There is no audited, apples-to-apples public accounting of what every James Bond actor earned. The most useful published comparison is a set of media-reported figures from 2012: it includes individual-film salaries and per-film averages, not verified lifetime totals. On those reports, Daniel Craig had the highest cited per-film average among the six actors, but that comparison predates his final Bond film.
Reported Bond pay, actor by actor
The figures below are estimates published by News24 and The Independent in November 2012, rather than official studio disclosures or verified contract records. “Average per film” is not the same as total earnings, and it cannot be directly ranked against a salary for one film.
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| Actor | Reported Bond pay | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Connery | £10,000 for Dr. No; £620,000 for Diamonds Are Forever | Reported pay for two specific films; News24, 2012. TIME later noted that the Diamonds Are Forever deal included gross participation and other terms, so the base salary may not describe the whole deal. |
| George Lazenby | £340,000 | Reported pay for his single Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; News24, 2012. |
| Roger Moore | £1.4 million per film | Reported average across seven Bond films; News24, 2012. |
| Timothy Dalton | £1.4 million per film | Reported average across two Bond films; News24, 2012. |
| Pierce Brosnan | £6.1 million per film; £10.3 million for Die Another Day | The average was reported by News24, while The Independent reported the specific Die Another Day figure, both in 2012. |
| Daniel Craig | £9.6 million per film; £10.7 million for Skyfall; more than £31 million for two additional films | News24 reported the average under the deal described at the time. The Independent reported the Skyfall pay and a then-current contract for two more films in 2012. |
Sources: News24’s 2012 comparison and The Independent’s 2012 report. These are reported estimates; neither article supplies a complete, consistently calculated account of each actor’s compensation.
Who was the highest-paid Bond?
Among the per-film estimates in the 2012 reports, Craig’s reported £9.6 million average was higher than Brosnan’s £6.1 million, and both exceeded the averages reported for Moore and Dalton. That is a comparison of reported averages, not a finding about who earned the most over an entire career. Connery’s figures are for individual films, while Lazenby’s is for one film, so they are not directly comparable to the averages.
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The Independent also reported more than £31 million for Craig’s two-film contract at the time. That contract figure is distinct from the £10.7 million attributed to Skyfall and the £9.6 million per-film average; the reports do not explain a shared accounting method that would make those numbers interchangeable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the historical inflation adjustments mean
News24’s 2012 article also presented figures adjusted to the contemporary prices used in that report: Lazenby’s £340,000 became £460,000; Moore’s average became £6.3 million per film; Dalton’s became £5.4 million; and Brosnan’s became £8.7 million. The Independent gave the same adjusted averages for Moore, Dalton and Brosnan, and put Craig’s at £9.6 million in its contemporary-price comparison.
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These are historical conversions made for 2012 reporting, not calculations of what the sums would be worth in 2026. They also do not resolve the underlying differences between an individual-film salary, an average and a contract covering multiple films.
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Why reported salaries are not lifetime earnings
- Different kinds of figures: The comparison mixes specific-film pay, per-film averages and the reported value of a two-film contract. Treat each as its own measure.
- Uneven evidence: The reports do not use one consistent method across actors or provide underlying contracts for all six.
- Additional deal terms: TIME’s account of Connery’s Diamonds Are Forever deal mentions gross participation and other negotiated terms, which may not be captured by a base-salary figure. See TIME’s Bond facts article.
- Craig’s later film: The 2012 pay estimates came before No Time to Die, which TIME identified as Craig’s final Bond outing in 2021. The earlier estimates therefore do not establish his complete Bond compensation. See TIME’s 2021 account of the film’s ending.
- Gross pay is not personal wealth: These salary reports do not establish taxes, expenses, other income, or net worth.
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