What Actors Came The Closest To Playing James Bond?
One could write a whole book on the men who almost became 007. Here at JoBlo, I’ve worked on dozens of videos covering every facet of the super spy’s history, but strangely enough, I never took a deep dive into the actors who very nearly played Bond… James Bond. Truth be told, there are dozens—ranging from global superstars, to people whose popularity briefly peaked, to complete unknowns. But it really needs to be divided up into eras, as there were eight specific periods where EON was actively looking for a new 007. Arguably, we’re in the ninth such period now, with Amazon and Denis Villeneuve searching for the man who will lead Bond into the next stage of his cinematic history.
So, in celebration of James Bond Day, let’s take a look at each.
Pre-Doctor No: Before Sean Connery was cast as James Bond, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman cast a wide net for who would be the first actor to play 007 on screen. While people often say Cary Grant, James Mason, and David Niven (who later played Bond in the spoof Casino Royale) were strong contenders, that’s not really accurate. The first Bond film was a glorified B-movie with a modest $1.1 million budget. They were never going to cast a big star. Instead, the role really came down to a few relatively unknown actors at the time. One was Roger Moore, who had a brief, unsuccessful career in Hollywood as an MGM contract player and even replaced James Garner for a short stint as the lead in the TV western Maverick. Another was Patrick McGoohan, who declined the role because he was Catholic and didn’t approve of Bond’s womanizing. He would go on to play a much more chaste small-screen spy in Secret Agent/Danger Man, before creating The Prisoner and enjoying a long, distinguished career—including a memorable villainous role in Braveheart late in life. Another contender was Richard Johnson, who was gaining recognition in North America after starring in Robert Wise’s The Haunting. He later played a very Bond-like character in the Bulldog Drummond revival films Deadlier Than the Male and Some Girls Do. How close any of these men actually came to landing the part is debatable, as it seems the only one who ever really got serious consideration was Connery.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: The downside of hiring an unknown is that they typically sign multi-picture deals. Even after Connery became a household name, EON refused to make him an equal partner in the series. Frustrated, he walked away after You Only Live Twice, and the search for a new Bond was on. This time, EON was clear: they wanted another unknown. No stars. They held cattle-call auditions, one of which was even covered by Life Magazine. The eventual winner was George Lazenby, an unknown Australian model. None of the other profiled actors really stood out, except John Richardson, who had starred in Hammer films such as She and One Million Years B.C.
Diamonds Are Forever: The public didn’t embrace Lazenby, though the film did well enough financially that EON thought he might grow into the part. Unfortunately, Lazenby—after taking some horrendous business advice—decided the Bond franchise was outdated and fancied himself the next Clint Eastwood. He quit and promptly faded into obscurity, though he later became a cult favorite among Bond fans. At this point, EON considered making Bond American, with a lower-budget film set in the U.S. Broccoli wanted Burt Reynolds, but Reynolds wisely declined, saying that making Bond American would be a mistake. Adam West (TV’s Batman) was also considered and even befriended the Broccoli family. Ultimately, the part was given to John Gavin, best known from Hitchcock’s Psycho. Contracts were signed, but United Artists—Bond’s U.S. distributor—insisted this was a mistake and urged EON to lure Connery back at all costs. They offered him a then-astronomical $1 million salary (as much as Dr. No had cost to produce) and a two-film deal. Connery agreed, donating his salary to charity, but swore it was a one-off. Once Diamonds Are Forever wrapped, Bond was once again without a leading man.
Live and Let Die: With Connery officially out, EON abandoned the idea of making Bond an American. Diamonds Are Forever had been a hit, so they set their sights back on British talent. Michael Gambon was briefly considered but turned it down, claiming he was too unattractive and out of shape. A young Timothy Dalton was also approached but felt he was far too young for the role. Ultimately, they offered the part to Roger Moore, who had already been considered twice before—once before Dr. No, and again during the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service casting process, when they nearly shot The Man with the Golden Gun in Cambodia (before the Vietnam War scuttled those plans).
1981–82: Despite Moore’s long run as 007, he was nearly replaced twice. Before For Your Eyes Only, salary negotiations broke down and Michael Billington (who had appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me) was seriously considered, even posing for promotional stills. In 1982, before Octopussy, Moore again seemed out, with Billington kept as a backup. Other contenders included Quebecois actor Daniel Pilon, Lewis Collins (The Professionals), and—most interestingly—American actor James Brolin. Brolin filmed extensive screen tests, which are still available on DVD/Blu-ray. He adopted a mid-Atlantic accent that was surprisingly effective. The only reason he didn’t get the role was that EON couldn’t stop Sean Connery from making the rival film Never Say Never Again. They decided they needed Moore to compete directly. Their gamble paid off—Octopussy outgrossed Never Say Never Again. Moore enjoyed making Octopussy so much that he returned for one final film, A View to a Kill, though he later admitted he was far too old by that point.
The Living Daylights (1986): This was the most exhaustive search for Bond yet. Sam Neill screen-tested but came across as too serious. Pierce Brosnan nailed his audition and was actually hired—only for NBC to block him by reviving Remington Steele, hoping to benefit from their lead actor becoming 007. Broccoli refused, and Brosnan lost the role, only for NBC to cancel Remington Steele shortly after. Frenchman Lambert Wilson and Australian Anthony Hamilton were also contenders. Ultimately, Timothy Dalton was cast, leading to a short but respected tenure as Bond.
1994: Brosnan was once again the popular favorite, but other names were floated, including Mel Gibson, Ralph Fiennes (who would later play M), and Mark Frankel, a promising actor whose career was cut short by a fatal car accident in 1996. Brosnan finally secured the role and ushered in a successful era for the franchise.
2003–2005: After Die Another Day, Brosnan was dismissed and EON chose to reboot the series with a younger Bond. Candidates included Julian McMahon, Goran Višnjić, Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Rupert Friend, and Sam Worthington. The closest was Henry Cavill, who gave a strong audition but was deemed too young at 22. The role instead went to 35-year-old Daniel Craig, whose casting reshaped the franchise.
And that, my friends, is a short history of the men who almost played Bond. Watching the leaked auditions is fascinating—you can critique the performances and imagine the alternate timelines. For my money, Brolin and Cavill were the only two who really could have nailed the role in their eras. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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