The One Time an American Was Actually Cast as James Bond
For all the talk about Bond being a British institution, the very first actor to play 007 on screen wasn't British. Or Irish. Or even Australian. He was an American.
In 1954 — years before Dr. No — California-born Barry Nelson played James Bond in a live CBS television adaptation of Casino Royale. It was a one-hour episode of the series Climax!, and it remains the only time an American has officially played the role… unless you count the time one almost made it to the big screen.
Enter James Brolin. Yes, that James Brolin. In the early 1980s, after Roger Moore's contract ended with For Your Eyes Only, producer Cubby Broccoli was actively looking for a new Bond. Brolin did a screen test, nailed it, and by his own account, was told the role was his.
He didn't just prepare — he packed his life and bought a house in London.
"I literally left Cubby Broccoli in London, came home to get all my stuff to live in England for a year, when Roger Moore said, Oh, I'll do one more!'" Brolin told The Express. "I got the job and Cubby took me to his clubs and I thought, This is the life here in London!' Just that was terrific, whether I got it or not. This business is a crapshoot and a bit of luck anyway."
Translation: he got Bonded… then un-Bonded.
The timing couldn't have been worse. While Broccoli was prepping the next official Bond film — what became Octopussy — Sean Connery was returning in the unofficial Never Say Never Again. The idea of selling a brand-new, American Bond to audiences in the same year Connery was staging a comeback? Not a gamble the producers wanted to take. So they begged Moore to come back, paid him more, and left Brolin holding the tux.
To his credit, Brolin took the snub like a pro.
"I was really up for that," he admitted. "Just that was terrific, whether I got it or not."
He didn't. And in hindsight, it was probably for the best. Between the accent, the fan base, and the fact that Octopussy was already shaping up to be a shaky entry in the franchise, a California-born 007 might've been one too many risks at once.
Still, for a brief moment in Bond history, an American was cast — house, passport, and all — and it came apart at the last second. So the next time a debate breaks out about whether Bond can be American, remember: it almost happened. And then Roger Moore made one phone call and shut the whole thing down.