© Getty Images

Shaken, not stirred - James Bond's favorite drink is vodka martini, shaken not stirred. The character has so far downed more than 20 of these cocktails in twenty-four films.

© NL Beeld

Time to bond - From 'Dr No' (1962) to 'Spectre' (2015) James Bond has slept with 58 women. Smoothie Roger Moore heads the cast, with 17 romantic liaisons over 7 films.

© BrunoPress

"Jaws" - Standing 2.2 m (7 ft 2 in), Richard Kiel was one of the scariest Bond villains. He could only keep his metal teeth in his mouth for about 30 seconds at a time, so his scenes were deliberately kept, er, short.

© NL Beeld

Swiss miss - Due to her heavy accent, Swiss actress Ursula Andress, who played Honey Ryder in 'Dr No' (1962), had her voice dubbed by Nikki van der Zyl.

© NL Beeld

Golden girl - Actress Shirley Eaton is forever remembered as the Bond girl that was daubed with gold paint and left to die from "skin suffocation." It took an hour-and-a-half to apply the paint to her body.

© BrunoPress

Same actor, similar plot - Two Bond films share the same plotline: 'Thunderball' (1965) and 'Never Say Never Again' (1983). Both star Sean Connery as 007.

© NL Beeld

Gert Fröbe - The German film actor who played Goldfinger spoke little English and said his lines phonetically. His voice was later redubbed by English actor Michael Collins.

© Getty Images

Weapon of choice - Bond's initial weapon of choice was the Italian Beretta 418, the so-called "pocket pistol.' But as he shot to fame, he started using the Walther PPK. 

© NL Beeld

Bond in a whirl - Helicopters are a favorite mode of transport in Bond films. They are also preferred methods of attack. In fact, the only Bond film since 'From Russia with Love' not to feature a helicopter is 'The Man With The Golden Gun.'

© NL Beeld

The older woman - Two actresses have been older than the actor playing Bond. Honor Blackman was 37 and Sean Connery 34 when they appeared together in 'Goldfinger.'

© Getty Images

One over Bond - The other actress is Diana Rigg, who was 31 to George Lazenby's 30 when they starred together in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969).

© Getty Images

Bond's drinking habits - We all know Bond likes a drink. Up to 'Casino Royale,' Bond is seen to knock back 114 drinks. That's equivalent to one drink every 24.3 minutes! But Daniel Craig's Bond has the strongest liver—his 26 drinks in 'Casino Royale' and 25 in 'Spectre' top the lot.

© BrunoPress

Smoking hot - Bond has never really taken care of himself. Besides drinking too much, he is a heavy smoker. Ian Fleming himself smoked up to 80 cigarettes a day.

© Getty Images

What's in a number? - James Bond 007 has a charmed life, it seems. Agents 002, 003, 004, and 009 have been killed. Agent 006 was Sean Bean's character in 'GoldenEye,' and he didn't last long. And nothing is known about 001 nor 005.

© NL Beeld

A charmed life - The British secret agent has been shot at 4,662 times during his career.  

© NL Beeld

Sequel - 'Quantum of Solace' is a direct sequel to 'Casino Royale.' The title was chosen from a short story in 'For Your Eyes Only,' a collection of short stories by Ian Fleming published in 1959.

© NL Beeld

Deleted scene - Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr filmed a cameo scene for 'Diamonds are Forever' (1971). It was deleted from the final cut. 

© Public Domain

Cubby on Connery - Bond producer "Cubby" Broccoli was impressed with Sean Connery's potential as James Bond. But he wanted a second opinion. So he asked his wife Dana to verify the actor's attractiveness to women. She was impressed, and Connery became Bond.

© Getty Images

Licence to kill - Across 24 films, 007 has dispatched a total of 405 villains.

© Getty Images

Bond at box office - Overall, the Bond franchise has grossed more than US$16.3 billion when adjusted for inflation. 'Skyfall' (2012) is the biggest earner to date, grossing US$1.2 billion and turning in a profit of more than US$910 million.

© Getty Images

Aston Martin DB5 - The iconic sports car made its debut in 'Goldfinger' (1964), complete with gadgets. A toy Aston Martin DB5 car from Corgi Toys became the biggest selling toy of 1964. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

'O.K. Connery' - Younger brother of Sean, Neil Connery (pictured with Daniela Bianchi) starred in a 1967 made-for-laughs Bond spoof called 'O.K. Connery.' One of the better reviews described the film as "unbelievably inept."

© Getty Images

Youngest Bond - At the age of 30, Australian actor and former model George Lazenby was the youngest actor to have portrayed Bond.

© Getty Images

Roald Dahl - British author Roald Dahl, whose novels include 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' wrote the screenplay for 'You Only Live Twice' (1967), adapted from the Ian Fleming novel of the same name.

© NL Beeld

Ms real name - M's real name is revealed during the course of Daniel Craig's James Bond films. She's called Olivia Mansfield.

© NL Beeld

"Little Brother of James Bond" - In some countries, the Johnny English series of 007 spy spoofs starring Rowan Atkinson are known as the "Little Brother of James Bond."

© NL Beeld

MI6 building - The UK's foreign intelligence service, MI6, is headquartered at the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) building in London. The existence of SIS was not officially acknowledged until 1994. 

© Getty Images

Break with tradition - Sean Connery's fight choreographer on 'Never Say Never Again' (1983) was Steven Seagal. He managed to break Connery's wrist while training.

© NL Beeld

Batman as Bond? - Did you know that Batman was once considered for the role of Bond? That is, Adam West (pictured) who played the original caped crusader on TV. Other actors suggested as 007 include Cary Grant, Burt Reynolds, and Sam Niell.

© Public Domain

Dress code - Style matters in Bond movies, and while under contract to play the secret agent, Pierce Brosnan was forbidden to wear a tuxedo in any non-Bond film.

© NL Beeld

Who is Q? - Q's real name is Major Boothroyd, a title so far only mentioned in three Bond films: 'Dr No' (1962), 'From Russia with Love' (1963), and 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (1977). And what does 'Q' mean? Quartermaster!

© NL Beeld

Perk of the job - By way of thanks from the car manufacturer for his role as James Bond, actor Daniel Craig has the privilege of taking any Aston Martin model from the showroom for the rest of his life.

© NL Beeld

Goldeneye - Ian Fleming lived in Jamaica on a sprawling oceanfront estate he called Goldeneye. He's pictured in his study where he wrote many of his novels. 'GoldenEye' is the title of the seventeenth James Bond movie produced by Eon Productions.

© Getty Images

Taken but not stirred - Liam Neeson was reportedly offered the role as 007 in 1995's 'GoldenEye' but turned it down. He would later display typical Bond attributes in the thriller 'Taken' (2008).

© BrunoPress

Double trouble - Despite his physique, Roger Moore was self conscious about the way he ran. He felt he looked awkward full stride. So his running was always performed by a body double.

© NL Beeld

Record-breaking car wreck - The awesome car barrel roll stunt in 'Casino Royale' with the Aston Martin DBS smashed the Guinness world record for the most car barrel rolls assisted by a nitrogen cannon. The car completed seven full rolls.

© NL Beeld

Character traits - Bond creator Ian Fleming based much of the character's mannerisms on himself. Fleming smoked, preferred coffee to tea, loved women, and was a commander in the British Navy. Oh, and he liked his martini's shaken, not stirred.

© Getty Images

Buff Bond - At 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), Daniel Craig is the shortest Bond actor. But what he lacks in stature he definitely makes up for in physique.

© NL Beeld

Standing tall - Sean Connery and Gorge Lazenby are the tallest big screen Bonds, both standing 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in).

© NL Beeld

Adele sings success - Adele wrote and performed the theme song to 'Skyfall.' It subsequently won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The movie also picked up an Oscar for best sound editing. 'Goldfinger' (sound effects) and 'Thunderball' (visual effects) are so far the only other Bond films to win Oscars. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Playing the part - Christopher Lee was a contender for the role of Bond. Ironically, he later played one of Bond's most cunning adversaries, the mysterious Scaramanga, the man with the golden gun.

© NL Beeld

Shark attack! - This is Rock Point estate in the Bahamas, where a segment of 'Thunderball' (1965) was filmed. The house served as villain Emilio Largo's hideout and still features the swimming pool stuntman Bill Cumming jumped into when full of sharks, earning a US$450 bonus into the bargain. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

High-flying disguise - The "female" pilots at the controls of the planes during the Flying Circus sequence over Fort Knox in 'Goldfinger' were in fact men wearing blonde wigs.

© Public Domain

Dialing M - For a while, Judi Dench's ringtone was the James Bond theme. Apparently during the filming of 'Skyfall' (2012) her cell phone went off, to howls of laughter from the crew.

© NL Beeld

Bond gets the bird - Ever wondered where the name James Bond comes from? One of Ian Fleming's favorite books was a bird-watching guide compiled by American ornithologist Dr James Bond (pictured). The author felt the mundane name was strong and masculine, and just what he needed. Thus, a second James Bond was born. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

"Little Nellie" - "Little Nellie," the autogyro Bond flies in 'You Only Live Twice' (1967), was named after British music hall star Nellie Wallace.

© NL Beeld

Presidential favorite - President John F. Kennedy named Ian Fleming's novel 'From Russia with Love' among his ten favorite books of all time—and the film version was the last movie he saw at the White House before traveling to Dallas in November 1963.

© Getty Images

Father figure - George Lucas cast Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' (1989) on the strength of his performances as James Bond. Director Steven Spielberg had also been a fan of Connery's work as 007 and felt that no one else could perform the role as well.

© NL Beeld

The man with the Golden Royal Portable - Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, tapped out his novels using a Golden Royal Portable, a rare (18-carat) gold-plated typewriter.

© NL Beeld

Suits you! - Daniel Craig wears Tom Ford throughout 'Skyfall' (2012). For the film's action-packed opening sequence the actor was given 85 copies of Bond's suit. His tailor must have been working overtime.

© NL Beeld

M is for music - M's elegantly furnished London townhouse in 'Skyfall' (2012) is the former home of composer John Barry (pictured), who scored 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987.

© NL Beeld

James Bond Island - Thailand's Ko Khao Phing Kan Island served as Scaramanga's hideout in 'The Man With The Golden Gun' and is now known as "James Bond Island."

© Shutterstock

Family ties - Christopher Lee was Ian Fleming's step-cousin.  

© NL Beeld

Incredible view - 'Live and Let Die' (1973) holds the record for the most-viewed broadcast film on television in the United Kingdom, as it attracted 23.5 million viewers when it premiered on the ITV channel on January 20, 1980.

© NL Beeld

All bets are off -

Despite an all-star cast that included David Niven (as Sir James Bond), Orson Welles, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen, 1967's 007 spoof 'Casino Royale' is the least successful Bond film, grossing just under US$278 million worldwide when adjusted for inflation.

© NL Beeld

Barbara Broccoli - After original Bond producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli's death in 1996, the responsibility of controlling Eon Production and the Bond movie franchise fell to his daughter Barbara (pictured with Daniel Craig). (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 2.0)

© Wikimedia/Creative Commons

Bond's number's up -

Lashana Lynch (right), the new 007, with fellow cast members Léa Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Naomie Harris, and Daniel Craig. James Bond is still male, but the new Bond film 'No Time to Die' film will feature the first female with a 007 license to kill.

See also: The name's Connery, Sean Connery!

© Getty Images