James Bond remains among the most high-profile roles in cinematic history. The series has been on its longest hiatus to date, with its last release in 2021. The franchise is set to reveal its next star in due course, bringing interest back to its former faces. Playing Bond has always garnered an attractive fee, and each actor has earned a substantial amount relative to their era.
Although inflation plays a role in making later “Bond” salaries appear more lucrative, even the earliest contracts look impressive to this day. These packages show why the role is so appealing to actors, and why the next Bond will be fetching a serious payday.
George Lazenby
George Lazenby remains the only actor to play James Bond just a single time. He is also the only Australian to take on the role. Lazenby appeared as Bond in 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” According to Hello! magazine, Lazenby was paid $80,500.
Actors today command far more than what Lazenby’s salary appears to be. However, when adjusted for inflation, the salary jumps to $710,000. Admittedly, even that is much less than A-list roles pay these days. What’s important to remember is that Lazenby had no film acting experience at all when he was cast. The model-turned-actor opted to walk away from the role rather than make a career out of it.
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton played James Bond for only two movies, between 1987 and 1989. The actor was at the helm for “The Living Daylights” and “Licence to Kill.” His stint has been credited with bringing a darker energy to the series, a big change from the more campy style of Roger Moore’s era.
Dalton was paid a total of $8 million over his tenure. He earned $3 million for “The Living Daylights,” while “Licence to Kill” made him $5 million richer. When adjusted for inflation, Dalton earned $21.5 million in today’s money, according to Hello!
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan identified as 007 from 1995 to 2002. The actor featured in four films, each increasing his earnings by several million. Brosnan was seen in the role in “GoldenEye,” “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “The World Is Not Enough,” and “Die Another Day.”
Brosnan was paid $4 million for his debut role, which more than doubled for his next outing to 8.2 million. The actor saw another bump in pay for his third film, earning $12.4 million. His final turn as the character saw him take home $16.5 million.
Brosnan’s total earnings add up to $41.1 million over a seven-year run. When adjusted for inflation, his total salary exceeds over $60 million today.
Sean Connery
The original James Bond didn’t limit himself to just an official salary. Sean Connery negotiated a percentage of the box office performance into his contract. As a result, the actor earned big in addition to his standard fee. Connery was in the role for six official Eon Production films between 1962 and 1971.
Connery was paid $17,000 for his debut performance. That amount translates to around $181,000 today, which seems quite low even for today’s standards. However, the part was still untested at the time. Connery saw a massive bump for his next film, earning $250,000; this translates to $2.5 million today.
The actor was subsequently paid $500,000, $750,000, $750,000 plus profit share, and $1.25 million plus profit share for his following performances. These total to $5 million, $7.4 million, $10 million, and more than $53 million, respectively. He made an additional amount through backend profit sharing.
Overall, Connery scored over $87.4 million, adjusted for inflation, while playing the title character.
Roger Moore
Roger Moore has the highest number of “James Bond” movies under the Eon Productions umbrella. The actor was the face of the franchise from 1973 to 1985. Despite starring so long ago, Moore still ranks right around the top in terms of earnings.
Much like Connery, Moore shifted from a basic salary to receiving a cut of the profits. Moore was paid $1 million for his first three appearances; these translate to an inflation-adjusted $7.1 million, $6.5 million, and $5.3 million.
Moore saw a big rise in pay from his fourth film, making $4 million, $4.6 million plus profit share, $5.2 million plus profit share, and $7.5 million plus profit share. His inflation-adjusted earnings across these entries were $17 million, over $16.5 million, over $17 million, and over $22 million.
According to Hello!, Moore made over $91.5 million in inflation-adjusted value today.
Daniel Craig
For someone who reportedly got tired of playing the character, Daniel Craig certainly got his money’s worth. The actor was paid $3.2 million for his debut in 2006’s “Casino Royale.” Craig would then progressively jump in pay with each subsequent outing. “Quantum of Solace” earned him $7.2 million, before he started receiving box office and backend bonuses with later entries.
“Skyfall” fetched Craig $17 million, earning an additional $3 million box office bonus. He was paid $25 million for “Spectre,” but an additional backend bonus saw this figure jump to $39 million, according to Guinness World Records. 2021’s “No Time to Die” earned him another $25 million base pay, and his reported bonuses rose to over $30 million.
Overall, Craig stands as the highest-earning “James Bond” actor, amassing over $100 million across five films.
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Who Was Actually the Highest-Earning James Bond in 007 History?