The best James Bond: Every actor who’s played 007, ranked

1. Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002)

1994’s GoldenEye brilliantly brought James Bond into the modern era and showed the world the agent with a license to kill was far from dead and buried. Pierce Brosnan was the fifth individual to lock and load the Walther PPK and order a shaken, not stirred martini. His immediately enthralling take embodies everything great about the character from the suave sophistication to the incredibly intelligent spy tech. The Irishman’s run as the super-spy takes the best aspects of everyone who played the role before him, resulting in the quintessential encapsulation of what it means to be a top-notch cinematic secret agent. Not only does he perfectly resemble Fleming’s on-page physical description of Bond like no other, but he also brings an unprecedented level of class to the character that even Connery couldn’t capture.

While Moore, Dalton, and Connery made the character a cinematic icon, Brosnan’s turn solidified the franchise as a massive box office draw. Brosnan’s first foray into the world of international espionage is even more impressive when it comes to light that this was the first installment that isn’t directly based on one of Ian Fleming’s stories. And even though aspects of his titles come off a bit over the top, of all the iterations of Bond that have come out, Brosnan’s is the most believable. There’s no pointless grab for substance disguised as compelling drama, and there is just the right amount of humor that eclipses the campiness of past incarnations. The smooth operating spy was more action hero than the other versions, and his impeccable swagger resulted in some legendary lines of dialogue.

All of this proves why the crown for greatest Bond of all time sits firmly on the head of Pierce Brosnan.

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