James Bond Movies

When Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel was published in 1953, the author could not have known that his dashing, womanizing spy would inspire one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. Indeed, only the Star Wars films have been more successful. The forty-something Fleming had been forming the Bond character in his mind over the course of many years and only got down to the business of writing Casino Royale after discovering he was about to become a father – he needed the income.

Now, James Bond is one of the most beloved action heroes that Hollywood has ever created and phrases from James Bond movies have worked their way into our everyday lingo - “Bond. James Bond.” and “shaken, not stirred” have been uttered by countless Bond wannabes.

Who Played James Bond?
Five actors have played the part of Bond in the twenty official James Bond movies produced so far. The first actor to play James Bond on the silver screen was Scottish actor Sean Connery. He starred in Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds are Forever (1971). In between Connery's fifth and sixth stints as Bond, George Lazenby took over the part of James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. Roger Moore played the part of Bond in Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), and A View to a Kill (1985). In the late 1980s, the aging Moore was replaced with Timothy Dalton. Dalton starred in The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989). The most recent Bond, Pierce Brosnan, has played the lead role in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). No matter who plays Bond in the future, the James Bond movies will no doubt continue to entertain and enthrall movie audiences.

The Unofficial James Bond Movies
Only twenty official James Bond movies have been made, but diehard Bond fans usually include three unofficial Bond flicks in their total count. These movies are: the made-for-television Casino Royale (1954), Never Say Never Again (1983) and a feature film version of Casino Royale (1967). Official Bond films have been produced by United Artists and MGM and share certain characteristics that the unofficial movies do not – the opening shots of Bond as seen through the barrel of a gun and a similar style of background music.