Daniel Craig is the highest-paid James Bond star ever.

The 44-year-old actor - who reprised his role as the iconic British spy for the third time in Skyfall - will earn $50 million to portray the suave secret agent in two more movies, dwarfing the pay cheques received by his predecessors.

Sean Connery was the first actor to play Bond in 1962, earning $15,000 to star in Dr. No. His salary steadily rose, with the average pay for his work on six films in the franchise averaging at $345,000 - around $5 million in today's prices.

George Lazenby earned $540,000 - the equivelent of $730,000 - for his one outing as 007 in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, while Roger Moore brought home an average of $2.2 million, or $10 million today, from his seven films.

The huge contract surpasses the $17 million he earned for Skyfall, which at the time overtook the $16.3 million Pierce Brosnan took home for starring in 2002 Bond movie Die Another Day.