Bond - 23 Films, 6 Actors

With the 23rd instalment in the Bond film franchise recently released, SkyFall, perhaps we should take a look to the past - after all, there have been a massive 22 official 007 films to have hit our screens thus far, with six actors taking on the coveted role of the male super spy and seducer.

The first Bond excursion was Dr. No in 1962, starring Sean Connery as the dashing British agent. Connery kept the role for the next four films from 1963 to 1967; From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. In 1969, Australian model George Lazenby became Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service - however, he declined the role in the next film, Diamonds Are Forever, which led to the return of Sean Connery in 1971 for one last huzzah as the official, canonical Bond.

Several actors were considered to be the next Bond, but Roger Moore became the successful candidate and took on the mantle of Bond beginning with 1973's Live And Let Die. He starred in a further six Bond films from 1974 to 1985; The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View To A Kill. Timothy Dalton then had a two-film run as Bond in 1987's The Living Daylights and 1989's Licence To Kill.

Bond then went on a hiatus. Previously, there had never been more than three years between a Bond film release, but GoldenEye was not released until 1995, starring who is considered by my generation the first of the "modern" Bonds - Pierce Brosnan. After GoldenEye, Brosnan continued to play Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002) before Daniel Craig was cast as the new Bond in 2006's Casino Royale. Both Casino Royale and its 2008 sequel, Quantum of Solace, approached Bond from a more serious, gritty perspective, with less of their predecessors' humour.

The success of SkyFall has been phenomenal, so if you just can't wait for Bond 24 and Bond 25, when Daniel Craig will return to our screens as 007 in his fourth and fifth outings as Bond, just hang on a second and take a quick look at this multitude of Bond instalments. All are available on DVD to rent from LOVEFiLM.com where you can now watch movies online for free, many of the older ones in enhanced quality.

Can you say you've seen them all?