Brian Cox picks out his favourite James Bond actors
The legendary and inimitable Scottish actor Brian Cox has played a number of villainous characters throughout his excellent career, so many so that he might have been good value for an antagonistic role in a James Bond movie, although well into his professional life, it looks as though that opportunity might never come.
After establishing himself as a Shakespearean actor with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, earning particular acclaim for an effort as King Lear, Cox eventually made the transition to the big screen and played a paedophile character in the 2001 coming-of-age drama film L.I.E.
Such a role proved that Cox could harbour malintent, and in 2003, he followed up by playing the X-Men villain William Stryker. Of course, Cox has plenty of other notable and nuanced roles like Logan Roy in Succession and Uncle Argyle in Braveheart, which equally might have made him good value for a James Bond villain.
After all, sometimes it’s the foe of 007 that provides a given movie with its most interesting facets, and they are frequently characters with nuances in motivation and intentions. Interestingly, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli had once said that Cox might have been a good option for the lead role, telling Sky News, “He’s one of the greatest actors ever. I would just say he would have been a great Bond.”
While Cox never got the chance to play Bond, or indeed one of his enemies (yet), he was given the task of hosting a Bond-themed gameshow called 007: Road To A Million, in which a number of contestants are given the opportunity to put themselves through a series of Bond-inspired challenges in the hopes of winning £1million.
Cox had always been interested in Bond and he once named his favourite actors to ever play the legendary role in the many movies that have arrived over the years. “I’ve always liked Bond,” Cox noted. “For me, it’s Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Those are my Bonds, my generation. Of course, it’s been carried on brilliantly, and Dan [Daniel Craig] did a great job.”
Like many, Cox loves the first actor to play Bond on film, his fellow countryman, Sean Connery. With an unbridled sense of suaveness and sophistication, Connery set about delivering his charming double agent in seven movies between 1962 and 1983, including Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Diamonds Are Forever.
Roger Moore, on the other hand, doused his version of Bond with an air of tongue-in-cheek humour, which Connery felt was a disservice to the reputation he had given the character. Still, Moore, who played 007 in the likes of Live and Let Die and A View to Kill, was also considered a favourite by many, most notably by Cox himself.
Finally, Cox also loved the modern efforts of Daniel Craig, who first came to portray Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale and went on to deliver four more efforts, including those in Spectre and Skyfall. Craig came under fire when taking on the role for the first time, but since silenced his critics in the way that Bond surely would have.
While Brian Cox never took part in a Bond movie, he at least played in the American counterpart, the Bourne movies, with Matt Damon, showing that he always had a keen love for men of international mystery.
