Sean Connery was the original Bond

The argument

The argument for Sean Connery rests on origination rather than on a comparison of performances. Many of Bond's most recognisable lines and traits can be traced back to Connery, and the claim is that they are recognisable precisely because he established them. He immortalised the idea of Bond enjoying his martinis shaken, not stirred, and he first delivered the surname-first introduction, Bond, James Bond, that every subsequent actor has had to deliver in turn. These are not incidental pieces of business. They are the character's signature, and later Bonds inherit them rather than invent them. The deeper claim concerns what would have happened without him. A film series is not guaranteed a sequel; it earns one. On this account Connery's portrayal was impeccable enough to turn a single adaptation into a proposition worth repeating, and it is by no means obvious that a weaker lead would have done the same. Had the first Bond not landed, the argument runs, the character might never have evolved into a franchise at all. It could instead have been reduced to the graveyard of charity shop bargain bins as a one film monstrosity, remembered, if at all, as a footnote. The conclusion follows from that counterfactual. Later actors are judged on how well they played a part that already existed, with an established template, an established audience and an established set of expectations to work with or against. Connery had none of those advantages and created all of them, which is why proponents treat the comparison between him and his successors as uneven in his favour rather than simply close. In this regard he has to be considered the best Bond, because the standard against which the others are measured is the one he set, and because without him there would be no cinematic Bond for anyone else to play.

Context

The Bond film series produced by Eon Productions began with the release of "Dr. No" in 1962, starring Sean Connery as MI6 agent James Bond. As the first Bond, Connery established the character and set the bar against which all future Bond’s will be measured. Without Connery, there may never have been a franchise.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Connery is a good actor. He is a great action hero. But he is not Bond. Fleming was reportedly aghast when he first met him and called Connery an “overgrown stunt man”. His image of Bond was not of a brawny tough-guy walking around with a ‘Scotland Forever’ tattoo. Bond encapsulates more than good looks and muscles. He has to be sophisticated, charming, humorous and cool. Connery is nothing more than an action hero.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] Others have brought far more of Fleming's Bond traits to the character than Connery.