PLAYING James Bond is one of the most coveted roles for any actor and, over the years, a whole host of names have taken the helm.

List of All James Bond Movies The complete list of official James Bond films, made by EON Productions. Beginning with Sean Connery, and going through George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

We all know the likes of Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, but who else has played Bond and who has been the secret agent the most times?

Who played the first 007 and who's portrayed the secret MI6 agent the most times?

Sean Connery played the first James Bond on the big screen, but before the Ian Fleming books became movies there was a TV series.

In 1954, Barry Nielsen played Bond in the series called Climax!, which was an adaptation of Casino Royale.

It came eight years before Sean Connery appeared in Dr No.

Sean Connery and Roger Moore have both played James Bond seven times – a number which is yet to be beaten by any other Bond actor.

Full list of Bond actors

Sean Connery: 1962-67, 1971 and 1983

Sean Connery was the first actor to play the MI6 agent on the big screen.

He first appeared in Dr No, which became an instant success and led to more Ian Fleming novels from the series being adapted.

He went on to star in From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, before a brief break.

Sean returned to star in Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 and then again for Never Say Never Again in 1983.

George Lazenby: 1969

Australian actor George played Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Age 29, he was the youngest actor to play the character and he is the only Bond to received a Golden Globe nomination.

Roger Moore: 1972- 1985

Roger Moore is the longest running James Bond, having spent 12 years making seven films in the famous franchise.

He took over from Sean Connery in 1972 and made his debut in Live and Let Die and retired from the role in 1985.

His starred in: Moonraker, A View to a Kill, The Man with the Golden Gun, Octupussy, For Your Eyes Only and The Spy Who Loved me.

Timothy Dalton: 1986-1994

Timothy Dalton took over from Roger Moore and appeared in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill.

He was expected to continue the role but after a five year gap between making his two films, he officially left in 1994.

Pierce Brosnan: 1995-2004

Pierce was initially asked to play Bond in 1986 but couldn’t due to his commitments on the TV series Remington Steele.

He appeared in Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Daniel Craig: 2005-present

Daniel Craig became the sixth actor to win the role of James Bond in 2005 and his debut was in Casino Royale.

He's appeared in Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. Daniel will be reprising his role for the next instalment of the film.

He also played Bond at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, alongside the Queen.

Whenever an iconic role is poised to be recast on the big-screen, there’s always one example that moviegoers cite as the template for how a popular character can live on for decades. Ever since Sean Connery first swaggered on-screen as James Bond in the 1962 film Dr. No, several actors have succeeded him as the suave super-spy with a knack for charming the ladies and saving the world.

So, as rumors swirl that the current Bond, Daniel Craig, might be set for a $150 million deal to return for two more films in the franchise, we take a look back at the history of the character with a ranking of all who have played James Bond to date.

For the record, we’re only looking at actors who starred in at least one of the 24 official Eon Productions films spanning from Dr. No to 2015’s Spectre. Accordingly, this will not include the 1967 version of Casino Royale. So don’t expect to see David Niven or any of the cast members posing as James Bond within the context of that film.

6. Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton in Licence to Kill MGM

Following the departure of Roger Moore after a seven-film tenure, Timothy Dalton stepped in to take over. His debut in The Living Daylights marked a creative shift for the series — taking it into a less tongue-in-cheek direction than Moore’s Bond — and was a critical and commercial hit.

However, some feel that he didn’t truly capture the character in as memorable of a way as his predecessors. No wonder his second film as 007, 1989’s Licence to Kill, marked his final appearance in the franchise, setting the stage for a six-year hiatus that wouldn’t end until Pierce Brosnan was cast.

5. George Lazenby

George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service United Artists

Given that he only played Bond in a single release (1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), it’s easy to write off George Lazenby’s short-lived time in the role as a mere misstep. It certainly doesn’t help that producers coerced Connery to come back one more time for Diamonds Are Forever after Lazenby had his chance as Bond. However, Lazenby’s film is now well-regarded among may fans for its efforts to lend Bond a personal story and the actor himself is praised for bringing something fresh to a character moviegoers had already seen on-screen several times throughout the 1960s.

4. Pierce Brosnan

Following Timothy Dalton’s brief run, Pierce Brosnan took the Bond films into a more modern era of action. While he retained the sophistication of his predecessors, Brosnan’s Bond proved that the character was still relevant. The actor — who had been in consideration for the role in years past, likely due to his work on TV’s Remington Steele — proved that the producer’s instincts were dead-on. His debut, GoldenEye, is also the first film in the series not to be based on Ian Fleming’s stories, making his status as one of the all-time great Bonds even more impressive.

3. Roger Moore

Roger Moore in Live and Let Die United Artists

Some fans may not love Roger Moore’s more playful, goofy version of 007, but if you discount Connery’s role in the unofficial release, Never Say Never Again, Moore has played the character more times on-screen than any actor in history (so far). His era of Bond films was responsible for proving the series’ longevity after Connery’s departure and Lazenby’s one-off. He also proved that Bond can work with a light-hearted approach. Moore finally got the chance to prove his mettle after reportedly being in the conversation to take the role before both of his predecessors were cast.

2. Daniel Craig

With the era of Christopher Nolan’s Batman and Jason Bourne series in full swing, James Bond needed to change with the times, especially considering just how bad the franchise got in the 2002 release, Die Another Day. Producers ultimately opted to reboot the entire franchise, telling the story of Bond’s first mission as 007.

Through the lens of Ian Fleming’s classic Casino Royale (which had never been given a proper on-screen adaptation), Daniel Craig was perfectly cast as a more serious and visceral version of the character, and director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) once again reinvented Bond for a new generation.

1. Sean Connery

Sean Connery in Dr. No United Artists

Though many men have had their martinis “shaken, not stirred” since James Bond became an iconic cinematic hero, none have embodied the role quite as well as its originator. Sean Connery balanced the wry humor, the effortless charm, and the powerful skill of James Bond like no other actor has. His performance has come to define the role for all who’ve taken it on in his wake, and while some may come close to matching his portrayal in legitimate classics like Goldfinger, Connery is still king in the eyes of many Bond fans.

Follow Robert Yaniz Jr. on Twitter @CrookedTable

Additional reporting by Michelle Regalado

Check out Entertainment Cheat Sheet on Facebook!