James Bond Is My Favorite Franchise, and Here's How I'd Rank All 6 Actors

Over six full decades since Sean Connery's debut in Dr. No, James Bond remains a pervasive figure in popular culture. The character has changed and adapted with six actors across Eon's franchise, yet some traits stay constant: he's always in mortal danger, he can never trust anyone, he keeps a sense of humor, and loyalty defines him.

I'm a millennial who grew up in the '90s, and Pierce Brosnan's GoldenEye carried Bond through a multimedia renaissance. This is my favorite franchise, and I own these movies in every format; I like all these actors and enjoy every Bond era, but ranking them still comes easily to me.

6. Daniel Craig (2006–2021): Casino Royale is one of the franchise's best performances and set a high bar that left later films trying to copy its success. Skyfall was a record box-office hit but is slightly overrated, Spectre falters with a poor villain and tonal issues, and No Time to Die ends Craig's run with a final act that kills Bond in a way the film doesn't fully earn.

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