This is a list of actors who were considered to play James Bond but have not chosen for various reasons. Some actors did screen tests but others wouldn't, because someone else was already announced as the new James Bond, or had been declined by producers prior to screen testing.
Considered but not Chosen[]
Actor | Year | Reason |
---|---|---|
Trevor Howard | 1961 | Sean Connery was chosen. |
Stanley Baker | Would not commit to a three-picture contract. | |
Rex Harrison | 1962 | Turned down in favour of Connery. |
David Niven | Turned down in favour of Connery (later played Bond in the 1967 parody Casino Royale) (Fleming's personal choice). | |
Richard Todd | Ian Fleming's first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it. | |
Jeremy Brett | 1967 | Reason unknown. |
Peter Purves | Prior to becoming a Blue Peter presenter, Purves auditioned for the role of 007 but was unsuccessful and later dumped by his agent. | |
Michael Caine | Didn't want typecasting in spy films, having previously starred in the three "Harry Palmer" spy films. | |
Robert Campbell | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. | |
Dick van Dyke | His "English" accent failed to appeal to producer Albert R. Broccoli. | |
Patrick Mower | Reason unknown. | |
Daniel Pilon | Harry Saltzman felt he was too young, 27 years at time. | |
John Richardson | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. | |
Anthony Rogers | ||
Terence Stamp | His ideas for the future films felt too radical for producer Harry Saltzman. | |
Hans De Vries | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. | |
Eric Braeden | 1968 | Albert R. Broccoli at first, thought he was British and so considered him. But it was Broccoli's belief that no one from outside the Commonwealth would be suitable as James Bond. |
Peter Snow | Auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service but was rejected by Broccoli and Saltzman for being too tall (6 ft 5in). | |
Oliver Reed | 1969 | Producers did not want to spend the time or money needed to salvage Reed's poor public image and alcohol problems. |
Timothy Dalton | 1969-1972 | He thought himself too young and did not wish to follow Connery. Would decline the role again in 1979, before finally being cast in 1986. |
Roger Green | 1970 | Turned down in favour of Connery (Auditioned and filmed for Diamonds Are Forever) (Filmed audition with Imogen Hassall). |
Simon Dee | 1971 | Put forward to follow Sean Connery, despite thought by most people as a chat show host, rather than an actor. |
William Gaunt | Auditioned for the role as Bond for Live and Let Die but lost the role to Roger Moore. | |
John Gavin | 1971, 1973 | Was offered the role as the first American Bond after George Lazenby quit, but lost out when Sean Connery decided to return to the role instead. Gavin was considered again for Live and Let Die, but was denied as producers felt Bond should remain English. |
Simon Oates | 1971, 1973 | Was strongly considered but turned down when Sean Connery returned; was working on other projects when Roger Moore was selected. |
Ranulph Fiennes | 1972 | For having "hands too big and a face like a farmer". |
Peter Laughton | Broccoli remarked that he would have been chosen had he auditioned for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, following the casting of Lazenby, the producers were wary of choosing actors with limited or no acting experience and decided to settle with Moore. | |
Guy Peters | The producers wanted to cast an actor with a "known face". | |
George Lazenby | 1973 | Director Guy Hamilton did not want him cast for Live and Let Die |
Timothy Dalton | 1979 | Turned the role down for a second time as he did not like the direction the series was taking. Would eventually be cast in 1986 for The Living Daylights. |
David Warbeck | Acting considered too "wooden". | |
Michael Jayston | 1980 | Role up for grabs when Roger Moore was considering quitting but Moore returned. Jayston eventually portrayed the character in 1990 for a two-part BBC radio drama, and also voiced "Brooke Bond", a chimp parody of James Bond on the PG Tips TV adverts in the UK. |
Patrick Mower | 1980 | Auditioned when Roger Moore was considering quitting, but Moore returned |
Lewis Collins | 1982 | Collins claims the producers thought he was too aggressive. |
Ian Ogilvy | 1983 | Roger Moore agreed to return. Ogilvy had recently recorded a series of James Bond abridged audio books and later played a Bond-like character in a TV commercial. |
James Brolin | Was lined up for the part, even going so far as buying a house in London for the production, before Roger Moore agreed to return. Audtioned in his native American accent. | |
George Lazenby | 1983 | Was a contender for the non-Eon film Never Say Never Again but dropped in favour of Connery. |
Pierce Brosnan | 1986 | Became front runner for The Living Daylights after Timothy Dalton could not take the part due to his commitment to Brenda Starr. However, Brosnan's option to star in a further series of Remington Steele was taken up by NBC, and EON refused to have him do both Steele and Bond at the same time. Fortuitously, Dalton became freed up at just that time, and so reaccepted the role, which he played until 1989. Brosnan would later play Bond from GoldenEye through to Die Another Day. |
Daniel Pilon | Timothy Dalton was chosen for the role. | |
Sam Neill | Although he impressed producers as Reilly, Ace of Spies, and filmed a screen test, Neill lost out to Timothy Dalton for this iteration of Bond. | |
Antony Hamilton | Was in negotiations with the producers before Timothy Dalton was chosen. | |
Mel Gibson | 1987 | MGM suggested the American-born Australian actor for the role, but was rejected by Albert. R. Broccoli for not being British (this despite other Australians being seriously considered at this time - see below - and Australian George Lazenby previously playing Bond). |
Christopher Lambert | French accent prevented him from being chosen. | |
Neil Dickson | Timothy Dalton was chosen. | |
Mark Greenstreet | Told Terry Wogan in an interview that he was given a screen test for Bond but lost out to Timothy Dalton. | |
Finlay Light | The little-known Australian model was one of the main contenders for The Living Daylights, even signing a ten-year contract. Timothy Dalton was chosen anyway. | |
Andrew Clarke | One of the most popular Australian actors of the 1980s, Clarke was considered but lost out to Dalton. | |
Simon MacCorkindale | Timothy Dalton was chosen. | |
Sean Bean | 1994 | Was the second choice for EON if Timothy Dalton did not return; however, MGM overruled on both counts, and Pierce Brosnan was given the part. The producers were still impressed, and gave him the part of the villain Trevelyan, rewritten from the mentor part it originally was, to become a direct parallel of Bond as Agent 006. |
Mark Frankel | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. | |
Paul McGann | Was given an audition and did impress producers, however, MGM insisted still on Pierce Brosnan for the role, but it was believed that McGann would have stepped in if Brosnan turned down the role. | |
Lambert Wilson | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. | |
Henry Cavill | 2005 | The preferred choice of director Martin Campbell; however, was deemed too young to portray Bond. As of 2022, he is one of the favourites to succeed Daniel Craig. |
Rupert Friend | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. | |
Julian McMahon | ||
Alex O'Loughlin | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. References to Bond was featured in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 during the first season. | |
Clive Owen | The producers were unwilling to provide gross profit points. | |
Dougray Scott | Reason unknown. | |
Goran Višnjić |
Considered but Declined[]
Actor | Year considered | Reason |
---|---|---|
Richard Burton | 1959, 1961, 1968 | Felt the role was a new untested concept, and wanted more than the producers would pay. |
Cary Grant | 1961 | Felt he was too old at time being 58; also just wanted to do one film. |
Richard Johnson | Terence Young's choice but did not want a contract, because he was under contract to MGM. | |
James Mason | Offered a three-picture contract but only agreed to do two; turned down the role. Mason was later selected to play the villain Hugo Drax in Moonraker (film), but the part eventually went to Michael Lonsdale in order to satisfy the requirements of an Anglo-French co-production under the 1965–79 film treaty. | |
Patrick McGoohan | Role too promiscuous. Unlike some actors, McGoohan did not enjoy kissing or sex scenes. He was notable for the spy series Danger Man and the Prisoner. | |
Rod Taylor | Felt the role was beneath him. | |
Steve Reeves | 1962 | Wanted more money than the producers would offer. |
John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan | 1967 | Declined an offer from Cubby Broccoli to screen test him for the role after he decided not to pursue acting. Would later become infamous when he vanished after his children's nanny was murdered. |
Michael Gambon | 1970 | Felt he did not have good enough looks to play Bond. |
Clint Eastwood | Felt Bond must be British. | |
Burt Reynolds | ||
Adam West | ||
Jon Finch | 1972 | Did not want it |
Liam Neeson | 1994 | Not interested in starring in action movies. In reality, his girlfriend would not marry him if he had taken the role.[1] Neeson had in fact played numerous action roles before and since. |
Hugh Jackman | 1999 or 2001 | Conflicts between X-Men 2 and Bond.[2] |
Dominic West | 2005 | Heard rumours that Daniel Craig got the role and ruled himself out |
Cast in a Different Role[]
Actor | Years auditioned/considered | Film | Character | Affiliation |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Niven | 1962 | Casino Royale | Sir James Bond (non-Eon role) | |
George Baker | 1962 | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) 'The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) |
Sir Hillary Bray |
College professor Royal Navy |
Michael Billington | 1968, 1973, 1979, 1981, 1983 | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Sergei Barsov (KGB agent Anya Amasova's lover) | KGB |
Julian Glover | 1979 | For Your Eyes Only (1981) | Aris Kristatos | MI6/KGB (double agent) |
Sean Bean | 1987, 1994 | GoldenEye (1995) | Alec Trevelyan | Former MI6 agent 006 turned villain |
Ralph Fiennes | 1994, 2004 | Skyfall (2012) | Gareth Mallory/M | MI6 |
Colin Salmon | 2004 | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999) |
Charles Robinson |
Screen Test Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ "Liam Neeson Turned Down Chance To Become James Bond Because Of His Wife". 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
- ↑ "Hugh Jackman Explains Why He Turned Down James Bond". Collider. 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
See also[]
- Rowan Atkinson who would later spoof Bond in Johnny English.
- Bob Holness
- Barry Nelson
External Links[]
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of actors considered for the James Bond character. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with James Bond Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |