James Bond Then And Now

1. James Bond (1986–1994) - THEN

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Timothy Dalton who was born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Wales, in 1946, rose to worldwide fame, after he was chosen to be the fourth James Bond, after being considered for the role on several occasions previously. Dolton appeared in The Living Daylights (1987) which made $191 million worldwide and was the fourth successful Bond film at the time of release. His second appearance came in Licence to Kill (1989).

2. Timothy Dalton - NOW

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Life after Bond brought work on stage, television and films for Dolton. His first role after James Bond was as a Nazi spy in The Rocketeer (1991). He finally returned to British television in the Doctor Who two-part special "The Ends of Time" In his spare time Timothy Dalton is frequently snapped at the Etihad Stadium following his favourite football team, Manchester City.

3. James Bond (1972–1985) - THEN

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The third actor chosen to portray the famous British Spy James Bond was Sir Roger Moore. He appeared in seven Bond movies the first being Live and Let Die (1973) and the last A View to a Kill (1985) In his final movie, Moore is the oldest actor to play this role aged 45, and his version of Bond is known for his sense of humour and witty one liners.

4. Sir Roger Moore - NOW

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Once filming had wrapped on the James Bond set, Moore took a five year break from acting. On his return he appeared in several movies including Bed & Breakfast (1989), The Quest (1996) and Spice World (1997) In 2015, Roger was placed in the top 50 of GQ's best dressed men. Moore died in his Switzerland home in 2017 from cancer of the lungs and liver.

5. James Bond (1968–1969) - THEN

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It's not often the road to becoming James Bond begins in the barbers! Its true George Lazenby, was first spotted by producer Albert R. Broccoli, getting his haircut. That may explain why he only appeared in one Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Lazenby, decided to leave the role after falling out with the producers, even though he was offered a contract for seven films.

6. George Lazenby - NOW

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George Lazenby fell on hard times after his sole appearance as Bond. In 1973 he confirmed that he had spent all the money he had made from On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Lazenby, also had two mental breakdowns and became an alcoholic. Later that year he accepted $10,000 to appear in the movie, Game of Death with Bruce Lee. However this was scrapped after Lee's sudden death.

7. James Bond (1961–1967, 1970–1971 and 1982–1983) - THEN

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Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland. Sean Connery's first ever job was as a milkman and at the age of 16, he joined the Royal Navy before moving into acting in 1957. Connery's breakthrough role came as the first actor to play James Bond in Dr. No (1962) where the famous catchphrase "The names Bond ... James Bond" was born. Connery went on to appear in seven Bond features, his last being Never Say Never Again (1983)

8. Sean Connery - NOW

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Later in his career, Connery turned down some major roles, which included Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies. It is estimated turning down this role cost him $450 million. He officially retired from acting in 2006 after receiving American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Living in the Bahamas, Sean died peacefully in his sleep from pneumonia in 2000, aged 90.

9. James Bond (2005–2021) - THEN

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Playing James Bond, for five parts of the Bond franchise, Daniel Craig was chosen to be the sixth 007, in 2005. His first appearance in Casino Royale (2006) became the highest-grossing Bond movie until Skyfall was released in 2012. The latest Bond movie released No Time to Die (2021) is Craig's final portrayal of the character. The search has now begun for Bond number seven!

10. Daniel Craig - NOW

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Craig has had several other major roles which include, Kings (2017), Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) In 2019, Daniel Craig purchased a house in Brooklyn, New York for $6 million and was granted American citizenship in 2019. He is currently married to actress Rachel Weisz after they began dating in 2010, meeting on the set of Les Grandes Horizontales (1994).

11. James Bond (1994–2004) - THEN

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Born on 16 May 1953 in Ireland, Pierce Brosnan was the fifth actor to play the Bond character, following on from Roger Moore. Bronson appeared in four Bond films, GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2022) His likeness was also used in the video games, 007: Nightfire and James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

12. Pierce Brosnan - NOW

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After announcing he was leaving the role of Bond in 2004 aged 50, Bronson went on to appear in the Box Office hit Mamma Mia! (2008) Playing the role of Sam Carmichael. His latest movie role was as King Louis XIV in The King’s Daughter (2022) Pierce is also an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland and is on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Board of Advisors.

13. James Bond (1967) - THEN

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Originally from London David Niven's first big screen roles included Barbary Coast (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Niven was able to land these parts after earning a work permit to stay in the US after working cleaning guns for American hunters in Mexico. In 1967 he played James Bond in Casino Royale and this was his sole appearance in the franchise.

14. David Niven - NOW

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Niven moved into comedies after his role as Bond including Prudence and the Pill (1968) and The Impossible Years (1968) His last major role, came in 1983 in, Better Late Than Never. At this time Niven was having health issues and was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The condition was so serious, later that year, Niven died in July, aged 73.

15. M - THEN

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Making her first professional acting appearance on the UK theatre scene, as Ophelia in Hamlet (1957) Judi Dench, was chosen to play the role of M, in the James Bond franchise between 1995-2015. M is a code name and she is the head of MI6 in the movies. Dench has appeared in seven Bond flicks, her first GoldenEye (1995) and last Spectre (2015) working with Pierce Brosnan & Daniel Craig.

16. Judi Dench - NOW

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After the success of Bond, Judi Dench decided to join the cast of Cats which was described as one of the worst films of 2019. This had a budget of over $100 million and co-stars included James Corden and Jennifer Hudson. In 2020, Dench became the oldest Britain to appear on the cover of British Vogue, aged 85, and was previously listed among the fifty best-dressed over 50s in 2013.

17. Nigel Small-Fawcett - THEN

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Nigel Small-Fawcett is a character played by Rowan Atkinson in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery as Bond. In the movie, Fawcett was a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office representative based in the Bahamas. Atkinson at this time was well known for his leading role in the British sitcom, Blackadder which aired between 1983–1989.

18. Rowan Atkinson - NOW

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After filming finished on Never Say Never Again, Rowan Atkinson went on to create and play the jinxed character Mr. Bean between 1990-1995. His latest appearance came in the Netflix comedy Man vs. Bee (2022) In a shocking incident, whilst on a plane over Kenya in 2001, Atkinson had to take control, after his pilot fainted, before safely landing in Nairobi.

19. Tatiana Romanova - THEN

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Growing up in Rome, Italy, after being born on 31 January 1942. Daniela Bianchi originally studied ballet before becoming known for her role as the main Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia with Love. Tatiana is a corporal in Soviet Army Intelligence and is working as a cipher clerk in Istanbul, Turkey where she receives orders to capture Bond.

20. Daniela Bianchi - NOW

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Daniela Bianchi went on to land several roles across film and television after From Russia with Love. A number of these were French and Italian including Your Turn to Die (1967) Dirty Heroes (1967) and The Last Chance (1968) Bianchi decided to retire from acting in 1970, so she could marry, Alberto Cameli, an Italian shipping magnate. In 2012, Daniela was involved in the documentary We're Nothing Like James Bond.

21. Pussy Galore - THEN

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Pussy Galore is a fictional character in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Galore is played by English actress Honor Blackman, who was born in 1925 and practised judo which helped her land the role. She was also chosen on the back of her successful portrayal of Cathy Gale in the British espionage television series, The Avengers between 1962–1964.

22. Honor Blackman - NOW

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Over the years, Blackman has had roles in theatre, television, and even a singing career. After Goldfinger, she recorded an album titled Everything I've Got and in 2009 released a single named, "The Star Who Fell from Grace" Honor Blackman's last movie role was in the 2012 British zombie action comedy Cockneys vs Zombies. Unfortunately, she died from natural causes at home in 2020, aged 94.

23. Dominique Derval - THEN

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In the 1965 James Bond film, Thunderball, Dominique Derval is played by Claudine Auger., who was born in Paris in 1941. Claudine entered the 1958 Miss World contest representing France and finished as the runner-up, behind the South African contestant. Her film debut was an unaccredited role in Christine (1958) whilst still in school.

24. Claudine Auger - NOW

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Claudine's European acting career was launched after her Bond girl role in Thunderball, however, she didn't have the same success in the US. Her other credits include the Italian comedy Anyone Can Play (1968) where she co-starred with fellow Bond girls Barbara Bouchet and Barbara Bach. Auger died in Paris, after fighting a long illness aged 78 in 2019.

25. Jill Masterson - THEN

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Shirley Eaton swooned audiences across the world, gaining blonde bombshell status after landing the role of Bond Girl Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. The character's skin suffocation death scene after being painted in gold, became iconic, even leading to rumors that Eaton had died on set. Before Bond, Shirley was a regular in British films in the 1950s and 1960s.

26. Shirley Eaton - NOW

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Portraying the character of Jill Masterson was the pinnacle of Eaton's career. After this role, she only appeared in a handful of films including Rhino! (1964) and Around the World Under the Sea (1966), before announcing her retirement in 1969, so she could raise her family and spend time with her husband. In 1999, Eaton released an autobiography named Golden Girl.

27. Fiona Volpe - THEN

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Fiona Volpe is a character in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Volpe is a Spectre assassin and is played by Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi who was born in Rome in 1937 and studied naval engineering for two years in Milan. Originally she auditioned for the role of Bond girl Dominetta Petacchi, which was handed to Claudine Auger. Her movie debut role came in 1954 in Three Coins in the Fountain.

28. Luciana Paluzzi - NOW

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Keeping up with the Spy theme, Paluzzi also starred in the espionage television series, Five Fingers. In 1979, she married the president of Warner Bros. International Television, Michael Jay Solomon, and they both moved to New York, which ended her acting career. Her final film role came in 1978, playing the character of Rosy in the Italian film Deadly Chase.

29. May Day - THEN

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Appearing in the fourteenth James Bond film, A View to a Kill in 1985, May Day is a character that is played by singer, model, and actress Grace Jones and portrays a bodyguard for Max Zorin, the main villain in the movie. Originally from Jamaica, Jones was signed by Island Records, and her debut album was released in 1977. She was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in James Bond.

30. Grace Jones - NOW

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After the role of May Day, Grace Jones also appeared alongside Eddie Murphy in the 1992 movie Boomerang and was also involved in making the soundtrack. In 2008, she was awarded the Q Idol Award and has been named as an influence in the careers of Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. Currently, at the age of 75, Jones is still active, recently headlining the Bluedot Festival in July 2023.