After 18 months of speculations, rumours, unofficial announcements, hearsays, it's finally over!!



British actor Daniel Craig will be the sixth actor (and the first Blond one) to step into the role of James Bond 007 in "Casino Royale".





The 37 year-old actor will replace Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in four films as 007 ("GoldenEye" - 1995, "Tomorrow Never Dies" - 1997, "The World Is Not Enough" - 1999" and "Die Another Day" - 2002).

Craig co-starred with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman in "Road to Perdition," played a Treasure Hunter opposite Angelina Jolie in the Lara Croft Tomb Raider Movie, played poet Tom Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow's Sylvia Plath in "Sylvia," and appeared in this year's thriller "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody.

He is also the British tabloids' dream Bond. He once dated headline-grabbing supermodel Kate Moss and has been linked to Sienna Miller, the on-off fiancee of Jude Law and Craig's "Layer Cake" co-star.

"Casino Royale," the 21st Bond film, will be directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed Brosnan's first Bond outing, 1995's "GoldenEye."

Other actors named as possible 007 contenders include Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Eric Bana.

First published in 1953, "Casino Royale" was the first James Bond novel and its tone bares little resemblance to either its 1967 film spoof or MGM's Bond movies as the original Bond novels were much darker and more serious than their film counterparts. This one in particular was more downbeat and less glossy than others in the series and includes a legendary torture scene.

In the original story, 'M' sends Commander Bond to the gambling tables of the French Riviera to thwart an enemy Russian spy, Le Chiffre, in his attempts to win back multi-millions of KGB funds which he had lost through an ill-advised investment. The catch is the Russian secret service is on LeChiffe's tail and so the man has hired his own assassins to make sure he gets through the games and wins.

Casino Royale will be released in theaters in November 2006.



Daniel Craig Biography:



Date of birth: 2nd March 1968
Place of birth: Chester, England, UK
Height: 6'

Films:

2006 - Casino Royale
Have You Heard? (2006) (filming) .... Perry Smith
The Visiting (2006) (filming) .... Ben
Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) (post-production)
The Jacket (2005) .... Rudy Mackenzie
Layer Cake (2004) .... XXXX
Enduring Love (2004) .... Joe
Sylvia (2003) .... Ted Hughes
The Mother (2003) .... Darren
Occasional, Strong (2002)
Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002) .... Cecil (segment Addicted to the Stars)
Road to Perdition (2002) .... Connor Rooney
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) .... Alex West
Hotel Splendide (2000) .... Ronald Blanche
Some Voices (2000) .... Ray
I Dreamed of Africa (2000) .... Declan Fielding

British actor Daniel Craig was born in 1968 in Chester, England, but grew up in Liverpool before moving to London and studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He made his film debut in The Power of One, directed by John G. Avildsen.

His first leading role in the U.K. came in 1998 with his portrayal of George Dyer, the intimate friend of painter Francis Bacon (played by Derek Jacobi) in John Maybury's Love Is the Devil. Other leading roles followed in the U.K. films Love & Rage, The Trench, Some Voices, and Hotel Splendide. In Hollywood, he had smaller roles in I Dreamed of Africa, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Road to Perdition.

In 2002, he played the German physicist Werner Heisenberg in the BBC historical drama Copenhagen. His first mainstream leading role came in 2003 as Ted Hughes, the partner of Sylvia Plath (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) in Christine Jeffs' Sylvia.

In 2004, he made the successful "Layer Cake" as the lead character XXXX and also appeared in "Enduring Love", "The Jacket", "Fateless", and the critically acclaimed television series "Archangel".

Craig can be seen next in Steven Spielberg's "Munich", a film based on the true story of the terrorist attacks at the 1972 Olympics. Before he starts shooting his first James Bond film, "Casino Royale" in January 2006, Craig is filming "Have You Heard?" and "The Visiting".

Facts:

**Won the 2005 ALFS British Actor of the Year Award (London Critics Circle Film Award) for his outstanding performance in "Enduring Love".
**Has a daughter, who lives with his ex-wife in London.
**Named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by European Film Promotion in 2000.
**Nominated for a 2002 London Evening Standard Theatre
**Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Number at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs.


Previous Actors who played James Bond

Sean Connery



Dr. No 1962
From Russia With Love 1963
Goldfinger 1964
Thunderball 1965
You Only Live Twice 1967
Diamonds Are Forever 1971

George Lazenby


On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969

Roger Moore



Live And Let Die 1973
The Man With The Golden Gun 1975
The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
Moonraker 1979
For Your Eyes Only 1981
Octop*ussy 1983
A View To A Kill 1985

Timothy Dalton



The Living Daylights 1987
Licence To Kill 1989

Pierce Brosnan



Goldeneye 1995
Tomorrow Never Dies 1997
The World Is Not Enough 1999
Die Another Day 2002