Sir Roger George Moore KBE (14 October 1927 – 23 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985. Moore's seven appearances as Bond, from Live and Let Die to A View to a Kill, are the most of any actor in the Eon-produced entries.
On television, Moore played the lead role of Simon Templar,
the title character in the British mystery thriller series The Saint
(1962–1969). He also had roles in American series, including Beau Maverick on
the Western Maverick (1960–1961), in which he replaced James Garner as the
lead, and a co-lead, with Tony Curtis, in the action-comedy The Persuaders!
(1971–1972). Continuing to act on screen in the decades after his retirement
from the Bond franchise, Moore's final appearance was in a pilot for a new Saint
series that became a 2017 television film.
Moore was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and
was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for services to charity. In 2007, he
received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film
industry. He was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the
French government in 2008.
Early life
Roger Moore was born on 14 October 1927 in Stockwell, London.
He was the only child of George Alfred Moore (1904–1997), a policeman based in
Bow Street, London, and Lillian "Lily"
Pope (1904–1986). His mother was born in Calcutta, India, to an English family.
He attended Battersea Grammar School, but was evacuated to Holsworthy in Devon
during the Second World War, and attended Launceston College in Cornwall. He
was further educated at Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham,
Buckinghamshire.
Moore was apprenticed to an animation studio but was fired
after he made a mistake with some animation cels. When his father investigated
a robbery at the home of film director Brian Desmond Hurst, Moore was
introduced to the director and hired as an extra for the 1945 film Caesar and
Cleopatra. While there, Moore attracted an off-camera female fan following, and
Hurst decided to pay Moore's fees at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Moore
spent three terms at RADA, where he was a classmate of his future Bond co-stars
Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny. During his time there, he developed
the Mid-Atlantic accent and relaxed demeanor that became his screen persona.
At 18, shortly after the end of the Second World War, Moore
was conscripted for national service. On 21 September 1946, he was commissioned
into the Royal Army Service Corps as a second lieutenant. He was an officer in
the Combined Services Entertainment section, eventually becoming a captain
commanding a small depot in West Germany, where he looked after entertainers
for the armed forces passing through Hamburg.
Career
Early work (1945–1953)
Moore made his professional debut in Alexander Korda's
Perfect Strangers (1945) alongside actors Robert Donat, Deborah Kerr, and
Glynis Johns. Other early uncredited appearances include Caesar and Cleopatra
(1945), Gaiety George, Piccadilly Incident (both 1946), and Trottie True
(1949), in which he appeared alongside an uncredited Christopher Lee (both
actors being cast by Brian Desmond Hurst as stage-door Johnnies).
In his book Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown, Moore
states that his first television appearance was on 27 March 1949 in The
Governess by Patrick Hamilton, a live broadcast (as usual in that era), in
which he played the minor part of Bob Drew. Other actors in the show included
Clive Morton and Betty Ann Davies. He had uncredited parts in films including
Paper Orchid and The Interrupted Journey (both 1949). He was in Drawing-Room
Detective on TV and appeared in the films One Wild Oat and Honeymoon Deferred
(both 1951).
In the early 1950s, Moore worked as a model, appearing in print
advertisements in the UK for knitwear (earning him the nickname "The Big Knit") and a wide
range of other products such as toothpaste.
Moore traveled to the United States and began to work in
television. He appeared in adaptations of Julius Caesar and Black Chiffon and
in two episodes of Robert Montgomery Presents, as well as the TV movie The Clay
of Kings (all 1953).
MGM (1954–1956)
In March 1954, MGM signed Moore to a seven-year contract. He
started his MGM contract with a small role in The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954),
flirting with Elizabeth Taylor. He appeared in Interrupted Melody, a
biographical movie about opera singer Marjorie Lawrence's recovery from polio,
in which he was billed third under Glenn Ford and Eleanor Parker as Lawrence's
brother Cyril. That same year, he played a supporting role in the swashbuckler
The King's Thief starring Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven, and George
Sanders.
In the 1956 film Diane, Moore was billed third again, this
time under Lana Turner and Pedro Armendariz, in a 16th-century period piece set
in France with Moore playing Prince Henri, the future king. Moore was released
from his MGM contract after two years following the film's critical and
commercial failure. In his own words, "At
MGM, RGM [Roger George Moore] was NBG [no bloody good]."
Moore then freelanced for a time, appearing in episodes of
Ford Star Jubilee (1956), Lux Video Theatre (1957), and Matinee Theatre (1957).
Ivanhoe (1958–1959)
Moore's first success was playing the eponymous hero, Sir
Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in the 1958–59 series Ivanhoe, a loose adaptation of the
1819 romantic novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the 12th century during the era
of Richard the Lionheart, delving into Ivanhoe's conflict with Prince John.
Shot mainly in England at Elstree Studios and Buckinghamshire, some of the show
was also filmed in California owing to a partnership with Columbia Studios'
Screen Gems. Aimed at younger audiences, the pilot was filmed in color, a
reflection of its comparatively high budget for a British children's adventure
series of the period, but subsequent episodes were shot in black and white.
Christopher Lee and John Schlesinger were among the show's guest stars, and
series regulars included Robert Brown (who in the 1980s played M in several
James Bond films) as Squire Gurth, Peter Gilmore as Waldo Ivanhoe, Andrew
Keir as villainous Prince John, and Bruce Seton as noble King Richard. Moore
suffered broken ribs and a battle-axe blow to his helmet while performing some
of his own stunts filming a season of 39 half-hour episodes, and later
reminisced, "I felt a complete
Charlie riding around in all that armor and damned stupid plumed helmet. I felt
like a medieval fireman."
Warner Bros.
(1959–1961)
Moore, c. 1960
After that, Moore spent a few years mainly doing one-shot
parts in television series, including an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
in 1959 titled "The Avon
Emeralds". He signed another long-term contract to a studio, this time
with Warner Bros.
In 1959, he took the lead role in The Miracle, a version of
the play Das Mirakel for Warner Bros. showcasing Carroll Baker as a nun. The
part had been turned down by Dirk Bogarde. That same year, Moore was directed
by Arthur Hiller in "The Angry Young
Man", an episode of the television series The Third Man starring
Michael Rennie as criminal mastermind Harry Lime, the role portrayed by Orson
Welles in the film version.
The Alaskans
(1959–1960)
Moore's next television series involved playing the lead as "Silky" Harris for the
ABC/Warner Bros. 1959–60 Western The Alaskans, with co-stars Dorothy Provine as
Rocky, Jeff York as Reno, and Ray Danton as Nifty. The show ran for a single
season of 37 hour-long episodes on Sunday nights. Though set in Skagway,
Alaska, with a focus on the Klondike Gold Rush around 1896, the series was
filmed in the hot studio lot at Warner Bros. in Hollywood with the cast
costumed in fur coats and hats. Moore found the work highly taxing and his
off-camera affair with Provine complicated matters even more. Moore later
referred to the experience as his "most
appalling television series."
He subsequently appeared as the questionable character "14 Karat John" in the
two-part episode "Right Off the
Boat" of the ABC/WB crime drama The Roaring 20s, with Rex Reason, John
Dehner, Gary Vinson, and Dorothy Provine, appearing in a similar role, but with
a different character name.
Maverick (1960–1961)
In the wake of The Alaskans, Moore was cast as Beau
Maverick, an English-accented cousin of frontier gamblers Bret Maverick (James
Garner), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly), and Brent Maverick (Robert Colbert) in the
much more successful ABC/WB Western series Maverick.
Moore appeared as the character in 14 episodes after Garner
had left the series at the end of the previous season, wearing some of Garner's
costumes; while filming The Alaskans, he had already recited much of Garner's
dialogue, for the Alaskan series frequently recycled Maverick scripts, changing
only the names and locales. He had also filmed a Maverick episode with Garner
two seasons earlier, in which Moore played a different character, in a
retooling of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 comedy of manners play The
Rivals. In the course of the story, Moore and Garner's characters switched
names on a bet, with Moore consequently identifying himself as "Bret Maverick" through most
of the episode.
Moore's debut as Beau Maverick occurred in the first episode of the 1960–61 fourth season, "The Bundle from Britain", one of four episodes in which he shared screen time with Cousin Bart (Jack Kelly). Robert Altman wrote and directed "Bolt from the Blue", an episode featuring Will Hutchins as a frontier lawyer similar to his character in the series Sugarfoot, and "Red Dog" found Beau mixed up with vicious bank robbers Lee Van Cleef and John Carradine. Kathleen Crowley was Moore's leading lady in two episodes ("Bullet for the Teacher" and "Kiz"), and others included Mala Powers, Roxane Berard, Fay Spain, Merry Anders, Andra Martin, and Jeanne Cooper. Upon leaving the series, Moore cited a decline in script quality since the Garner era as the key factor in his decision to depart; ratings for the show were also down. Moore was originally slated to appear with both Jack Kelly and Robert Colbert in the series but by the time Colbert starred in his first episode, Moore had already left the series. Numerous early publicity stills of Kelly, Moore, and Colbert posing together exist, however.
Moore was still under contract with Warners, who cast him in
The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961), making love to a nun played by Angie Dickinson,
and Gold of the Seven Saints (1961), supporting Clint Walker. He also went to
Italy to make the adventure comedy Romulus and the Sabines (1961).
The Saint (1962–1969)
Lew Grade cast Moore as Simon Templar in a new adaptation of
The Saint, based on the novels by Leslie Charteris. Moore said in an interview
in 1963 that he wanted to buy the rights to Leslie Charteris's character and
the trademarks. The television series was broadcast by ITV in the UK between
1962 and 1969, and its overseas success made Moore a household name. After the
strong performance in the US of the first two series in first-run syndication,
NBC picked up the show in 1966. By early 1967, Moore had achieved international
stardom. The series established his suave, quipping style which he carried
forward to James Bond, and also saw him exhibit his trademark raised eyebrow.
Francis Blagburn in The Telegraph writes,
The raised eyebrow is perhaps the hardest facial gesture to
perfect in the gentleman's arsenal. Get it right and you give the impression of
someone who is in total control; get it wrong and you look like, well, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (and no one wants
that). Sir Roger wrote the book How to Raise an Eyebrow... as Simon Templar,
he coolly infers that he knows, and he knows that you know that he knows.
The Saint ran from 1962 for six seasons and 118 episodes.
Moore went on to direct nine episodes of the later series, which moved into
color in 1967. Several episodes were edited together to form the films, The
Saint and the Fiction Makers (1968) and Vendetta for the Saint (1969).
Post-Saint Films and
The Persuaders! (1969–1972)
He made two films immediately after the series ended:
Crossplot (1969), a lightweight 'spy
caper' movie, and the more challenging The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970).
Directed by Basil Dearden, it allowed Moorety to demonstrate greater
versatility than the role of Simon Templar had allowed. In 2004, Moore said of
The Man Who Haunted Himself: "It was
one of the few times I was allowed to act... Many say my best role was in The
Man Who Haunted Himself. Being a modest actor, I won't disagree."
Moore in 1971
Lew Grade lured Moore to star alongside Tony Curtis in The
Persuaders!. The show featured the adventures of two millionaire playboys
across Europe. Moore was paid the then-unheard-of sum of £1 million for a
single series, making him the highest-paid television actor in the world. Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography Still Dancing, that Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well".
Curtis refused to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while
Moore was always willing to work overtime. According to the DVD commentary,
neither Roger Moore, an uncredited co-producer, nor Robert S. Baker, the
credited producer, ever had a contract other than a handshake with Lew Grade.
Despite its focus on the UK and US markets, The Persuaders!
became more successful in other international markets. On its premiere on the
ITV network, it was beaten in the ratings by repeats of Monty Python's Flying
Circus on BBC One. It did however place in the Top 20 most-viewed television
series in the UK throughout 1971. The lack of success in the US, where it had
been sold to ABC, Curtis put down to its showing at the Saturday 10pm slot, but
it was successful in continental Europe and Australia. In Germany, where the
series was aired under the name Die Zwei ("The
Two"), it became a hit through especially amusing dubbing which only
barely used translations of the original dialogue.
James Bond era
(1973–1985)
Live and Let Die (1973)
Due to his commitment to several television shows, in
particular, The Saint, Roger Moore was unavailable for the James Bond films for
a considerable time. His participation in The Saint was as actor, producer, and
director, and he also became involved in developing the series The Persuaders!.
In 1964, he made a guest appearance as James Bond in the comedy series Mainly
Millicent. Moore stated in his autobiography My Word Is My Bond (2008) that he
had neither been approached to play the character in Dr. No. nor did he feel
that he had ever been considered. Only after Sean Connery had declared in 1966
that he would not play Bond any longer did Moore become aware that he might be
a contender for the role. After George Lazenby was cast in 1969's On Her
Majesty's Secret Service and Connery was enticed back to the role of Bond again
for Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Moore did not consider the possibility until
it seemed clear that Connery had stepped down as Bond for good. At that point,
Moore was approached, and he accepted producer Albert Broccoli's offer in
August 1972. In his autobiography, Moore writes that he had to cut his hair and
lose weight for the role. Although he resented having to make those changes, he
was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973).
Moore then made Gold (1974), based on a novel by Wilbur Smith
for producer Michael Klinger and director Peter R. Hunt. He was paid US$200,000
plus a percentage of the profits.
The Man with the
Golden Gun (1974)
Moore made his second Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun
(1974), which was a hit, though less successful than Live and Let Die. It
featured Christopher Lee as the main antagonist. Also appearing are Britt
Ekland, Herve Villechaize, and Maud Adams. He then made a comedy That Lucky
Touch (1975) which was a box office disaster. Moore made an Italian-shot action
film Street People (1976), then went back to South Africa for another
Klinger-Hunt movie from a Wilbur Smith novel, Shout at the Devil (1976), which
was successful in Britain, though less so in the US. Lee Marvin was a main cast
member. Ian Holm was also featured, as well as Barbara Parkins.
The Spy Who Loved Me
(1977)
Moore returned for a third outing as Bond in The Spy Who
Loved Me (1977), which was a massive box-office success. It also starred
Barbara Bach, and Richard Kiel in his first appearance as the villain, Jaws. He
returned to South Africa for a third action movie shot there, The Wild Geese
(1978), produced by Euan Lloyd and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. It was a
sizeable hit in Britain and Europe but, like Shout at the Devil, less so in the
US. The cast featured Richard Burton, who had top billing, and Richard Harris.
Moore played the lead in Escape to Athena (1979) partly
financed by Lew Grade. It was a heist adventure set in war-time Greece, stars Telly Savalas and David Niven, and features mostly American character
actors, including Elliott Gould, Stefanie Powers, Richard Roundtree, Sonny
Bono, and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale. Roger Moore (with top billing)
plays a charming former Austrian antiquities dealer turned crooked camp
commandant, asked to guard Greek antiquities desired by the Third Reich, and
also guard the collection of archaeologists who are being forced to work to
find and recover these objects, but he has other plans for the treasure he
guards and for the people under his watch.
Moonraker (1979)
With the success of his fourth outing as Bond, Moonraker
(1979), Moore followed it with an action film North Sea Hijack (1980) where
Moore played a very un-Bond-like hero, opposite Anthony Perkins. The film was a
box-office disappointment.
Better received was The Sea Wolves (1980), another World War
Two adventure that reunited many of the crew from The Wild Geese including
Euan Lloyd and McLaglen. It was based on the true story of a March 1943 event
in British India and Portuguese Goa, in which a group of retired members of the
Calcutta Light Horse, coloneled by David Niven's character, assist regular
British Army operatives, played by Moore and Gregory Peck, in destroying German
ships in neutral Mormugao harbor, all the time surrounded by German spies and Indian
nationalist intrigue. Trevor Howard, Patrick Macnee, and Barbara Kellerman also
co-star, with a who's-who lineup of British character actors.
Moore was in two all-star comedies: Sunday Lovers (1980),
which flopped at the box office, and The Cannonball Run (1981), which was a
hit. The latter featured an ensemble cast, including Jackie Chan, Burt
Reynolds, Dean Martin, Dom DeLuise, Sammy Davis Jr, and Farrah Fawcett.
For Your Eyes Only
(1981)
Moore returned for his fifth outing as Bond in For Your Eyes
Only (1981).
Octopussy (1983)
Following the film, For Your Eyes Only, Moore expressed a
desire to leave the role, and other actors were screen tested including James
Brolin, but Moore was eventually enticed back for Octopussy (1983).
The circumstances around Octopussy's release were highly
unusual in that another James Bond film was being released in the same year.
The Non-Eon production Never Say Never Again which featured his predecessor
Sean Connery returning to the role of Bond, although not canon to his previous
Eon Bond films. This led to the media dubbing the one-time situation the "Battle of the Bonds".
He made a cameo as Chief Inspector Clouseau, posing as a
famous movie star, in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) (for which he was
credited as "Turk Thrust II").
Then he tried the thriller The Naked Face (1984), written and directed by Bryan
Forbes.
A View to a Kill
(1985)
Moore starred in his final Bond film, A View to a Kill
(1985). He was the oldest actor to have played Bond – he was 45 in Live and Let
Die, and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985, having played
the part for over 12 years. With 7 films Moore holds the record for playing
Bond the most times in the Eon series but is tied with Sean Connery in number
of times playing Bond when counting Connery's non-Eon appearance in Never Say
Never Again (1983).
Moore's Bond was very different from the version created by
Ian Fleming. Screenwriters such as George MacDonald Fraser provided scenarios
in which Moore was cast as a seasoned, debonair playboy who would always have a
trick or gadget in stock when he needed it. This was designed to serve the
contemporary taste of the 1970s. Moore's version of Bond was also known for his
sense of humor and witty one-liners as Moore himself said, "My personality is different from previous Bonds. I'm not that cold-blooded killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs?"
In 1987, he hosted Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James
Bond.
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