Daniel Craig is the actor who has been portraying the James Bond character in the 007 series since 2005 when he took over from Pierce Brosnan. Apart from the popular acclaim from fans and critics alike, one proof that Craig has fared way above average in his career is that he has been nominated for over 40 prestigious awards since the inception of his professional career in 1992. And he has won about a quarter of that number.
Normally, an actor’s talents and skills in interpreting his roles are the major considerations among critics. But, in recent years, Daniel Craig’s height has also become a widely talked about topic among his fans. This is because of his James Bond role. The James Bond character is usually a tall, huge, strong, and fit man who actively goes out to detect the bad guys and take them out. So, actors who play the role are expected to be physically well-built and tall men who stand above the women they act with.
As he is the only James Bond actor who is not “tall-enough” to embody the character since its movie inception in 1962, it is not surprising that Daniel’s height has been a subject of interest to many people. The reason is that fans of the series have over the years become used to how James Bond should look like. So, since he is the only James Bond star who seems to stand at a height below 6 feet, is he tall enough to portray James Bond? Let’s discuss this side by side with some of his best critically acclaimed roles.
What Are Daniel Craig’s Best Movie Roles Ever?
Since the beginning of his career that has spanned about three decades, Daniel Craig has thrown up an impressive filmography of no less than 60 movie roles (both film and TV). This is in addition to a couple of other appearances in theatrical productions, video games, and more. So, what are his best movies so far out of all these?
There is no doubt that many people will answer the above question differently. So, for the sake of being objective with it, we are going to select Craig’s movie roles that have received the most accolades from recognized bodies. In this sense, his first-ever James Bond role in Casino Royale occupies the undisputed first position.
It is clear from his Casino Royale performances that Daniel Craig must have gone the extra mile to prove that he deserved the highly enviable role. After all, it is said that the first impression is always the best. And to prove the objectivity of our pick here, it might interest you to know that, out of the nine officially recognized awards that Craig has won in his career, three are due to his role in Casino Royale. In 2007, he won the Empire Awards under the category of ‘the best actor’ for his role in the movie. That same year too – and for the same role – Craig was also named ‘the best actor’ in the Evening Standard British Film Awards and ‘the best foreign actor’ in San Jordi Awards. It has never again been this good in the English actor’s career.
But, for other considerations, Daniel Craig’s third James Bond role in Skyfall (2012) could be taken to have almost tied in the first position with that of Casino Royale. See why: First, he has won only one award from that role at press time, but it is an award that seems to be more popular – Critics Choice Movie Awards. In the 2013 edition of the award, Craig was named ‘the best actor in an action movie’ for his role in the 2012 movie Skyfall. Then, if Dollar value becomes a consideration – which you know it is – then, we could even say that Craig’s very best movie ever is Skyfall. This is because, not only is the film his best Box Office hit ever, it is also the highest-grossing James Bond movie of all time.
Other worthy mentions on the list of Daniel Craig’s best works are:
1. As ‘George Dyer’ in the 1998 BBC made-for-TV film Love Is the Devil: Study for A Portrait of Francis Bacon, which fetched him his first officially recognized award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
2. As ‘Ray’ in the British drama film Some Voices (2000) for which he won the British Independent Film Awards under the category of ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent film.’
3. In the 2017 heist comedy film Logan Lucky, Daniel Craig took his versatility to another level, showing he can also do very well in comedic roles. Acting as the convict ‘Joe Bang,’ he wowed the watching public to the point of being awarded ‘the best comedic performance’ by the prestigious San Diego Film Critics Society in 2017.
Is The Actor’s Height An Impediment To His James Bond Role?
Yes, we all know about Craig’s charisma when it comes to acting. But, could John Cheese and his supporters be right in their claim that the actor is rather too short for the James Bond role? Let’s see:
An Overview of Daniel Craig’s James Bond Roles So Far
Seven actors have portrayed the James Bond character since the movie series was created, and David Craig is currently the one filling the role. As already hinted on, he played his first James Bond role in 2006 when he was cast in Casino Royale. The movie happens to be the twenty-first movie in the James Bond film series. After its release, the film went on to gross US$594,239,066 worldwide, eventually becoming the highest-grossing James Bond film at the time. The movie also made Craig even more famous as an action star by attracting lots and lots of accolades his way.
In 2008, Daniel appeared in his second James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. The movie went on to gross a whopping $586 million worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing James Bond film. Not relenting, Craig starred in his third James Bond film titled Skyfall in 2012. As mentioned earlier, the movie became the highest-grossing Bond film of all time. The film grossed over $1 billion worldwide and won so many accolades, including two Academy Awards, 2 BAFTA Awards, and two Grammy Awards.
Daniel Craig starred in his 4th James Bond film in 2015. The movie, titled Spectre, grossed $880 million worldwide. At the time of this writing, Craig’s 5th Bond movie, No Time To Die, should have been out, but for the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Almost rhythmically, the producers reckoned that it was no time to die from the viral scourge. So, after receiving letters from the public asking for the film’s release to be delayed, Eon Productions has made an official statement to the effect that the release would be delayed till late 2020 lest it becomes the only James Bond commercial failure ever as a result of the pandemic.
Daniel Craig has had immense success as a James Bond star and has become insanely popular around the world. We expect his usual great performance in No Time To Die. As for whether he is too short to play James Bond, let’s take a look at his height.
What Is Daniel Craig’s Height?
Daniel Craig’s height became a topic of discussion when it was discovered that he was below 6 feet tall. The actor’s exact height is quite vague, but it is estimated that Daniel stands at between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches in height.
Some fans, who have been used to seeing James Bond actors standing more than 6 feet in height, wondered if it was right to have used Craig as a Bond star. This has made Daniel Craig quite sensitive about his height. He was once asked by a reporter to reveal his height, Craig quickly snapped that he was somewhere between 5 and 6 feet.
Read Also: Rachel Weisz – Facts About the Woman Daniel Craig Is Married To As Wife
Is He Really Too Short To Play James Bond?
The fact is that Daniel Craig is the shortest man to ever play James Bond in the legendary movie series. As such, notwithstanding his immense success, Craig’s selection to star in the 007 series has been criticized.
In 2016, John Cleese, a very popular American actor and comedian openly claimed that Daniel Craig is too short to play James Bond because he was not even as tall as 6 feet. A good number of other James Bond fans promptly agreed with him. This school of thought was given more credence when it was reported that Craig had to wear shoes that had a lift in them while filming some scenes for Quantum of Solace. This was done because he was not tall enough to tower over his onscreen girlfriend when she wore her heels.
The idea of the James Bond character is a tall, handsome man, who towers above his woman and other bad guys in the movies. So, since Craig could not tower above his woman, it was widely insinuated that he was not tall enough to play the role.
However, despite all the talks about Craig not being tall enough to play James Bond, the actor has proven all doubters wrong by helping the series rake in its highest-ever grosses, as his role in Skyfall helped the movie series gross more than $1 billion for the first time in the history of the James Bond movie franchise. Considering this feat, Daniel Craig’s height shouldn’t be a problem.
