Factbox: MI 6 agent James Bond marks 50th anniversary

New Delhi: Here is a look at the 'James Bond' phenomenon ahead of 'Global James Bond Day' on Friday, which marks 50 years since the premiere of the first 007 movie 'Dr. No' starring Sean Connery as the suave secret agent.

A few weeks later 'Skyfall', the 23rd official Bond film, will hit movie theatres.

Here are some details about the 'Bond' films:

Daniel Craig, 44, is the the first Bond actor to have been born after the Bond series began.

Who has played Bond?

'Skyfall' is Daniel Craig's third Bond film. He has already starred in 'Casino Royale', the 21st in the series, and 'Quantum of Solace'. Craig, 44, is the the first Bond actor to have been born after the Bond series began.

The earliest Bond is Sean Connery. He starred in six Bond movies as well as the unofficial 'Never Say Never Again' in 1983.

George Lazenby, was an actor/athlete, winning two ski competitions in Australia. He starred in only one Bond movie, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

Roger Moore, formerly 'The Saint' on television, had a 13-year stint as Bond starring in seven adventures.

Timothy Dalton, starred in two Bond movies 'The Living Daylights' and 'Licence To Kill'.

Pierce Brosnan is the only 007 actor to have been married to a Bond girl, Cassandra Harris, who starred in Roger Moore's fifth outing as 007, 'For Your Eyes Only'. Brosnan made four Bond movies.

David Niven, who died in 1983, played the character in the spoof original 'Casino Royale' in 1967. Agent 007 was also played on U.S. television by Barry Nelson in 1954, although the agent's name in that case was 'Jimmy Bond'.

Who is James Bond?

Bond's tastes have entered popular culture. He likes his cocktails shaken, not stirred, and introduces himself as 'Bond ... James Bond'. But his frequent flings with glamorous femme fatale including Pussy Galore and Honey Ryder have earned him a reputation as a sexist.

The films: Box office

There have been 22 official Bond films which according to www.the-numbers.com have amassed almost $5.1 billion at the box office worldwide. The most recent, 'Quantum of Solace' grossed nearly $600 million. The first film 'Dr. No' grossed almost $60 million. Sources:

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)