What character led a film franchise for over sixty years, grossed over seven billion dollars, was played by seven actors and prefers his martini shaken not stirred? Bond. James Bond.

The character of James Bond originated in the book “Casino Royale”, penned in 1953 by author Ian Fleming. The character was mostly based on three men, Porfiro Rubirosa, Dusko Popov, and Ian Fleming himself. Rubirosa was a Dominican diplomat, playboy, and alleged political assassin active from the 30’s to the 60’s. He lived a life that could be written straight into a bond novel, as he traveled all over the globe, was in the company of many famous actresses and models, and even survived an assassination attempt, taking three bullets in the process. Popov was a Serbian double agent who was double crossing Germany during World War II. He earned the nickname “Tricycle” from his foes, as he was confirmed to have been a double agent on at least three occasions over his life. One of his signature missions was the deception operation entitled “Operation Fortitude”. For this mission, Popov collected sensitive information on the war from a Portuguese hotel, then was so good at his job the British actually declined to provide him with more intel as they feared he may have been double crossing his double cross.

The first piece of Bond media was the book “Casino Royale” in 1953. The basic plot includes a Soviet villain whom Bond needs to stop from winning at the casino for honestly unimportant reasons, and a Bond girl who sticks by his side until the end, dying and being revealed as a double agent. These are both staples of Bond films with over thirty Bond girls dying and an overwhelming majority of the villains being Russian/Soviet or affiliated.

Sean Connery was the first actor to portray Bond on the big screen, starring in Dr. No in 1962. He starred in seven Bond films, covering the character for over twenty years. These films are highly regarded in the franchise, including “Goldfinger”, “Thunderball”, and “From Russia with Love”. Fleming originally imagined the character as an Englishman, but he was so taken with Connery’s performance of Bond he made Bond Scottish in future novels, as Connery was Scottish. He’s almost unanimously considered to be the best Bond, a sentiment we would agree with. The role rocketed Connery into becoming a true star, however he had mixed feelings about the role. Arguments over pay, increasing breaches of privacy by paparazzi, and a general growing apathy with the role led to Connery leaving the role in 1983, playing the role of Bond for the seventh time in “Never Say Never Again”, leaving some pretty big shoes to feel.

Connery was also the first Bond to face his arch-nemesis, Ernst Blofeld. Blofeld is the head of the international criminal organization SPECTRE. He usually appears bald with a scar along one eye, sitting and stroking a white cat. This image of an evil mastermind has been copied and parodied endlessly today, and Blofeld was the archetype. He appears in eight films, miraculously surviving death on multiple occasions. He has become the quintessential Bond villain, though he only appears in three novels. The leader of SPECTRE has been played by four different actors, though for his first couple appearances only his hands and cat were seen. He most recently appeared in 2015’s SPECTRE, this time facing the newest Bond, Daniel Craig.

George Lazenby took up the role of Bond after Connery, but is often overlooked due to only appearing in a single movie as the character, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. The film is highly regarded though, so the fanbase have a soft spot for him. The next Bond to really make the role their own was Roger Moore, playing the character from 1972-1983. In contrast to the cold intensity of Connery’s Bond, Moore portrayed a more witty and humor-filled version of the character. Plots became less grounded and fantastical, for example flying into outer space in the movie “Moonraker”. The films were less secret agent and more superhero, and this has caused Moore’s place in the Bond fandom to be hotly debated. While most of his films are rated too highly, “The Spy Who Loved Me” has embedded itself at the top of Bond media.

After Moore’s more lighthearted take on the character, Timothy Dalton’s version dove right back into a darker form, more so than even Connery. Gone were the witty jokes and banter, replaced with a cold and reserved secret agent with a job to do. The violence was brutal and realistic, and Dalton’s Bond produced it unflinchingly. This drastic shift in tone is credited to Dalton wanting to return to the original character written in the novels, who was more similar to his portrayal.This version of the character is also prone to heated discussion, some liking it for it’s realism and seriousness, while others call Bond a disturbed lunatic in his movies. Audiences had gotten used to a more friendly and charming Bond, so it was somewhat of a shock to see such a change, no matter how accurate to the original material. Dalton only appeared in two films as the spy “The Living Daylights” and “License To Kill”, both with divisive ratings.

Pierce Brosnan was the next to take up the mantle, returning to the fantastical. The Bond car was really souped up in these movies, fitted with missiles, parachutes, even a submarine feature, While Brosnan is looked upon favorably by fans as a Bond, his movies aren’t given such leniency. Some of his movies are generally considered the worst of the franchise, including “Die Another Day” and “The World Is Not Enough”. However his other two films as Bond “Goldeneye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies” are viewed pretty well, not the best in the franchise but very good. This leads to a mixed bag, as many adore Brosnan’s Bond but have mixed feelings about his movies. The wit and charm returned, leading some to say he was the best modern Bond, giving a sense of both Connery and Moore in his performance.

The final Bond put to screen as of now, Daniel Craig did not have a good start. His casting was marred with controversy, as he was the most different Bond put to screen physically. Whereas all the other actors to portray had been over six feet, with dark hair and eyes, Craig was only 5’10, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Fans of the series claimed this was a miscast, and multiple petitions were made to oust him from the role. His first movie as Bond “Casino Royale” cleared this all up however. The movie is regarded as one of the best in the series, and critics lauded Craig’s performance, claiming he was the best to play the role since Connery.