8 Interesting Facts About James Bond

James Bond is by far the most famous fictional spy. But how much do you know about this iconic character and the gentlemen who have played his role in over half a century of 007's existence?

Below are eight interesting facts about James Bond that you probably didn't know.

All But One James Bond Actors Are Still Alive.

Over the past almost 60 years of the Bond franchise existence, six actors have played the role of James Bond. They are Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and currently Daniel Craig.

Given that the Bond franchise is a long-running one, it's no surprise all the James Bond actors are over 50 years old! All of them are still alive other than Roger Moore, who sadly passed away in 2017, a few months before turning 90.

Interesting Restrictions have been placed on James Bond Actors.

James Bond, being the dashing spy that he is, is also a brand name that studios like MGM are keen on protecting. This has resulted in some interesting restrictions on James Bond actors during their tenure. For example, Pierce Brosnan was restricted from wearing a black tie in any other film.

When he starred in the 1999 film, The Thomas Crown Affair, he had to wear his shirt with an unbuttoned collar. This was to prevent his attire from being confused with a formal black-tie outfit.

In the scene, he can be seen with an untied white bow tie draping on his neck. Let's just say the look wasn't that flattering.

A Stunt Man Initially Did the Famed James Bond Gun Barrel Opening Scenes.

One of the staples of the 007 experience has always been the opening gun barrel sequence with James Bond walking into frame, pivoting, and shooting the screen. But did you know for the first three movies, Sean Connery wasn't Bond in the gun barrel?

A stuntman, Bob Simmons, was used for the gun barrel scenes. In the fourth movie, Thunderball, during the reshoot, Sean Connery got the scene right. Since then, James Bond actors have performed this iconic opening scene in the consequent films.

The First Computer Modeled Stunt Happened On A James Bond Film

Most people will always remember the 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun for its impressive stunt of an AMC Hornet X jumping over a twisted, broken bridge. This was a fantastic car stunt that marked the first use of a computer-aided model in a film.

The technical preparations for the "corkscrew" jump had to be exact! Still, thanks to the precise amount of calculations, a very skilled driver, and several cameras, the stunt was nailed in one take. Sadly though, they had to go and spoil it with that cringe-worthy cartoon slide-whistle sound effect.

Daniel Craig Is The Longest Running James Bond In History

Daniel Craig took up the part of James Bond in 2006 in the high-stakes film Casino Royale. His fifth and reportedly final outing as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond is in the highly anticipated movie No Time To Die, scheduled to hit the cinema in November 2020.

Up until 2020, Roger Moore was the longest-running James Bond actor, having held the role for fourteen years between 1972 and 1986. But now Daniel Craig has taken up that title.

James Bond and Aston Martin: A Match Made in Heaven

Sean Connery's film Goldfinger was the first film in which Bond drives an Aston Martin marking the car as a symbol of style and sophistication. Since then, James Bond and Aston Martin have remained intertwined, both representing timeless class and distinguished style.

All the six Bond actors have gotten behind the wheel of an Aston martin other than Sir Roger Moore. Since Pierce Brosnan's 1995 film GoldenEye, an Aston Martin has been featured in every Bond movie.

However, there have been a few hiccups along the way; for example, during the Quantum of Solace filming, a stunt driver crashed 007's famous Aston Martin DBS into Lake Garda in Italy. But the relationship between two timeless brands remains strong to date.

Who are the other 00s?

We all know 007, but who are the other 00s? 001and 005 has never been mentioned in any of the films. 002, 003, 004, and 009 all have appeared and ended up as casualties in different movies over the years.

The supposedly dead 006 returns as the villain in GoldenEye before being disposed of. The unnamed 008 is referred to at various points by M as Bond's replacement in the event of his death or being removed from a mission for insubordination.

The James Bond Franchise has been one very profitable venture.

There are currently 40 officially licensed James Bond books authored by six writers since 1953. The first 14 were written by Ian Fleming, with his debut book Casino Royale selling out twice in its first month on the bookshelves.

Since then, 26 James Bond movies have been released, with the most recent two, 2015 Spectre and 2012 Skyfall, grossing a few million dollars shy of 2 billion dollars in worldwide ticket sales! Actually, the 007 movie series is the fourth-highest grossing movie franchise of all time, behind Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Porter.

Final Thoughts

What is your favorite 007 movie? Let us know in the comment section.

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Harvey Specter(SUITS)