And yet, when Columbia bought the rights to turn Casino Royale into a comedy send-up of the still young 007 franchise, he was indeed the man they chose to play the O.G.

Whenever David Niven enters a conversation on film, the James Bond series is something folks wouldn't be likely to cite as part of his resume. Save for a video game voice-over role in an adaptation of From Russia With Love, that was the last time Connery ever donned the tuxedo – and it's still a source of debate between Bond fans who love it or hate it.

One of those performances, 1983's Never Say Never Again, is counted as an unofficial James Bond film considering it was made outside of the EON Productions canon, and is a remake of Thunderball, driven by the film's original creator, Kevin McClory. This is because of the fact that while he had a straight five year run as the character, from 1962 to 1967, he was lured back twice after that golden age to reprise the character. But while he's one of the most iconic actors to have played the role, he's also one of the most complicated actors to have taken the role. No not only won the author over to his side, it also caused him to write the character closer to the actor's own background in subsequent novels. Probably the most iconic James Bond to ever hit the screen, Sean Connery is the person that everyone thinks of when you say the words, “Bond, James Bond.” While Ian Fleming initially doubted the casting, his successful debut in 1962's Dr.

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