Had I realized this was a Bond conversation thread I would have jumped in sooner. I definitely respect Sean Connery and I put him right at or around the top of my list. He invented the role and he embodied it well. It's hard to pull off a character with that much charm, heroics, physical prowess, intelligence, with just a touch of the softer side. I also love Connery's voice. Anyway, here is my ranking:
1) Judi Dench (Yeah I know she doesn't count, but just watch Skyfall. She owns this movie)
2) Daniel Craig
3) Sean Connery
4) George Lazenby
5) Timothy Dalton
6) Pierce Brosnan
7) Roger Moore
I really do like all of them a lot, though Moore is a pretty easy #5 for me. Not a fan of his fighting style. All the early movies are super sexist, which I don't like either, but I don't really blame the actor as much as the script. The Moore movies got ridiculously hokey. Just so hokey. The movies all have redeeming qualities, but the dialogue and writing feels lazy for much of the Moore movies.
Edit - I'm a complete moron and forgot Pierce Brosnan. Thank you Garnet for catching that.
Obligatory