This is a list of actors that have appeared physically (but not always characteristically) in the Eon Productions series of the James Bond film series more than once.
MI6 Branch: Universal Exports – United Kingdom
M – Head of MI-6
Bernard Lee In the Bond films, Bernard Lee's character, M, is Admiral Sir Miles Messervy (only ever named, besides as 'M', as 'Admiral' and 'Miles' on screen in his appearances), Bond's irascible boss who sends him out on assignments. He also portrays M along with Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny in the 1975 French comedy " Bons baisers de Hong Kong". Lee was succeeded by Robert Brown, though not necessarily playing the same character (Brown had played another admiral in the series previously).
Dame Judi Dench, a friend of Lee, would later take over the role of a brand-new M, starting in 1995 with some references to her predecessor, including an oil painting of Lee in the role seen in MI6's secondary HQ (a Scottish castle).
Lee starred in eleven James Bond films. Dr. No (1962) From Russia with Love (1963) Goldfinger (1964) Thunderball (1965) You Only Live Twice (1967) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Live and Let Die (1973) The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Moonraker (1979)
Robert Brown After Lee's death in 1981, the producers hired actor Robert Brown to continue the role in the Bond films. Brown picks up the role in Octopussy, however it is never explicitly stated on screen whether Robert Brown's character is intended to be the same person played by Lee, if he was intended to be Admiral Hargreaves, the role played by Brown in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, or if he is supposed to be another character altogether.
Brown played M in the following James Bond films:
Octopussy (1983) A View to a Kill (1985) The Living Daylights (1987) Licence to Kill (1989)
Judi Dench In 1995, actress Dame Judi Dench became known to an international audience after taking over the role of M starting with GoldenEye and continuing through all of the Pierce Brosnan films. She is the only actor from Brosnan's era to remain in the rebooted franchise featuring Daniel Craig, starring in 2006's Casino Royale, 2008's Quantum of Solace, and 2012's Skyfall, followed by a cameo in 2015's Spectre. A painting of Dench's M is shown at the relocated MI6 headquarters in 2021's No Time to Die. Dench played M in a total of eight films.
GoldenEye (1995) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002) Casino Royale (2006) Quantum of Solace (2008) Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015)
Ralph Fiennes In 2012, following the death of Judi Dench's M in Skyfall, the character of Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) takes over from her in the role as M.
Fiennes played M in the following films:
Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015) No Time to Die (2021)
Q – Quartermaster
Desmond Llewelyn Starting with the second film in the James Bond series, From Russia with Love (1963), Desmond Llewelyn appeared as Q (the quartermaster of the MI6 gadget lab known as Q-branch) in every Bond film, except Live and Let Die (1973), until The World Is Not Enough (1999). He had originally been chosen for the role as he had previously worked with the director Terence Young on the 1950 war film They Were Not Divided. In the 2002 film Die Another Day, John Cleese, who played the character R, the assistant to Q in The World Is Not Enough, was promoted to the head of Q-branch, thus taking on the title of Q. In all, Llewelyn appeared in 17 Bond films, more than any other actor, and worked with the first five James Bond actors. He also portrayed Q in a 1967 made-for-television special (produced by Eon Productions) entitled, Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond which was included in the 2006 special edition DVD release of You Only Live Twice.
Desmond Llewelyn appears as Major Boothroyd/Q in the following films: From Russia with Love (1963) Goldfinger (1964) Thunderball (1965) You Only Live Twice (1967) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Diamonds are Forever (1971) The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Moonraker (1979) For Your Eyes Only (1981) Octopussy (1983) A View to a Kill (1985) The Living Daylights (1987) Licence to Kill (1989) Goldeneye (1995) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999)
John Cleese In 1999, comedian John Cleese appeared in the James Bond movie, The World Is Not Enough as Q's assistant, referred to by Bond as R. In 2002, when Cleese reprised his role in Die Another Day, the character was promoted, making Cleese the new quartermaster (Q) of MI6. In 2004, Cleese was featured as Q in the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, featuring his likeness and voice.
Cleese appears as R/Q in the following films: The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002)
Ben Whishaw Actor Ben Whishaw took over the role in 2012's Skyfall. Q was absent from the two previous movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and it was Daniel Craig who had expressed concern over the character's absence, and expressed his hope that Q would return in Skyfall.
Whishaw appears as Q in the following films: Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015) No Time to Die (2021)
Moneypenny – Secretary
Lois Maxwell Lois Maxwell lobbied for the role in James Bond, as her husband had had a heart attack and they needed the money. Director Terence Young, who once had turned her down on the grounds that she looked like she "smelled of soap", offered her either Moneypenny or the recurring Bond girlfriend, Sylvia Trench, but she was uncomfortable with a revealing scene the latter had in the screenplay. The role as M's secretary guaranteed just two days' work at £100 per day; Maxwell supplied her own clothes. The Trench character, however, was eliminated after From Russia with Love.
In 1967, Maxwell angered Sean Connery for a time by appearing in the Italian spy spoof Operation Kid Brother with the star's brother Neil Connery and Bernard Lee. In 1971, Maxwell was nearly replaced for Diamonds Are Forever after demanding a pay raise; her policewoman's cap disguises hair she had already dyed for another role. In 1975, she plays Moneypenny weeping for the death of James Bond in a short scene with Bernard Lee as M in the French comedy Bons Baisers de Hong Kong. For the filming of A View to a Kill, her final appearance, Bond producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli told her that the two of them were the only ones from Dr. No still working on the series. Maxwell asked that her character be killed off, but Broccoli recast the role instead.
As Moneypenny, according to author Tom Lisanti, she was seen as an "anchor", with her flirtatious repartee with Bond lending the films realism and humanism. For Moneypenny, Bond was "unobtainable", freeing the characters to make outrageous sexual double entendres. At the same time, her character did little to imbue the series with changing feminist notions.
As Miss Moneypenny Dr. No (1962) From Russia with Love (1963) Goldfinger (1964) Thunderball (1965) You Only Live Twice (1967) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Diamonds are Forever (1971) Live and Let Die (1973) The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Moonraker (1979) For Your Eyes Only (1981) Octopussy (1983) A View to a Kill (1985)
Caroline Bliss Caroline Bliss was only featured in two James Bond movies (the only two Timothy Dalton starred in as James Bond). Although, her role in Licence to Kill was little more than a cameo. She is the only actress to play Moneypenny while wearing glasses. She is also the youngest actress to play Moneypenny. The Living Daylights (1987) Licence to Kill (1989)
Samantha Bond Samantha Bond starred in four James Bond films as Miss Moneypenny. She retired from her role with the departure of Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
She appeared as Miss Moneypenny in:
GoldenEye (1995) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002)
In a commercial for London's 2012 Olympic bid, Bond once again suited up as Miss Moneypenny. She appeared alongside Roger Moore, who played 007 between 1973 and 1985.
Naomie Harris
The role of Miss Moneypenny was not cast in the following Bond films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The character eventually returned in the 2012 film, Skyfall, under the alias 'Eve', played by Naomie Harris. It is only at the end of Skyfall that agent 'Eve' is revealed to be Moneypenny.
Harris played Moneypenny in the following films:
Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015) No Time to Die (2021)
Sir Frederick Gray, the Minister of Defence
Geoffrey Keen
He played the role of Frederick Gray, the Minister of Defence in six James Bond films between 1977 and 1987:
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) (in this film Bond calls him "Freddie" – in private, after the briefing at the naval base – when Gray tells him that he is to go to Egypt.) Moonraker (1979) For Your Eyes Only (1981) Octopussy (1983) A View to a Kill (1985) The Living Daylights (1987)
Bill Tanner – Chief of Staff
Michael Kitchen Michael Kitchen appeared in two Bond films GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.
GoldenEye (1995) The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Rory Kinnear Rory Kinnear appeared as Bill Tanner in the four latest Bond films: Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die.
Quantum of Solace (2008) Skyfall (2012) Spectre (2015) No Time to Die (2021)
Charles Robinson – Chief of Staff
Colin Salmon Colin Salmon appeared in three Bond films as Chief of Staff Charles Robinson: Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The World Is Not Enough (1999) Die Another Day (2002)
Central Intelligence Agency/US Armed Forces – United States
Agent Felix Leiter
David Hedison David Hedison played James Bond's ally Felix Leiter in Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill.
As Felix Leiter: Live and Let Die (1973) Licence to Kill (1989)
Jeffrey Wright In 2006, Jeffrey Wright featured as Felix Leiter in the 21st Bond movie, Casino Royale. This makes him the first African-American man to play the character in an Eon-produced Bond film (Bernie Casey played Leiter in the non-Eon Never Say Never Again). He also reprised the role in Quantum of Solace, and like David Hedison before him appeared as Leiter more than once.
As Felix Leiter: Casino Royale (2006) Quantum of Solace (2008) No Time to Die (2021)
General Brad Whitaker/Agent Jack Wade
Joe Don Baker In 1987, Joe Don Baker got the role of the villain Brad Whitaker in the Bond film The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond. In 1995 and 1997 Baker returned to the series, this time playing a different character, CIA agent Jack Wade, in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan as Bond.
The character of Wade is similar to that of CIA agent Darius Jedburgh, played by Baker in the 1985 BBC Television serial Edge of Darkness. He was nominated for "Best Actor" by the British Academy Television Awards. This serial was directed by Martin Campbell, who also cast Baker as Wade in GoldenEye.
As General Brad Whitaker: The Living Daylights (1987)
As CIA Agent Jack Wade: GoldenEye (1995) Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Other actors
Michael G. Wilson In 1972 Michael G. Wilson joined Eon Productions, the production company responsible for the James Bond film series dating back to 1962 that began with his stepfather Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Wilson specifically worked in Eon Productions's legal department until taking a more active role as an assistant to Cubby Broccoli for the film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In 1979 Wilson became executive producer of the film Moonraker and since has been an executive producer or producer in every James Bond film, currently co-producing with his half-sister Barbara. Cameo Roles Goldfinger (1964) – soldier at Fort Knox (uncredited)