Daniel Craig Becomes Honorary Royal Navy Commander — Just Like James Bond

Greta Bjornson
·2 min read
Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
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LPHOT LEE BLEASE/BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Life is mirroring art for Daniel Craig, who just got one step closer to truly becoming his iconic James Bond character.

The actor, 53, was named ​​an honorary officer of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy Thursday, the organization announced in a news release. With his new appointment, Craig is following in the footsteps of Bond, who is a Royal Navy commander in the popular film franchise.

Craig said in a statement included in Thursday's news release, "I am truly privileged and honored to be appointed the rank of Honorary Commander in the senior service."

Actor Daniel Craig and Department of Film Chief Curator Rajendra Roy attend The Museum of Modern Art's Screening of Casino Royale at MOMA on March 03, 2020 in New York City.
Actor Daniel Craig and Department of Film Chief Curator Rajendra Roy attend The Museum of Modern Art's Screening of Casino Royale at MOMA on March 03, 2020 in New York City.

Mark Sagliocco/Getty

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The Royal Navy stated that Craig is "keen to support personnel within the Royal Navy, with a particular interest in service families."

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said he was "delighted" to welcome the actor to the Royal Navy, per Thursday's news release.

"Our honorary officers act as ambassadors and advocates for the Service, sharing their time and expertise to spread the message about what our global, modern, and ready Royal Navy is doing around the world," he said.

Radakin added, "Daniel Craig is well known for being Commander Bond for the last fifteen years – a Naval officer who keeps Britain safe through missions across the globe."

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Actor Daniel Craig speaks onstage during The New Yorker Festival 2016 - Daniel Craig Talks With Nicholas Schmidle at MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre on October 7, 2016
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Actor Daniel Craig speaks onstage during The New Yorker Festival 2016 - Daniel Craig Talks With Nicholas Schmidle at MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre on October 7, 2016

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty

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Craig is set to reprise his role as Bond in his fifth and final film in the franchise, No Time to Die. The movie is set to premiere Oct. 8 after it was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Royal Navy is linked specifically to the latest Bond film, as revealed in the news release; both the Navy and the Ministry of Defence worked with No Time to Die filmmakers on the movie.

As Craig prepares to say goodbye to the character he played for 15 years, he gave an emotional speech about his experience playing Bond as featured in the new Being James Bond documentary, which is streaming on Apple TV through Oct. 7.

"A lot of people here worked on five pictures with me," Craig tearfully said in his speech. "I know there are a lot of things said about what I think of these films, but I've loved every single second of these movies."

He added, "And especially this one because I've got up every morning, and I've had the chance to work with you guys. And that has been one of the greatest honors of my life."