The 6 Hollywood stars who turned down the chance to play James Bond

In the '60s, Michael Gambon was emerging as a soon-to-be star at Laurence Olivier's National Theatre, a likely replacement for George Lazenby's Bond.

Gambon enjoyed amusing himself with comedic lies to interviewers so we can't be sure his reasoning was exactly what he described when he recalled saying to Albert Broccoli: "I didn’t want the part because I’m not like [Bond]. I haven’t got nice hair and I’m a bit fat and he said, ‘Well, the present James Bond doesn’t have any hair. It's a wig.’” 

The easy good-humour of hits like 'Let's Go Fly a Kite' and 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' might not make Dick Van Dyke an obvious choice for the part of the suave secret agent, but the actor certainly had his own charms. 

Dick told US chat show Today: "They said, 'Would you like to be Bond?' And I said, 'Have you heard my British accent?'" While he might have had a point, it would surely have been a treat to see the actor turn his talents to a more serious role.

Cary Grant defined Old Hollywood glamour, making him a natural choice to play cinema’s most famous, cocktail-sipping secret agent. 

However, Grant was said to be only interested in a one-off appearance rather than committing to a multi-picture contract. He ultimately turned it down, remaining the suavest Bond that never was.

The role was also reportedly offered twice to James Mason, whose famously seductive cadence would have suited 007 perfectly. Yet, much like Grant, Mason baulked at a long-term commitment, refusing to sign on for more than two films. 

The Bond franchise tried to court Mason a second time - offering him the role of the villainous Hugo Drax in Moonraker - but this, too, ended up being a near-miss. The part eventually went to Michael Lonsdale.

Christian Bale might be more famous for his terrifying turn as Patrick Bateman and anti-hero Batman, but the actor had a shot at taking on Bond as well. Unfortunately, the role of secret agent was right at the bottom of his wishlist.

The actor explained in his biography Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman that Bond represented "every despicable stereotype about England and British actors". To clarify things even further, the American Psycho star wrote he had "already played a serial killer".

Richard Burton had taken the world of stage and screen by storm by 1959, so much so that Bond author Ian Fleming approached the actor himself.

At the time, Casino Royale only existed as a novel and TV movie. Richard reportedly thought it "was going to be just another movie", deciding to continue his work as King Arthur on Broadway. Ten years later, he was approached as Sean Connery's replacement but this time priced himself out of the producers' budget.