Which James Bond was best?

[Ajendo]

Brosnan is overrated.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

My rankings:

1. Sean Connery
2. Roger Moore
3. Daniel Craig
4. Pierce Brosnan
5. Timothy Dalton
6. George Lazenby

 

[The Joker]

I don't even have to think twice about this. It's Sean Connery. He is by far the best.

 

[#1Batmanfan]

sean baby!!

 

[DKDetective]

Best to worst:

Daniel Craig - He's not good looking (James Bond in the books wasn't either),

What are you talking about? Bond is described as handsome throughout the books. Handsome, but with an air of coldness and ruthlessness about him. From Moonraker, Gala Brand's appraisal of Bond's looks:

"But what good could he do down here without any beautiful spies to make love to. Because he certainly was good-looking. [...] Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold."

Similarly, in From Russia With Love, when Tatianna is shown Bond's photo and asked if she could love him: "She looked down warily at the handsome, ruthless face. [...] 'He is good-looking. Perhaps if he was gentle...'"

I don't know where this misconception of Bond not being handsome in the books is from. I guess some people like Craig so much, they are re-shaping the character to be more like his interpretation.

My personal rankings:
1. Craig/Dalton
2. Connery
3. Lazenby
4. Brosnan
5. Moore

 

[A Necessary Evil]

1. Craig
2. Connery
3. Brosnan
4. Dalton
5. Moore

 

[Ajendo]

Craig is not ugly. Just because he doesn't have conventional male-model looks doesn't mean he's ugly and I say this as red-blooded straight guy who has no problem getting with the ladies. Sexiness and attractiveness goes beyond how aesthetically pleasing one's face is. Craig by far has the best body of any actor in the series and his style and attitude encpases his overall sexual appeal which is why legions of women are more than willing to drop their panties for the guy and in many cases even before he was cast as Bond.

 

[Quasimod0]

1. Connery
2. Brosnan tied with Craig

 

[Slushy]

What are you talking about?

He's not a pretty boy like the other Bonds. He's a man with rugged looks.

Before you start going off on me, I want to remind you that I don't have a problem with this since he's my favorite Bond.

 

[DKDetective]

He's not a pretty boy like the other Bonds. He's a man with rugged looks.

Before you start going off on me, I want to remind you that I don't have a problem with this since he's my favorite Bond.

Re-read my post. I was commenting on the inaccuracy of you stating that Bond in the books was not good looking.

Personally, I quite like Craig's rugged appearance. Bond, in the books, was described as more classically handsome, but he also had a three inch scar on his cheek from the Second World War and as having a cruel mouth, which made him far from a "pretty boy". I think Craig's features do a good job of capturing the balance of good looks and toughness that literary Bond had.

However, I don't think it is fair to call ALL the other Bonds "pretty boys". Connery and Dalton were handsome, but far from pretty boys. I reserve that title for Brosnan and Moore to an extent.

 

[Spoonman]

Timothy Dalton almost fits Flemming's facial description of the character to the "T". Its uncanny IMO.

 

[AnneFan]

Craig is not ugly. Just because he doesn't have conventional male-model looks doesn't mean he's ugly

Yep. Craig's Bond nails this passage from Fleming:

And what could the casual observer think of him, 'Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVSR', also 'something at the Ministry of Defence', the rather saturnine young man in his middle thirties sitting opposite the Admiral? Something a bit cold and dangerous in the face. Looks pretty fit. May have been attached to Templer in Malaya. Or Nairobi. Mau Mau work. Tough-looking customer. Doesn't look the sort of chap one usually sees in Blades.

Fleming also described Bond as good looking in a cruel, dark way as well.

 

[Slushy]

he also had a three inch scar on his cheek from the Second World War and as having a cruel mouth

That is not handsome.