James Bond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Bond
Ian Fleming's image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists
Creator	Ian Fleming
Original work	Casino Royale (1953)
Print publications
Novels	List of novels
Short stories	See list of novels
Films and television
Films	List of films
Short films	Happy and Glorious
Television series	"Casino Royale" (Climax! first season's third episode) (1954, first) James Bond Jr. (1991–1992, most recent)
Miscellaneous
Portrayers	George Baker Pierce Brosnan Daniel Craig Sean Connery Timothy Dalton Bob Holness Michael Jayston George Lazenby Roger Moore Barry Nelson David Niven Toby Stephens

The James Bond series is about a fictional secret agent from Britain. He was created in 1953 by a writer named Ian Fleming. Fleming wrote twelve novels and two short story collections about Bond.

After Fleming passed away in 1964, other authors continued writing official Bond novels. The latest novel is Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz, published in 2015. There's even a series about a young James Bond for younger readers!

James Bond has also appeared in TV shows, radio plays, comic strips, video games, and, most famously, in movies. The Bond films are the longest-running movie series ever! They have earned over $7 billion, making them one of the highest-grossing film series of all time. The first movie, Dr. No, came out in 1962 and starred Sean Connery as Bond. As of 2025, there have been twenty-four films in the series.

The most recent Bond film, Spectre (2015), stars Daniel Craig. He is the sixth actor to play Bond in the main film series. The James Bond series is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history.

Bond films are famous for many things. This includes their awesome theme songs, which have won and been nominated for Academy Awards. Other cool parts of the films are Bond's special cars, his unique guns, and the amazing gadgets he gets from Q Branch.

Creating James Bond: The Story Begins

Fleming's Bond novels

Ian Fleming created James Bond as the main character for his stories. Bond is an intelligence officer for the Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6. His code number is 007. Bond was also a Royal Naval Reserve Commander.

Fleming based Bond on real secret agents and commando types he met during World War II. He said Bond was a mix of all these brave people.

Fleming gave Bond many of his own habits and tastes. For example, they both liked scrambled eggs and had the same golf handicap. Bond's love for golf and gambling also came from Fleming's own life. Fleming used his experiences as a spy and other parts of his life to inspire his writing. He even used names of friends, family, and people he knew in his books.

Goldeneye, in Jamaica, where Fleming wrote all the Bond novels

While working in naval intelligence, Fleming decided he wanted to be a writer. He told a friend, "I am going to write the spy story to end all spy stories." On February 17, 1952, he started writing his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. He wrote it at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. He wrote all his Bond novels there every year during January and February.

Between 1953 and 1966 (two years after he died), twelve novels and two short story collections were published. The last two books, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and The Living Daylights, were published after his death.

James Bond Books and Films

Ian-Fleming-bronze-bust-by-sculptor-Anthony-Smith

Ian Fleming 1908-1964 Creator of James Bond lived here

James Bond first appeared in books, but he quickly became famous through movies. Here's a look at the main films and who played Bond:

The James Bond Film Series

Sean Connery in the 1971 Bond film "Diamonds are Forever"

In 1962, producers Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman made the first James Bond movie, Dr. No. It starred Sean Connery as James Bond and became super popular! They kept making more Bond movies.

By the end of the 1960s, Sean Connery didn't want to play Bond anymore. Many people thought the Bond movies might stop. In 1969, George Lazenby played Bond in one movie, but it wasn't as successful.

In 1971, Sean Connery returned for one more movie, Diamonds Are Forever. Then, in 1973, Roger Moore took over the role in Live and Let Die. This movie was a huge hit! Roger Moore continued to play Bond throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

In the 1980s, Bond movies faced more competition from other action films. They didn't always do as well at the box office.

After Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton became Bond in the late 1980s. Dalton tried to make Bond more serious and realistic, like in the original books. However, fans didn't love his version, and his movies didn't make much money.

Daniel Craig at the "Spectre" film premiere

In 1995, the movie GoldenEye came out, starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond. This film made the Bond character popular again in the 1990s. Brosnan starred in several successful Bond movies.

The 20th Bond movie, Die Another Day, was released in 2002. This marked 40 years of Bond films and 50 years since Ian Fleming wrote his first Bond novel. In 2006, the 21st movie, Casino Royale, was released. Daniel Craig replaced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. He was the first James Bond to have blonde hair!

This movie was based on Ian Fleming's first novel, but it was set in modern times. It featured a new model of the famous Aston Martin DB9 car. Many fans felt this movie was different but also much better than previous ones. Daniel Craig continued as Bond in Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015).

Images for kids

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  Hoagy Carmichael—Fleming's view of James Bond

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  John McLusky's rendition of James Bond

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  Franchise logo, 1995–present

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  An Aston Martin DB5 as seen in Goldfinger.

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  The Little Nellie autogyro with its creator and pilot, Ken Wallis.

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  James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan, Thailand)

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  Model of Connery next to an Aston Martin DB5 at the London Film Museum

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  Waxwork of Daniel Craig, the current 007, at Madame Tussauds, London

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  Sean Connery (1962–67; 1971)
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  George Lazenby (1969)
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  Roger Moore (1973–85)
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  Timothy Dalton (1987–89)
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  Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002)
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  Daniel Craig (2006–21)

See also

In Spanish: James Bond (franquicia) para niños