that is Sean
Connery. His Bond is iconic, despite all of
the ridiculous scenarios he is thrown into.
Connery’s Bond is the measuring stick by
which decades of the character are now judged.
Ian Fleming was reportedly completely against
the casting. Connery himself was antagonistic,
and often fought with the producers. By the
time the relationship between Connery and
the EON productions ended, the relationship
really needed to end. That does not, in any
way, diminish the magic that their relationship
created.
