10 Actors Who Turned Down James Bond

Most of us would take the opportunity to be James Bond in a heartbeat but not these men. For these actors the name's...well...not Bond.

1. Cary Grant - 1961

Reason For Decline: Cary felt he was too old at 58 to play the role.

2. Richard Burton - 1959, 1961, 1968

Reason For Decline: Wanted more than the producers were willing to pay.

3. Burt Reynolds - 1968

Reason For Decline: Burt felt as if Bond should be British.

4. Adam West - 1970

Reason For Decline: Like Burt Reynolds, Adam thought that Bond should be British.

5. Clint Eastwood - 1971

Reason For Decline: Also thought Bond should be British. We clearly need an American spy that lives up to Bond...

6. Liam Neeson - 1994

Reason For Decline: At the time, Liam wasn't interested in starring in action movies...

7. Colin Farrell - 2004

Reason For Decline: Colin didn't think audiences would want him to be James Bond.

8. Hugh Jackman - 2005

Reason For Decline: A busy schedule as well as Hugh's fear of being typecast.

9. Ewan McGregor - 2005

Reason For Decline: Ewan also had a fear of being typecast after taking on the iconic role.

10. Gerard Butler - 2009

Reason For Decline: Gerard thought that becoming Bond would ruin his career.