Dick Van Dyke, is best known for his musicals,
Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and his long-running television series
The Dick Van Dyke Show and
Diagnosis: Murder. Apparently, while he was filming 1968's
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which is based on an Ian Fleming novel, Van Dyke was approached by the film's producer, Cubby Broccoli, who also produced the
James Bond films.
“I was doing Chitty,” Van Dyke said, referring to
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, “Sean Connery had spoken about leaving the Bond pictures. He had done several at the time. Cubby Broccoli actually pulled me in and asked me if I wanted to do Bond.”
A quizzical Pollack replied, "No, he didn't," but Van Dyke emphatically replied, "Yes, he did!"
"I said, 'Have you heard [my British accent]?" Van Dyke said. "And [Broccoli] said, 'Oh, that's right! Forget it!'"
After that, Pollak and Van Dyke discussed current James Bond, Daniel Craig ("Skyfall"). Van Dyke praised Craig for being a "wonderful" actor, but didn't think he had the "panache to be Bond."
It's hard to see a young version of Van Dyke as Bond, especially since, at that time, he was known for making goofy faces and for his physical comedy, prat falls and such. Connery did leave the franchise, and Broccoli would replace him with George Lazenby for 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."
It begins around the 28:30 mark
Couple clips featuring Van Dyke's performances