Post-James Bond career (1986–2017)
Moore did not act on screen for five years after he stopped
playing Bond; in 1990, he appeared in several films and in the writer-director
Michael Feeney Callan's television series My Riviera and starred in the film
Bed & Breakfast which was shot in 1989; and also had a large role in the
1996 film The Quest; in 1997, he starred as the Chief in Spice World. At the
age of 73, he played a flamboyant homosexual man in Boat Trip (2002) with Cuba
Gooding Jr.
The British satirical puppet show Spitting Image had a
sketch in which their latex likeness of Moore, when asked to display emotions
by an off-screen director, did nothing but raise an eyebrow; Moore himself
stated that he thought the sketch was funny and took it in good humor. Indeed,
he had always embraced the "eyebrows"
gag wholeheartedly, and quipped that he "only
had three expressions as Bond: right eyebrow raised, left eyebrow raised, and
eyebrows crossed when grabbed by Jaws". Spitting Image continued the
joke, featuring a Bond film spoof, The Man with the Wooden Delivery, with
Moore's puppet receiving orders from Margaret Thatcher to kill Mikhail
Gorbachev. Other comedy shows at that time ridiculed Moore's acting, with Rory
Bremner once claiming to have had a death threat from one of his irate fans
following one such routine.
In a nod to his 1960s TV show, Moore had a vocal cameo in
The Saint (1997) as a radio newsreader as Simon Templar drives away at the end
of the film. In the year 2000, he played the role of a secret agent in the
Christmas special Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings, shown on BBC One on
Christmas Day. Filming all his scenes in the London Eye, his mission was to
eliminate another agent whose file photo looks like Pierce Brosnan. In 2002 he
had a small cameo role in the German police procedural series Tatort (episode
506: "Schatten" –
"Shadow", 28 July 2002) as himself signing an autograph on a
Unicef card.
In the 1981 film "Cannonball
Run", Moore played a parody of both himself and James Bond named
Seymour Goldfarb, driving an Aston Martin DB5.
In 2009, Moore appeared in advertisements for the Post
Office. In 2010, he provided the voice of a talking cat called Lazenby in the
film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore which contained several
references to, and parodies of, Bond films. In 2011, he co-starred in the film
A Princess for Christmas with Katie McGrath and Sam Heughan, and in 2012, he
took to the stage for a series of seven 'Evenings with' in UK theatres and, in
November, guest-hosted Have I Got News for You. A slightly thinner-faced Moore
contributed to a charity song in 2017. His last on-screen performance was in
2017, a brief appearance near the end of the remake of The Saint.
In 2015, Moore was named one of GQ's 50 best-dressed British
men. In 2015, he read Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" for the children's fairy tales
app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF with other British celebrities, including
Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor, Joan Collins, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, David
Walliams, Charlotte Rampling, Paul McKenna, and Michael Ball.
Humanitarian work
Moore's friend Audrey Hepburn had impressed him with her
work for UNICEF, and consequently he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in
August 1991. His character, Simon Templar, made a pitch for UNICEF near the end
of "The Revolution Racket",
airing 5 November 1964. He was the voice of Father Christmas or 'Santa' in the 2004 UNICEF cartoon The
Fly Who Loved Me.
Personal life
Doorn Van Steyn
In 1946, aged 18, Moore married a fellow RADA student, the
actress and ice skater Doorn Van Steyn (born Lucy Woodard), who was six years
his senior; Moore and Van Steyn lived in Streatham with her family, but tension
over money matters and her lack of confidence in his acting ability took their
toll on the relationship, during which he allegedly suffered domestic abuse.
Dorothy Squires
In 1952, Moore met the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, who was
12 years his senior, and Van Steyn and Moore divorced the following year.
Squires and Moore were married in New York. They lived in Bexley, Kent, after
their wedding.
They moved to the United States in 1954 to develop their
careers, but tension developed in their marriage due to their age difference
and Moore's infatuation with starlet Dorothy Provine, and they moved back to
the United Kingdom in 1961, where they resided in Sutton Coldfield, near
Birmingham. Squires suffered a series of miscarriages during their marriage,
and Moore later said the outcome of their marriage might have been different if
they had been able to have children.
During their tempestuous relationship Squires smashed a
guitar over his head, and after learning of his affair with the Italian actress
Luisa Mattioli, who became Moore's third wife, Moore said, "She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the
glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it...The police came and
they said, 'Madam, you're bleeding' and she said, 'It's my heart that's
bleeding'." Squires intercepted letters from Mattioli to Moore and
planned to include them in her autobiography, but the couple won injunctions
against the publication in 1977, which led Squires to unsuccessfully sue them
for loss of earnings. The numerous legal cases launched by Squires led her to
be declared a vexatious litigant in 1987. Moore paid Squires's hospital bills
after her cancer treatment in 1996; she died in 1998.
Luisa Mattioli
In 1961, while filming The Rape of the Sabine Women in
Italy, Moore left Squires for the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli. Squires
refused to accept their separation, and sued Moore for loss of conjugal rights,
but Moore refused the court's order to return to Squires in 28 days. Squires
also smashed windows at a house in France where Moore and Mattioli were living,
and unsuccessfully sued actor Kenneth More for libel, as Kenneth More had
introduced Moore and Mattioli at a charity event as "Mr Roger Moore and his wife". Moore and Mattioli lived
together until 1969, when Squires finally granted him a divorce, after they had
been separated for seven years. At Moore's and Mattioli's marriage in April
1969 at the Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, a crowd of 600 people was
outside, with women screaming his name.
Moore had three children with Mattioli: actress-daughter
Deborah (born 1963) and two sons, Geoffrey and Christian. Geoffrey is also an
actor, and appeared alongside his father in the films Sherlock Holmes in New
York (1976) and Fire, Ice and Dynamite (1990). In later life, he co-founded
Hush Restaurant in Mayfair, London, with Jamie Barber, and would release a
single in 2023 under the name Jaffa Moore called "You and I" which featured vocals from the late Glee
actor Naya Rivera and included host of stars in the music video miming along to
the song. Geoffrey and his wife Loulou have two daughters. Moore's younger son,
Christian, is a film producer.
Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup
Moore and Mattioli separated in 1993 after Moore developed
feelings for a Swedish-born Danish socialite, Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup. Moore later described his prostate
cancer diagnosis in 1993 as "life-changing",
which led him to reassess his life and marriage. Mattioli and Tholstrup had
long been friends, but Mattioli was scathing of her in the book she
subsequently wrote about her relationship with Moore, Nothing Lasts Forever,
describing how she felt betrayed by Tholstrup and discarded by Moore.
Moore remained silent on his divorce from Mattioli, later
saying that he did not wish to hurt his children by "engaging in a war of words". Moore's children refused to
speak to him for a period after the divorce, but they were later reconciled
with their father. Mattioli refused to grant Moore a divorce until 2000, when a
£10 million settlement was agreed. Moore subsequently married Tholstrup in
2002. Moore said that he loved Tholstrup as she was "organized", "serene", "loving", and "calm", saying, "I have a difficult life. I rely on
Kristina totally. When we are travelling for my job, she is the one who packs.
Kristina takes care of all that". Moore also said that his marriage to
Tholstrup was "a tranquil relationship,
there are no arguments". Tholstrup had a daughter, Christina Knudsen,
from a previous relationship; Knudsen described her stepfather as a positive
influence, saying, "I was in
difficult relationships but that all changed" when her mother met
Moore. Christina Knudsen died from cancer on 25 July 2016, at the age of 47;
Moore posted on Twitter, "We are
heartbroken" and "We were
all with her, surrounding her with love, at the end".
Political views
On politics, Moore stated he was a conservative and thought
that conservatism is the way to run a country. Moore was described as a "lifelong" supporter of the
Conservative Party and endorsed the party during the 2001 UK general election.
However, Moore also expressed a reluctance to be seen as an overtly political
figure and felt his work with UNICEF meant that he could not involve himself
directly in politics.
In 2011, Moore expressed his support to Conservative Prime
Minister David Cameron regarding his policy on the European Union, stating: "I think he's doing absolutely
wonderfully well, despite the opposition from many members of his own party.
Traitors, I call them. I mean any hardliner within the Conservative Party who
speaks out against their leader. You should support your leader."
Moore also expressed support for Britain keeping the pound
sterling as its national currency and was glad the British government had not
joined the single EU currency, stating: "I
would have been very upset if we'd had to take the Queen off our currency.
They'd probably have to take her off the stamps and everything. I am British
and I'm fiercely independent. And I think we should be independent, as Sean
Connery is about Scotland."
In 2015, Moore criticized what he regarded as excessive
political correctness within the film industry and felt that rewriting James
Bond's sexuality, gender or ethnicity would be a mistake, arguing "it is not about being homophobic or,
for that matter, racist – it is simply about being true to the character."
Despite his conservative politics, Moore retained membership of the
entertainment and media trade union BECTU (now part of Prospect) until his
death, having joined as an apprentice animation technician before his acting
career took off. At his death, he was the union's longest-tenured member. In
2007, Moore also voiced his support to workers from the Cadbury chocolate
factory at Keynsham who were protesting against the plant's closure.
Tax exile
Moore became a tax exile from the United Kingdom in 1978,
originally to Switzerland, and divided his year between his four homes: an
apartment in Monte Carlo, a holiday house in the coastal Tuscan town of
Castiglione della Pescaia, a chalet in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and a home
in the south of France. Moore became a resident of Monaco, having been appointed
a Goodwill Ambassador of Monaco by Prince Albert II for his efforts in
internationally promoting and publicizing the principality. Moore was scathing
of the Russian population in Monaco, saying,
"I'm afraid we're overstuffed with Russians. All the restaurant menus are
in Russian now."
Moore was vocal in his defence of his tax exile status,
saying that in the 1970s, with taxes levied on top earners under the Labour
government of James Callaghan, he had been urged by his "accountants,
agents, and lawyers" to move abroad because, "At that point we were taxed up to 98% on unearned income, so you
would never be able to save enough to ensure that you had any sort of livelihood
if you didn't work." Moore said in 2011 that his decision to live
abroad was "not about tax. That's a
serious part of it. I come back to England often enough not to miss it, to see
the changes, to find some of the changes good...I paid my taxes at the time
that I was earning a decent income, so I've paid my dues".
Illness and death
Moore had a series of diseases during his childhood,
including chickenpox, measles, mumps, double pneumonia and jaundice, and had
his appendix, tonsils, and adenoids removed.
Moore was a long-term sufferer of kidney stones and as a
result was briefly hospitalized during the making of Live and Let Die in 1973
and again whilst filming the 1979 film Moonraker.
In 1993, Moore was diagnosed with prostate cancer and
underwent successful treatment for the disease.
In 2003, Moore collapsed on stage while appearing on
Broadway, and was fitted with a pacemaker to treat a potentially deadly slow heartbeat.
He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2013. Some years before his final
cancer illness, a tumor spot was found in his liver. Then, in 2017, during the
period that he was treated for cancer, he fell, badly injuring his collarbone.
In the middle of a row of white vertical memorials, each
about 1 metre wide, and with a horizontal marble shelf before each, a marker
with "Sir Roger MOORE", the
date "1927–2017", and "Loving Father & Husband",
below which is "Our True
Saint". Several flower pots and candles are on the shelf for Moore and
his neighbours. To the left of Moore's marker is one with a stone plaque
labelled "Moore Family",
with a coat of arms in blue with gold.
The grave of Roger
Moore in Monaco Cemetery
Moore died in the presence of his family at his home in
Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on 23 May 2017, from cancers of the lung and liver.
Former 007 actors Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce
Brosnan, and then-current 007 Daniel Craig paid tribute to Moore. Moore is
buried in Monaco Cemetery.
Royal circles
Moore had friendships with some of Denmark's royal family;
Prince Joachim and his then-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, invited
Moore and his wife Kiki to attend the christening of their youngest son, Prince
Felix. In 2004 he attended the Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark,
and Mary Donaldson. On 24 May 2008, Moore and his wife attended the wedding of
Prince Joachim to his French fiancée Marie Cavallier.
Moore also had a long-standing friendship with Princess
Lilian of Sweden, whom he first met on a visit to Stockholm for UNICEF. Moore's
wife Kristina, who was born in Sweden, was already a friend of Princess
Lilian's through mutual friends. In his autobiography, Moore recalled meeting
the princess for tea and dinners whenever his wife and he visited Stockholm. He
spoke of his recollections at the princess's memorial service at St Peter and
St Sigfrid's Church in Stockholm, on 8 September 2013.
On 1 and 2 July 2011, Moore and his wife attended the
wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock.
Awards and legacy
"Most people
settle on Sir Roger Moore or Sir Sean Connery as their favorite Bond. Why
Moore? Because he was Bond incarnate, and then some. He was the quintessential
Englishman, somewhere between gentleman and jester – a slick, schmaltzy, suave
provocateur. He handled the tone of the role perfectly, pitching his delivery
somewhere between the camp kitsch of Piers Brosnan and the smoldering cool of
Connery. Moore's 007 was, in a word, fun: never above a wry laugh, preferably
with a dry Martini in hand."—
Francis Blagburn writing in The Telegraph, May 2017.
Moore was appointed Commander of the Order of the British
Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honors and was promoted to Knight Commander
of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2003 Birthday Honors for charitable
services, especially UNICEF and latterly Kiwanis International, which had
dominated his public life for more than a decade. On being knighted, Moore said
that the citation "meant far more to
me than if I had got it for acting... I was proud because I received it on
behalf of UNICEF as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years".
On 11 October 2007, three days before he turned 80, Moore
was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and
in film. Attending the ceremony were family, friends, and Richard Kiel, with
whom he had acted in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Moore's star was the
2,350th star installed, and is appropriately located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard.
On 28 October 2008, the French government appointed Moore a
Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. On 21 November 2012, Moore was
awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire for his
outstanding contributions to the UK film and television industry for over 50
years, in particular film and television productions in Hertfordshire.
After his death, the Roger Moore Stage was opened at
Pinewood Studios at a ceremony held in October 2017 to celebrate his life and
work. His wife and family were in attendance along with Bond producers Michael
G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and guests at the event included Joan Collins,
Michael Caine, Stephen Fry, Tim Rice and Stefanie Powers.
In the 2018 film My Dinner with Hervé, Moore was portrayed
by actor Mark Umbers.
For his charity work
2012: UNICEF's UK Lifetime Achievement Award
2007: Dag Hammarskjöld Inspiration Award (UNICEF)
2004: UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award
2003: German Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz)
for his UNICEF work
2003: Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(KBE)
1999: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Lifetime achievements
awards
2008: Commander of the French National Order of Arts and
Letters (Ordre national des Arts et des Lettres)
2007: Hollywood Walk of Fame
2004: TELEKAMERA ("Tele
Tydzień" Lifetime Achievement Award, Poland)
2002: Monte Carlo TV Festival (Lifetime Achievement Award)
2001: Lifetime achievement award (Filmfestival, Jamaica)
1997: Palm Springs film festival, USA, Lifetime Achievement
Award
1995: TELE GATTO (Italian TV; Lifetime Achievement Award)
1991: GOLDEN CAMERA (German TV; lifetime achievement award)
1990: BAMBI (Lifetime Achievement Award from the German
magazine BUNTE)
For his acting
1981: OTTO (Most popular Film Star; from German Magazine
BRAVO)
1980: Golden Globe Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite –
Male.
1980: Saturn Award (Most Popular International Performer)
1973: BAMBI (shared with Tony Curtis for "The Persuaders", from the
German magazine BUNTE)
1973: BEST ACTOR IN TV, award from the French magazine
TELE-7-JOURS, shared with Tony Curtis for "The
Persuaders"
1967: ONDAS-AWARD (Spanish TV for "The Saint")
1967: OTTO (Most popular TV-star for "The Saint"; from German magazine BRAVO)
In popular culture
Roger Moore is contentiously credited with inspiring the
Walls Magnum ice cream. In the 1960s, he reportedly said that his one wish
would be for a choc ice on a stick. Walls created this product and sent one to
Moore. They later launched the Magnum in 1989, which is now the world's top-selling
ice cream brand.
Moore was name-checked in the popular Amy Winehouse 2007
song "You Know I'm No Good":
"'Cause you're my fella, my guy/Hand me your Stella and fly/By the time
I'm out the door/You tear me down like Roger Moore." Moore was amused
by the reference and quipped that he had no idea why the singer/songwriter
chose to include him in the lyrics, unless she wanted a word that rhymed with "door", or could not find a
word that rhymed with "Connery".
Filmography
Film roles
1945 Perfect
Strangers Sailor Uncredited
1945 Caesar and
Cleopatra Roman Soldier Uncredited
1946 Gaiety
George Audience Member Uncredited
1946 Piccadilly
Incident Guest at Pearson's
Table Uncredited
1949 Paper Orchid Extra Uncredited
1949 Trottie True Stage Door Johnny Uncredited
1949 The
Interrupted Journey Soldier
in Paddington Café Uncredited
1950 Drawing-Room
Detective Extra Uncredited
1951 One Wild Oat Extra Uncredited
1951 Honeymoon
Deferred Ornithologist on Train Uncredited
1954 The Last
Time I Saw Paris Paul
1955 Interrupted
Melody Cyril Lawrence
1955 The King's
Thief Jack
1956 Diane Prince Henri
1959 The Miracle Capt. Michael Stuart
1961 The Sins of
Rachel Cade Paul Wilton
1961 Gold of the
Seven Saints Shaun Garrett
1962 Romulus and
the Sabines Romulus
1962 No Man's
Land Enzo Prati
1968 The Fiction
Makers Simon Templar
1969 Vendetta for
the Saint Simon Templar
1969 Crossplot Gary Fenn
1970 The Man Who
Haunted Himself Harold
Pelham
1973 Live and Let
Die James Bond
1974 Gold Rod Slater
1974 The Man with
the Golden Gun James Bond
1975 That Lucky
Touch Michael Scott
1976 Street
People Ulysses
1976 Shout at the
Devil Sebastian Oldsmith
1976 Sherlock
Holmes in New York Sherlock Holmes
1977 The Spy Who
Loved Me James Bond
1978 The Wild Geese Lieutenant Shaun Fynn
1979 Escape to
Athena Major Otto Hecht
1979 Moonraker James Bond
1979 North Sea
Hijack Rufus Excalibur
ffolkes
1980 The Sea Wolves Captain Gavin Stewart
1980 Sunday
Lovers Harry Lindon
1981 The Cannonball
Run Seymour Goldfarb
1981 For Your
Eyes Only James Bond
1983 Octopussy James Bond
1983 Curse of the
Pink Panther Chief Insp.
Jacques Clouseau
1984 The Naked
Face Dr. Judd Stevens
1985 A View to a
Kill James Bond
1987 The Magic
Snowman Lumi Ukko, the Snowman Voice role
1990 Fire, Ice
and Dynamite Sir George Windsor
1990 Bullseye! Sir John Bevistock
1992 Bed &
Breakfast Adam
1995 The Man Who
Wouldn't Die Thomas Grace Also executive producer
1996 The Quest Lord Edgar Dobbs
1997 Spice World The Chief
1997 The Saint Radio Announcer Voice role
2001 The Enemy Supt. Robert Ogilvie
2002 On Our Own
Vesna Roger Moore
2002 Boat Trip Lloyd Faversham
2004 The Fly Who
Loved Me Father Christmas Voice role
2005 Here Comes Peter
Cottontail: The Movie January
Q. Irontail Voice role
2008 Agent Crush Burt Gasket Voice role
2009 The Wild
Swans Archbishop Voice role
2010 Cats &
Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Tab
Lazenby Voice role
2011 The Lighter George Boreman
2011 A Princess
for Christmas Edward, Duke
of Castlebury
2013 Incompatibles Roger Moore
2016 The Carer Roger Moore
2017 The Saint Jasper Final role
Television roles
1949 The
Governess Bob Drew TV film
1949 A House in
the Square John Anstruther TV film
1953 Robert
Montgomery Presents French Diplomat Episode: "World by the Tail"
1953 The Clay of
Kings Josiah Wedgwood TV film
1953 Julius
Caesar Unknown TV film
1953 Black
Chiffon Unknown TV film
1956 Ford Star
Jubilee Billy Mitchell Episode: "This Happy Breed"
1956 Goodyear
Playhouse Patrick Simmons Episode: "A Murder Is Announced"
1957 Assignment
Foreign Legion Legionnaire Paul
Harding Episode: "The Richest Man in the Legion"
1957 Lux Video
Theatre Gavin Episode: "The
Taggart Light"
1957 NBC Matinee
Theater Randolph Churchill Episode: "The Remarkable Mr. Jerome"
1958–1959 Ivanhoe Ivanhoe All 39 episodes
1959–1960 The
Alaskans Silky Harris All 37 episodes
1959–1961 Maverick Beau Maverick 16 episodes
1959 The Third
Man Jimmy Simms Episode: "The Angry
Young Man"
1959 Alfred
Hitchcock Presents Inspector
Benson Episode: "The Avon Emeralds"
1961 77 Sunset
Strip Radio Announcer Voice; Episode: "Vacation with Pay"
1961 The Roaring
20's 14 Karat John 2 episodes
1962–1969 The
Saint Simon Templar All 118 episodes
1964 Mainly
Millicent James Bond Episode: "17 July 1964"
1965 The Trials
of O'Brien Roger Taney Episode: "What Can Go Wrong"
1971–1972 The
Persuaders! Brett Sinclair All 24 episodes
1977-78 Laugh-In Roger Moore 4 episodes
1999 The Dream
Team Desmond Heath 4 episodes
2000 Victoria
Wood with All the Trimmings Roger
Moore Christmas special
2002 Alias Edward Poole Episode: "The
Prophecy"
2002 Tatort Roger Moore Episode:
"Schatten"
2005 Foley &
McColl: This Way Up Butler TV film
2014 The Life of
Rock with Brian Pern George
Lazenby Episode: "The Day of the Triffids"
Publications
Moore's book about the filming of Live and Let Die, based on
his diaries, titled Roger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of
Filming Live and Let Die, was published in London in 1973, by Pan Books. The
book includes an acknowledgment to Sean Connery, with whom Moore was friends
for many years: "I would also like
to thank Sean Connery – with whom it would not have been possible."
Moore's autobiography My Word is My Bond (ISBN 0061673889)
was published by Collins in the US, in November 2008 and by Michael O'Mara
Books Ltd in the UK, on 2 October 2008 (ISBN 9781843173182).
On 16 October 2012, Bond on Bond was published to tie in
with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films. The book, with many
pictures, is based on Moore's own memories, thoughts, and anecdotes about all
things 007, with some of the profits of the book going to UNICEF.
Books
Roger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of
Filming Live and Let Die. 1973. ISBN 9780330236539.
My Word Is My Bond: The Autobiography. 2008. ISBN
9781843173878.
Bond on Bond: The Ultimate Book on 50 Years of Bond Movies.
2012. ISBN 9781843178613.
Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown. 2014. ISBN
9781782432074. (published as One Lucky Bastard in the United States)
À bientôt …. 2017. ISBN 9781782438618.
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