The actor with the most appearances in the James Bond series: the record is not held by Daniel Craig or Sean Connery

The James Bond series continues to boast an impressive array of actors who have played recurring characters in the 007 franchise. However, only one of these holds the record for most appearances.

Tempting as you might be to believe this, we’re not talking about Daniel Craig, whose recent performance as James Bond in No Time To Die was the fifth of his career, and the last. And while both Sean Connery and Roger Moore have played 007 in seven films each, neither is among the actors with the most appearances in the James Bond series.

Cast members with a substantial presence in the James Bond franchise are those who played the roles of three of 007’s colleagues, namely the characters known as M, Q and Miss Moneypenny. These characters have appeared in most of the Bond films, from their inception in the 1960s to the present in 2021’s No Time To Die.

One of the longest-serving actors in the franchise is Bernard Lee, who played M in eleven 007 films, retaining the role until his death in 1981. In the same situation is Lois Maxwell, who played Moneypenny in 14 films, although in total she did not appear in the franchise for more than two hours.

Longest-serving actor in the James Bond series

Even so, the actor with the most appearances in the James Bond franchise is Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q in 17 films over four decades. Llewelyn’s wisdom as an actor poured perfectly into his portrayal of Q. He dominated the 20th century era of 007 and gave the series a level of continuity that no other actor could achieve.

As you well remember, Llewelyn had the job of introducing 007 agents to his impressive collection of gadgets, as well as BMW and Aston Martin cars, equipped ready for Bond’s adventurous espionage missions.