Greatest James Bond Films: According to Guinness World Records, the highest box-office gross for a film series was "James Bond." See Greatest Film Franchises: Box-Office for other statistics. It is also the longest continuing series of English language films. The modern day action-hero - the James Bond '007' character that was employed for Her Majesty's Secret Service - was loosely based on the character in Britisher Ian Fleming's twelve James Bond novels. A number of Fleming's short stories were developed by other writers. Before the movies, Bond made his first appearance on TV, debuting on CBS in 1954, with Barry Nelson as the American 007 agent named Jimmy Bond in an adaptation of Fleming's first Bond novel Casino Royale. Fleming made his sole cameo appearance in the Bond film From Russia With Love (1963). The only two Bond films with a tragic ending for Bond's romantic partners were On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Casino Royale (2006).

Beginning in the Cold War 60s (after restrictions on violence and sex were lifted somewhat), the slick, escapist Bond action/adventure spy films appealed to large audiences with their exotic, travelogue locales, tongue-in-cheek humor and dialogue, nifty gadgets and ingenious toys (provided by Q Branch) to combat evildoers, fast-action suspense and audacious stunts, and gorgeous scantily-clad sexy women (often with suggestive names) who also had glamorous wardrobes.

The action-oriented, sophisticated and skillful agent, with a taste for fancy clothes (often tuxedos), dry vodka martinis ('shaken, not stirred'), hi-tech gadgets, and cars (notably the Aston Martin DB5, the Lotus Esprit, and various BMWs), battled various types of eccentric, deadly and infamous criminals who planned to assault the world.

The intriguing superhero lead role has been played by six actors - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

Also included below are the major villains and Bond girls in the films.

Sean Connery made a reluctant comeback as Bond for Never Say Never Again (1983) - a virtual remake of Thunderball (1965). The film was reportedly titled that way since Connery was quoted as saying "Never again!" after making Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Currently, Roger Moore is the longest continually-serving James Bond actor (with 12 years and 7 films).