Daniel Craig was the sixth six different actors played James Bond, starting with Sean Connery, and all but one starred in multiple franchise films.

It all started in 1962 when Daniel Craig changed everything about James Bond, taking a more serious direction and leaving big shoes to fill for whoever comes next.

Sean Connery - Goldfinger (1964)

The First Bond Movie To Win An Oscar

Goldfinger was Sean Connery's third James Bond movie and was the first in the series to become a blockbuster at the box office. The plot sees Bond trying to stop the evil Auric Goldfinger, a man who wants to contaminate the gold in Fort Knox, making it worthless and increasing the value of the gold he smuggles internationally. The movie was a huge hit. Its $3 million budget was more than the first two movies combined, and its $125 million box office ensured Bond would continue.

Sean Connery James Bond Movies

The movie had some of the most shocking moments in a Bond film at that time, including the death of Jill Masterson, who was covered in gold paint and died of suffocation. This film is also one that introduced several Bond staples, including the gadgets he uses, the pre-credit sequence, and the sarcastic humor that became a big part of Bond's personality. Goldfinger was also the first Bond movie to win an Oscar, winning Best Sound Editing.

George Lazenby - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Lazenby Is The Only Bond To Only Have One Movie

In 1969, the James Bond franchise changed leads for the first time. George Lazenby took over after Sean Connery left the role. Fans were unhappy about it, and the change lasted for only one movie. However, Lazenby left the series voluntarily, forcing Eon to pay Connery to un-retire for another film. While no one really talks about Lazenby compared to the other actors who played 007, his movie was quite good and brought something a little more serious to the franchise.

George Lazenby Movies

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond faces Blofeld, who threatens to make all plants and livestock infertile if the world's governments don't meet his demands. This film does one thing that stands out in James Bond movies, at least at that time: Bond falls in love and gets married. It also makes the shocking decision to end the film on a tragic note. While many fans consider George Lazenby the worst James Bond, he did receive a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

Roger Moore - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Roger Moore Had More James Bond Movies Than Any Other Actor

In 1973, Roger Moore took on the role of James Bond and appeared in more Bond movies than any other actor to take on the role. There was a huge change to the franchise when Moore arrived, as the series took on a more humorous tone, with Bond delivering sarcastic insults and the titles and plots taking on more of a tongue-in-cheek attitude. These movies included trips to space and voodoo. However, the best of Roger Moore's James Bond movies was his third outing as 007.

Roger Moore James Bond Movies

While Live and Let Die was a great introduction to Moore, The Spy Who Loved Me showed him at his best before things really jumped the shark in the next film, Moonraker. A villain named Karl Stromberg wants to destroy the world and create a new civilization underwater. This film also introduces one of Bond's greatest villains, Jaws, for the first time. The Spy Who Loved Me earned three Oscar nominations, and Roger Moore called it his favorite Bond movie in his memoir, My Word is My Bond.

Timothy Dalton - License To Kill (1989)

Bond Gets Serious Over A Decade Before Daniel Craig Did It

After Roger Moore retired as James Bond, Eon again tried to reinvent the character. This came over a decade too soon, though. Eon hired Timothy Dalton to play James Bond, making him dangerous and deadly, and the franchise eliminated much of the humor from the Roger Moore films. This was highly successful years later with Daniel Craig, but ready for a serious Bond in the 1980s. This is unfortunate because Licence to Kill is one of the best Bond movies, regardless of actor.

Timothy Dalton James Bond Movies

In Licence to Kill, Bond quits MI6 to get revenge against a drug lord who killed his CIA friend, Felix Leiter's wife. This was also the first movie that didn't use one of Ian Fleming's story titles. Critics praised the story's grit and harder edge, but it lacked the flair of the previous movies in of set pieces and action sequences. However, after Pierce Brosnan's era ended, many fans wanted what this movie offered, and it was a precursor to the Craig era.

Pierce Brosnan - GoldenEye

Pierce Brosnan's Introduction As James Bond

After the Timothy Dalton era ended after just two movies, Eon returned to what they figured fans wanted by reverting to more of the over-the-top moments of the Roger Moore movies. The company cast Pierce Brosnan as Bond, and by the time his era ended, there were ice castles and invisible cars, signalling that the franchise had finally gone too far. However, Brosnan's introduction was one of the GoldenEye.

This was the first movie that didn't use anything from any Ian Fleming story, but it worked thanks to the cast and the great action set pieces. Sean Bean plays a bad guy who betrayed MI6. Judi Dench ed the franchise here, starting her long term as M, and the movie made more money than any Bond film from the 80s. It also made a lasting impression on an entire generation thanks to the Nintendo 64 game, one of the best-ever movie tie-in video games.

Daniel Craig - Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig's Reboot Of The Bond Franchise

After fans tired of the over-the-top nature of the Pierce Brosnan era, Daniel Craig signed on and brought the entire James Bond franchise back to Earth. His Bond still had gadgets, car chases, and gun battles, but he was more human than any Bond that came before him. He could get hurt and almost die, and yet, he had a gravitas to him that wasn't seen even in Timothy Dalton's version. This also started the first time the Bond movies were interconnected into one overarching storyline.

Daniel Craig James Bond Movies

The best of Craig's run is still the first movie, which is surprising considering most of the story is based around a poker tournament that Bond plays with the villain, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). However, it was one of the most tense and tightly plotted James Bond movies ever made, and Casino Royale remains known as one of the franchise's best films, regardless of actor, and a movie that sets a high bar for whoever takes on the role of 007 next.