Daniel Craig’s 7 top roles: James Bond and more
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Get excited! Not only is March 2 considered National Banana Cream Pie Day, Old Stuff Day and Dr. Seuss Day – it also marks Daniel Craig’s 52nd birthday.
A monument occasion for an actor -- who is revered as one of the best James Bonds, depending on who you ask -- Craig has held a A-list position in Hollywood and has solidified himself as a go-to actor capable of delivering a wide spectrum of performances.
After a brief, two-year step away from the spotlight, Craig is set to return in his fifth and final Bond film: "No Time to Die."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}'NO TIME TO DIE' TRAILER TEASES DANIEL CRAIG, RAMI MALEK SHOWDOWN
And in a tribute to the star’s prowess on the big screen, we’ve compiled a list of Craig’s best films notwithstanding his roles alongside Angelina Jolie in “Tomb Raider” in 2001 and the British gangster film “Layer Cake” in 2004 that saw Craig play a cocaine dealer at the end of his run, looking for a way out of the business.
Road to Perdition, 2002
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daniel Craig in 'Road to Perdition' (DreamWorks/21st Century Fox)
Craig met his match when he was tasked with performing line-for-line with the likes of Tom Hanks and the late Paul Newman in this mob-genre period piece in which the son of a respected gangster witnesses his father commit murder and the pair must outrun a merciless hitman, Connor Rooney, played by Craig.
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Munich, 2005
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daniel Craig in 'Munich' (DreamWorks/Universal Pictures)
Nominated for five Academy Awards, this Steven Spielberg-helmed movie was called one of the “Best Films of the 21st Century So Far” by the New York Times. The film tells the story of Operation Wrath of God – an under-wraps operation and retaliation effort by Mossad against the Palestine Liberation Organization after 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were murdered in 1972.
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Casino Royale, 2006
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Casino Royale” served as Craig’s foray into James Bond, and in the franchise’s 21st installment of the hero’s escapades, Craig delivered in a big way after taking the reins from previous Agent 007 portrayer Pierce Brosnan.
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“Casino Royale” is Craig’s most-revered act as Bond and also served as a much-welcomed reboot as the first Bond film in four years, following “Die Another Day.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011
In the re-imagined on-screen adaptation of the Stieg Larsson-penned novel of the same name, Craig starred as magazine editor Mikael Blomkvist, who's hell-bent on exposing the ill-doings of those in the government and is tasked with solving the murder of a business tycoon’s grandniece decades earlier.
Skyfall, 2012
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After MI6 is hit with a major breach, its fate stands in the hands of James Bond, played by Craig, who masterfully picks up the pieces and gives Judi Dench, who plays M, one last curtain call on her way out of the franchise.
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“Skyfall” re-centered the franchise after the less-than-stellar “Quantum of Solace” in 2008.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Spectre, 2015
"Spectre" marked Craig’s fourth James Bond film and even saw the villain Ernst Blofeld make his first return since “Diamonds Are Forever” in 1971.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Spectre" is often relegated to the rear of the pack when compared to Craig’s other roles in the Bond franchise. We’ll have to see where Bond aficionados rank it after “No Time To Die” releases this April.
Knives Out, 2019
Craig joined a stout ensemble cast for this thrilling murder mystery with comedic elements sprawled throughout. In “Knives,” Craig plays the Benoit Blanc – a private detective investigating the murder of mystery novel writer Harlan Thrombey on his birthday.
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The Rian Johnson-led flick carries its fair share of twists and turns that’ll leave even the most astute sleuth revisiting their records of whodunit? The film garnered Craig a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy.