Considered
A list of actors who were considered for the role James Bond, however they were not chosen for various reasons.
| Actor | Year | Not-selected reason |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Baker | 1961 | Would not commit to a three picture contract |
| Richard Todd | 1962 | Ian Fleming's first choice for the role, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting it. |
| Rex Harrison | 1962 | Turned down in favour of Connery. |
| David Niven | 1962 | Turned down in favour of Connery (later spoofed Bond in 1967's Casino Royale) (Fleming's personal choice). |
| Jeremy Brett | 1967 | Reason unknown. |
| Patrick Mower | 1967 | Reason unknown. |
| Simon MacCorkindale | ?? | Reason unknown. |
| John Richardson | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. |
| Hans De Vries | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. |
| Robert Campbell | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. |
| Anthony Rogers | 1967 | George Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene. |
| Michael Caine | 1967 | Didn't want typecasting in spy films, having previously starred in the three "Harry Palmer" spy films. |
| Terence Stamp | 1967 | His ideas for the future films felt too radical for producer Harry Saltzman. |
| Oliver Reed | 1969 | Reason unknown |
| 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. |
| William Gaunt | 1971 | Auditioned for the role as Bond for Live and Let Die but lost the role to Roger Moore. |
| Simon Dee | 1971 | Put forward to follow Sean Connery, despite thought by most people as a chat show host, rather than an actor. |
| John Gavin | 1971, 1973 | Left the role the first time when Sean Connery returned, and was denied the second time because he was not 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. |
| David Warbeck | 1979 | Acting considered too "wooden". |
| Timothy Dalton | 1979 | Turned the role down for a second time as did not like the direction the series was taking. Would eventually be cast in 1986 for The Living Daylights. |
| Lewis Collins | 1982 | Collins claims the producers thought he was too aggressive. |
| Ian Ogilvy | 1983 | Roger Moore agreed to return. |
| Daniel Pilon | 1986 | Timothy Dalton was chosen for the role. |
| Pierce Brosnan | 1986 | The preferred choice, his option to star in a further series of Remington Steele was taken up. Timothy Dalton would win the role in The Living Daylights, Brosnan would later play Bond from GoldenEye through to Die Another Day. |
| Sam Neill | 1986 | Although he impressed producers as Reilly, Ace of Spies, Neill lost out to Timothy Dalton for this iteration of Bond. |
| Paul McGann | 1994 | Was given an audition and did impress producers, however production were still hoping to get Pierce Brosnan for the role, but it was believed that McGann would have stepped in if Brosnan turned down the role. |
| Lambert Wilson | 1994 | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. |
| Mark Frankel | 1994 | Pierce Brosnan was chosen for the role. |
| Goran Višnjić | 2005 | Reason unknown. |
| Dougray Scott | 2005 | Reason unknown. |
| Henry Cavill | 2005 | Was deemed too young to portray Bond. |
| Julian McMahon | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. |
| Alex O'Loughlin | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. |
| Rupert Friend | 2005 | Daniel Craig was chosen for the role. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Actors Considered For The James Bond Character
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