He both subverts the character’s well-known somber intentionally while adhering to his worldliness and poise, which is no easy balance to strike. His delivery of the line is intentionally over the top and played for laughs, yet he nonetheless retains that expected air of sophistication inherent to the character. In 1967’s Casino Royale, the likes of Woody Allen, Peter Sellers, and Ursula Andress all take on the James Bond mantle, but Niven is meant to be seen as the book-accurate, prototypical Bond. However, before jumping into his interpretation, it’s important to note that this film is a parody and thus Niven’s take is imbued with a spoofy and sardonic tone. Thus, he reflects a different disposition and follows a less womanizing narrative trajectory - eschewing the trails of beautiful women customarily left in 007’s wake in favor of a man who eats royal jelly and plays Claude Debussy on the piano. Niven was an “elderly Bond,” as he took on the character when he was a 56-year-old gent. The side-smile feels cutesy and almost childlike as opposed to debonair and refined. When he utters the elongated version, “My name’s Bond, James Bond” on the beach, while on top of a bikini-clad woman, it comes across as silly in its forced flirtation. While it’s one thing to downplay the line to avoid veering into melodramatics, it’s another to fail to imbue the line with the flair made a necessity by Sean Connery. When he picks up the telephone and announces his name in the film, it’s uttered with a somewhat detached nonchalance that leaves much to be desired. Lazenby portrayed Bond in only one film - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - reportedly leaving the franchise behind when he expected that hippie culture would permeate society and bury Bond’s ideologies under free love and flower-adorned pants. Over the years, many actors have stepped into the spy’s suit and ties, and many have taken a swing at the famous line, “Bond, James Bond,” so who delivered the line with the most conviction? Who carries all the charm and confidence, all the seduction and sobriety without wavering into the cheesy? 7.

From the early days of James Bond - defined by sultry grins, unbesmirched tailored suits, and a cigarette hanging just so from the lips - to the later interpretations, which feature a little more ruthless hand-to-hand combat and fiery explosions, James Bond remains one of film’s most frequented and celebrated characters. Sean Connery as James Bond | James Bond 007

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