Who was the best James Bond?

Timothy Dalton was a real 007 on and off-screen

Question: Who was the best James Bond?
Position‹5 of 6›: Timothy Dalton was the best James Bond
Argument‹3 of 3: Timothy Dalton was a real 007 on and off-screen

Dalton did his own stunts, showing he was as tough as 007 even when cameras were off.

The argument

The best Bond Actor should share some traits with 007, and Dalton himself is tough, daring, and not risk-averse, most clearly demonstrated by his insistence that he does his own stunts. Roger Moore, for example, did not do his own stunts. He famously said, “Of course I do my own stunts”, before adding, “I also do my own lying.”

Context

Dalton as an actor shared some of James Bond’s flair for danger and adventure by doing his own stunts, a feat very few actors manage.

Premises

[P1]The best Bond actor should share the traits of 007 himself — toughness, daring, and a refusal to shy from risk. [P2] Dalton embodied those traits both on and off screen, insisting on performing his own stunts, unlike Roger Moore who did not. [C] Because he was a real 007 on and off screen, Timothy Dalton was the best James Bond.

Counter-arguments

Timothy Dalton is not the only Bond to do his own stunts. Daniel Craig did most of his own stunts too. Besides, being tough off-screen has no bearing on your on-screen heroics. A good Bond doesn’t need to do their own stunts, they just need to be able to portray a convincing and charming 007 on the big screen.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The best Bond doesn't have to be tough off-screen. [Rejecting P2] Daniel Craig also did his own stunts.