James Bond

James Bond (also known as 007) is a fictional British Secret Intelligence Service agent, created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming. Despite Fleming's death in 1964, publication and reprinting of James Bond stories continued. Various other authors have written Bond stories.

Bond's actions are spectacular and he enjoys a plush lifestyle, although operationally, he tends to be neither secret nor servile nor especially intelligent.

Although the books were a worldwide phenomenon, James Bond is best known from the Eon Productions film series, twenty-one of which have been made as of 2007. Bond has been portrayed in these films by actors Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

The first Bond novel was Casino Royale, but the first book to make it to the big screen was Dr. No, filmed in 1962 with Sean Connery as James Bond. At the time, the rights for Casino Royale were unavailable, and the holders eventually made a spy spoof in 1967 very loosely based on Fleming's book, starring David Niven and Peter Sellers. Eventually, the rights to Casino Royale were made available to the producers of the film franchise, and 2006's Casino Royale appeared with Daniel Craig as 007, in a more faithful adaptation of the book. Another rights issue arose with 1965's Thunderball, which was remade some years later in an unofficial production with Connery, Never Say Never Again.

Quantum of Solace, also starring Craig and comprising a direct sequel to Casino Royale, was released in 2008. The title is from an unrelated Fleming short story in which Bond only appears in the background. As of 2024, there have been three further Bond films: Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die.