FAVORITE BOND Sean Connery Sean Connery was the first actor to play the role of James Bond. He portrayed 007 for seven films of the series: "Dr. No" (1962), "From Russia With Love" (1963), "Goldfinger" (1964), "Thunderball" (1965), "You Only Live Twice" (1967), "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), and "Never Say Never Again" (1983).