Bond. Which Bond?

I'll assume most people have heard of quintessential book-and-film spy hero James Bond and know that his portrayal has been meted out by six actors over time. Viewing Goldeneye at random yesterday made me come to thinking that, in my opinion, Pierce Brosnan made for the best Bond beneath the legendary Sean Connery. He's suave, handsome, and roguish when he wants to be, yet somehow brings more solemnity to his character than Roger Moore and overall feels more convincing than Timothy Dalton. I'm not sure how qualified I am to say this since I haven't seen any Bond film in a long time. Last I've seen was Casino Royale and that was several years ago. I felt Daniel Craig made for a very good Bond, one different than I was used to but apparently more conducive to the character as Ian Fleming originally wrote him. I wish I could say more about George Lazenby, but I've yet to see On Her Majesty's Secret Service, although I do keep hearing he made the most despite only starring in one film.

There's not much substance to this post, but there doesn't need to be. Sometimes, dippy little topics like this one come to mind. Hors d'oeuvres between the meals, if you will. Anyway, if anyone's reading this blog yet, might I ask which Bond you felt was the best? I'd think most would say Connery, and if Connery is your favorite, which actor did you feel was second-best in the role? I stick with Brosnan, but I likely say this as I grew up during Brosnan's tenure in the role. From what I remember, Goldeneye was one of the better entries in the overall series, and Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough were okay. Never seen Die Another Day, but I never watched it because my brother refused to view it. We would view the Bond films together, but he objected to it on the principle that Madonna's theme song for the film was completely terrible. I hear it was a rather stupid film in retrospect, and I would assume its relative failure beckoned the need for the reboot Casino Royale and Daniel Craig's portrayal brought to the character.

... okay, I confess the main reason I like Brosnan and Goldeneye is due to Rareware's N64 game based off of the film. I grew up on that, dangit. Nostalgia hasn't protected all of its faults, but I still mostly find it fun. For a first person shooter on a console (most FPS games were known best on PCs), it was ambitious and challenging. By today's standards, it looks ugly, but I gave it many a play as a kid.

But I digress. I ask again: Who's the best Bond in your opinion? David Niven does not count.