In his literary form, Bond was a much-welcomed boost of national pride for a country which had only begun to stabilize after the War on film, he became an icon for a postwar boom generation with aspirations and disposable income, with Connery leading the charge as the world's most famous playboy on and off the job. But it was Sean Connery's performance as a souped-up version of Fleming's iconic superspy that turned 007 into one of the UK's largest cultural exports, on par with Doctor Who and The Beatles. Based on a canon of novels by journalist and WWII intelligence officer Ian Fleming, Bond was already a household name in the United Kingdom a decade before reaching the silver screen. After 50 years and 23 films, the James Bond franchise is inarguably the most successful and steadfast in film history.
