James Bond will return… but the problem is we’re still not entirely sure what he’ll look like when he does. The latest rumor that’s apparently leaked from M’s MI6 files is that Kraven the Hunter‘s Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the job behind the scenes. Considering producers just admitted “nothing is happening” on the reboot in February 2024, this seems a bit of a stretch, but nevertheless the internet is mostly hyped by the notion of Taylor-Johnson embodying Ian Fleming’s 007.
But as we await concrete news on who could play the seventh incarnation of the secret agent, it’s worth posing a question that bloodthirsty Bond fans may be wondering: which of the six actors to play the role in the official series of 25 films from EON Productions has the biggest kill count? In the wake of No Time To Die‘s release in 2021, which brought Daniel Craig’s era to an end, FandomSpot did a deep-dive into the movies and determined all the deadly data for each incarnation of MI6’s signature assassin. And the results may surprise you.
George Lazenby — 6
Well, all right, there’s nothing unexpected about who brings up the rear of our kill-count ranking. George Lazenby has the distinction of being the only actor to play Bond just once in the official series (David Niven also played the character in the unofficial 1967 Casino Royale adaptation, but that doesn’t count as part of the canon), so naturally he didn’t rack up that many on-screen executions.
Having said that, you would expect him to have killed more than a mere six, but 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a relatively bloodless affair, seeing as it’s more of a love story instead. All in all, Lazenby’s 007 averages one kill every 23 minutes, 33 seconds of screentime.
Timothy Dalton — 20
Similarly, Timothy Dalton is the next Bond with the least appearances, playing the role in just two films — 1987’s The Living Daylights and 1989’s License to Kill. He has a reputation as a much more flinty, serious Bond than most, with Dalton drawing his portrayal very closely from Fleming’s text, eschewing much of the suavity and gallows humor of his predecessors/successors.
Nevertheless, although there are some gnarly deaths in License to Kill, in particular, Dalton’s Bond himself isn’t responsible for that many demises. He only managed an average of 10 kills per movie, which equates to around one kill every 13 minutes, 15 seconds.
Sean Connery — 68
Here’s where things get a little more unexpected. Sean Connery is, of course, the original and — many still believe — the most definitive portrayal of James Bond on-screen. He’s also one of the most prolific Bond actors, playing the part consecutively for five films between Dr. No and 1968’s You Only Live Twice before returning a sixth time for 1971’s Diamonds are Forever (he likewise starred in 1983’s Never Say Never Again, but that’s another unofficial flick).
It’s somewhat surprising, then, that in all those appearances, Connery’s spy only racked up a relatively paltry 68 kills, which averages out as 11 per movie and one kill every 10 seconds, 35 seconds. This low death-count is likely connected to the way the franchise, and movies in general, were less violent back in the 1960s.
Pierce Brosnan — 103
As we enter the top three, we’re finally reaching triple digits. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond is actually another interesting case, as you could argue that he deserves the runner-up spot on this list. With 103 kills in just four movies — that covers 1995’s GoldenEye to 2002’s Die Another Day — Brosnan has the second-highest average kill stats.
He actually managed to wipe out 26 evil geniuses, femme fatales, nameless goons, and more per movie, which accounts for one kill every 4 minutes, 55 seconds. This might be a bit of a shock for fans as Brosnan is generally viewed as one of the lighter-hearted depictions of the hero, although clearly he has a pronounced darker streak, too.
Roger Moore — 121
So, taking that into account, Roger Moore claims second place on the kill-count ranking, even though he actually kills fewer people per movie than Brosnan did. What pushes him up the ladder, however, is the fact that he’s the most prolific leading man of them all, with Moore embodying Bond for seven films consecutively from 1973’s Live and Let Die to 1985’s A View to a Kill.
Across all those movies, then, Moore’s 007 picked off 17 souls per outing, averaging one kill every 7 minutes, 32 seconds. Similar to Brosnan, that high kill frequency is mighty surprising given that Moore is usually remembered for his groan-inducing quips and eyebrow-raises rather than his ultra-violence and blood-lust.
Daniel Craig — 235
But, try as Moore and Brosnan might, they cannot top the outgoing incarnation of the character. Yes, not only is Daniel Craig our longest-lasting Bond in terms of time spent in the role — he served M for five films from 2006’s Casino Royale to 2021’s No Time To Die — he’s also the Bond with the highest number of fatalities to his name.
Thanks to that whopping figure of 235 deaths, that means Craig’s James checked off 59 kills per movie, essentially offing someone every 2 minutes, 30 seconds of screentime. Given that much of Craig’s films were actually devoted to character development, romantic scenes, and team-building, that just goes to show how intense and high-octane the action scenes in his outings were, allowing him to earn his place as the 007 with the most kills on his conscience. Are we sure that he’s actually the good guy?
All 25 James Bond movies can be streamed on Amazon Prime.