Daniel Wroughton Craig (born March 2, 1968) is an English actor best known as the sixth actor to portray secret agent James Bond in the official film series from EON Productions. He made his screen debut as the character on November 14, 2006, to critical acclaim.

Daniel Craig’s hiring as James Bond was controversial among some fans and critics, with some vocal fans threatening a boycott of the film, going so far as to set up a website.

Craig trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1991, and his first major leading role on screen was a co-starring part in the 1996 BBC Television serial Our Friends in the North. Following an introduction to international audiences as Angelina Jolie’s rival and love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), he honed his acting skills in the United States in Sam Mendes’ film Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Other leading film roles have included Layer Cake (2004) with Sienna Miller, Sword of Honour (2001), Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Enduring Love (2004) with Rhys Ifans and Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005).

In 2006, after completing work on Casino Royale, Craig moved on to portraying the character of Lord Asriel in the forthcoming film adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novel His Dark Materials: Northern Lights. In a stage version of the book this role had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig’s predecessors in the role of James Bond.

Those who oppose Craig as Bond cite a number of factors, includiong his height (at 5’11”, he is shorter than all the previous Bond actors by at least two inches).

Craig’s hiring as James Bond was controversial among some fans and critics, with some vocal fans threatening a boycott of the film, going so far as to set up a website, which has been accused of distributing disinformation. Those who oppose Craig as Bond cite a number of factors, ranging from his height (at 5’11”, he is shorter than all the previous Bond actors by at least two inches), to the fact he is blond while Ian Fleming’s Bond is dark, which led to some media outlets referring to him as “James Blond”.

Craig is the first actor to step into the role who was born after the first Bond film, Dr No, was released and after the death of Bond creator Ian Fleming.

Media coverage of the controversy resulted in numerous actors publicly voicing their support of Craig. Most notably, four of the five previous actors who portrayed Bond — Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan — called his casting a good decision.

As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July, 2006 that the film, currently known only as Bond 22, will be released in November 2008 and that Craig has been signed to play Bond, with an option for a third film.

Craig describes his portrayal of Bond as an antihero: “The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, ‘Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?’ Bond’s role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone’s dark side shouldn’t be explored. I don’t think it should be confusing by the end of the movie, but during the movie you should be questioning who he is.” Craig also states that his favourite previous Bond actor was Sean Connery, but says, “I’d never copy somebody else. I would never do an impression of anybody else or try and improve on what they did. That would be a pointless exercise for me.”

See also:

• Bond, James: Actors