Talk:Portrayal of James Bond in film

Actor's tenure time.

Timothy Dalton's and Pierce Brosnan's tenure as Bond should end with the release year of their respective last movies, regardless of if they were contracted for further movies or not. For example, to say the Timothy Dalton's tenure ended in 1994 could imply that he continued to portray Bond beyond 1989's "Licence To Kill". While he was still contracted for a third movie, and that contract ended in 1994, his last portrayal was in 1989. Similar situation applies to Pierce Brosnan. He didn't portray Bond again after 2002, regardless of contract. Furthermore, the table at the top of the page list the actor's tenure based on the release years of the actor's movies, not the contracts. This creates conflicting information on their tenures. We should keep it the same across the board.

1983's Never Say Never Again is another example for my reasoning. Connery's tenure currently is listed as "1962-1967, 1971 and 1983", yet Connery's involvement with NSNA dates back to the late 1970's, so if he was contracted to appear that far back should we alter his tenure to say "1962-1967, 1971 and late 1970's-1983"? No. If we were to go by filming dates, it began filming in 1982, so again, he was contracted at least that far back, so should we say "1962-1967, 1971, 1982-1983"? Again, no, we don't. We simply say 1983 and leave it at that. OHMSS began filming in 1968, by which time Lazenby was under contract, but we don't say "1968-1969" for his tenure. But why shouldn't we? Live And Let Die began filming in 1972, and as such, Roger Moore's tenure in the main body of the page is listed as "1972-1985", so why aren't we using the same logic for all the actor's? If we want to list them by movie dates at the top, then list them that way in the main body. If we want to go by contracts, then why are we applying that rule to Lazenby and NSNA when we used that rule for Moore, Dalton and Brosnan? Thanks for reading. Allindsey1978 (talk) 20:21, 10 October 2021 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{edit protected}} template. Whichever way it is done it should be consistent. Checking back through the article the dates have always encompassed the contractual period rather than the release of the films. The film release dates are noted in the infobox, while the body of the article opts to use the contractual period. I don't know the reason for this, but I assume it is a pragmatic one: an actor is cast a year or two before the film so a new section for a new actor will begin one or two years before the release of the film. Similarly, an actor's association with the role can extend beyond the film: Timothy Dalton was still James Bond in 1994, and Pierce Brosnan was still James Bond in 2004, contractually in Dalton's case, and certainly in the public consciousness. I think the problem here is using both the actor's names and dates. Using dates that only reflect the screen appearances misrepresents the periods covered, while using the dates that cover the periods is counter-intuitive in relation to the release dates of the films. Betty Logan (talk) 00:12, 11 October 2021 (UTC)

I agree with what you are saying, but again, I'm looking for consistency. I will acquiesce to the fact that one method (release date) is used for the info box while another (contract period) is used for the main body. However, even then, there is still inconsistency. Moore, Dalton, Brosnan and Craig's tenures are still based on when contracts began as they were hired to play Bond a year before their respective first movie, so the same should be done for Connery and Lazenby. Lazenby was announced as the next Bond in 1968. Connery was announced as the first Bond in 1961, signed to return to the role in 1970 for Diamonds Are Forever, and again in the late 70's-early 80's for Never Say Never Again. However, Connery's initial association with NSNA didn't involve his participation as the actor playing Bond. That came later, and since we don't know exactly when that happened, we do know that it happened by 1982 when filming began. This was why I propose altering the beginning years to reflect when they were signed/contracted, since we use that same reasoning to note the end years. So, I agree with your reasoning for the end years being how the they are, but again for consistency, let's follow suit for the beginning year as well. Allindsey1978 (talk) 12:09, 11 October 2021 (UTC)

I completely agree with that. The article is out of protection now (so need to place a request), but I suggest leaving it a day or two to see if anybody else wishes to contribute to this discussion, and then implement it. Betty Logan (talk) 12:16, 11 October 2021 (UTC)

I think it is a good idea to change the beginning years(That has been done for Daniel Craig) so it is strange that it is not done at Connery and Lazenby.Lobo151 (talk) 09:21, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

Mathilde

Would it be acceptable to include Mathilde as Bond's daughter? I'm not asking with regards to spoilers, as Wikipedia:Spoiler covers this well enough, but as Craig's Bond represents one specific (official) continuity. BOTTO _(T•C) 21:09, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

The other 007

Should this article also include Lashana Lynch, who played 007 in No Time to Die? 114.77.154.121 (talk) 10:39, 25 December 2022 (UTC)

No, because she didn't play James Bond.Lobo151 (talk) 12:22, 25 December 2022 (UTC)

Maybe not but they left out one person that played Bond in the non-Eon production of Casino Royale. In that movie two actors played james bond. David Niven AND Peter Sellers. 73.65.10.79 (talk) 17:52, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Not true, only David Niven and he is included. Peter Sellers played Evelyn Tremble.Lobo151 (talk) 18:47, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Only one actor played James Bond in Casino Royale. All the others player other characters who merely pretended to be James Bond: https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23875?sid=325f04c1-bdb4-4af4-bd1e-0e94f2075edc Betty Logan (talk) 22:32, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

Double agent?

Why is this page in Category:Fictional double agents? GA-RT-22 (talk) 13:45, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

Added by an anonymous editor six years ago. No explanation, and it clearly fails WP:CATVER. Betty Logan (talk) 15:49, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

Timeline

Does the timeline need to list the years that didn't have films? It makes the image much larger than it would be if those years were omitted. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 01:29, 28 November 2025 (UTC)

Personally, I don't think it does a good job of what it is supposed to do: illustrated the portrayal of the character. I would scrap the years without films, and have different shades for each actor so you have a visual depiction of the different portrayals. Betty Logan (talk) 01:56, 28 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, Betty. How would I go about editing the timeline graphic? I can't figure it out. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 02:54, 28 November 2025 (UTC)

The timeline can be edited at Template:James Bond Timeline. The instructions for the coding are at Template:Timeline of release years. Betty Logan (talk) 02:27, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

This task is over my head 😅 But feel free to take a crack at it, if you like! OrdinaryOtter (talk) 10:26, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

Lead image

What would people think of changing the lead image to a montage of the four actors who have spent the most time playing Bond—Connery, Moore, Brosnan and Craig? I'm thinking something similar to the lead image of Bond girl.

The current image is more neutral but it doesn't do a good job of immediately conveying to the viewer a sense of what Bond looks like/has looked like as a person. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 12:18, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't have a problem with the idea in principle, although I would change the criteria slightly to the three actors who have played Bond the most times (Connery, Moore & Craig) and the incumbent (a new Bond will be announced in the upcoming months). After Connery (who embodies James Bond for most people) most readers will associate the character with the current actor playing him. If people are on board with this I would delay the update until after a new actor is announced. Betty Logan (talk) 20:10, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

That's a great idea. If we don't get input from anyone else, I will create an image montage once the new actor is announced, and post it here for feedback. OrdinaryOtter (talk) 21:54, 3 December 2025 (UTC)