Sir Roger George Moore, KBE (14 October 1927 – 23 May 2017) is best known for having played secret agent James Bond in seven feature films from 1973 to 1985. He also played Simon Templar in the television series The Saint from 1962 to 1969. His first movie as Bond, grossed more outside of America than Diamonds Are Forever (1971); Connery's last outing as James Bond.
Roger Moore went on to star in another six Bond films, before bowing out after A View to a Kill in 1985. He was age 57 at the time the film was made and Moore was looking a little too old for Bond - it was possibly one film too many. In between times, there had been more success with appearances in films such as That Lucky Touch in 1975, Shout at the Devil in 1976, The Wild Geese in 1978, Escape to Athena in 1979 and ffolkes in 1980. He said he would like to play a villain in a Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, but accepted that it could never happen.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on December 31, 1998 in the New Years Honours for services to UNICEF ( The United Nations Children's Fund ), and was promoted to Knight Commander of the same order on June 14, 2003 in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to the charities UNICEF ( The United Nations Children's Fund ) and Kiwanis International.
Sir Roger Moore died of cancer on 23 May, 2017, in Switzerland. He was 89.
Personal Quotes
- To me, the Bond situations are so ridiculous, so outrageous. I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy and yet, everybody knows he's a spy. Every bartender in the world offers him martinis that are shaken, not stirred. What kind of serious spy is recognized everywhere he goes? It's outrageous. So you have to treat the humor outrageously as well. My personality is entirely different than previous Bonds. I'm not that cold-blooded killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs.
- I must tell you the truth - I have not seen them, and for a very good reason. Knowing that I would get asked questions like that, I'm always desperately honest. If I didn't like the performance, I don't know how I would answer. I do know Timothy, and he is a very, very pleasant chap and a good actor. - When asked for his opinion about the James Bond movies featuring his successor Timothy Dalton
- [his explanation for his comical approach to James Bond] I don't believe in Bond as a hero. It's a load of nonsense. How can you be a spy when any bar you walk into, the bartender says, "Ah, Mr Bond. Shaken, not stirred?".
- My personality is entirely different than his. I can't play the cold-blooded killer that Sean can do so well, which is why I play it for laughs. - Comparing his portrayal of James Bond with Sean Connery's
- Today I am completely opposed to small arms and what they can do to children. I played every role tongue-in-cheek because I don't really believe in that sort of hero. I don't like guns.
- I'm delighted to hear that Daniel Craig has been appointed the new 007. It's a very exciting time and I would like to wish everyone at Eon much success, and welcome Daniel to the family.
- [Comparing his interpretation of "James Bond" to Sean Connery's] Sean's jokes come from left field and I let people know a joke was coming. I basically said "I'm have a good time doing this, and I hope you're having a good time watching me have a good time.".
- I suppose I was just window-dressing at MGM. You might call me Taylor's dummy. I wore Walter Plunkett's costumes beautifully though. I was the last of the Englishmen, after Edmund Purdom and Stewart Granger, both of whom had been giving them trouble in Hollywood. I very quickly learned that I had to be highly humble and obsequious and grovel a lot.
- [on finally deciding to leave the role of James Bond after seven 007 movies] I think it was the interminable farewell tour of the variety artists, you know? You can't keep on saying that you're not doing any more and then doing another one. So I just had to say that was it. I had done enough. I mean, for the last three I was getting a little restless. But I had an absolute splendid time doing the Bond films. I played a lot of backgammon, managed to steal a lot of wardrobe, and got well paid. Nothing could beat it! (Interview with author David Giammarco, "For Your Eyes Only: Behind the Scenes of the James Bond Films")
- [on A View to a Kill (1985)] I was horrified on the last Bond I did. Whole slews of sequences where Christopher Walken was machine-gunning hundreds of people. I said "That wasn't Bond, those weren't Bond films." It stopped being what they were all about. You didn't dwell on the blood and the brains spewing all over the place.
- Sadly, I had to retire from the Bond films. The girls were getting younger, or I was just getting too old.
- I have no idea. I had never met Ian Fleming, but I remember when the search for Bond was going on. I really wasn't aware of Bond until then. I was doing The Saint (1962) and The Daily Express was conducting a search for Bond. However, since I was involved with The Saint (1962) I would not have been available, although Cubby told me later that I had been on 'the short list.' (when asked if Ian Fleming had originally considered him for the role of James Bond)
- I like Bond. But it's silly to take it seriously. It's just a great big comic strip.
- People don't realize how physically demanding the role is. I'm still amazed how many people ask me to this day if I did my own stunts. I tell them if I did or Sean did or Pierce did then we would have been physically dead by the end of the first reel of every film!
- I have seen Daniel Craig in a number of films. He is a thundering good actor. The movie Casino Royale (2006) showed me that he is one hell of an athlete.
- I'm the worst Bond, according to the Internet. Generally hated! I was too funny, too light. Didn't take it seriously enough. Well, I mean, this is a man who is supposed to be a spy. And yet he turns up in bars and hotels around the world, and everyone says, "Ah, Mr. Bond, we've been expecting you." Everybody knows who he is and what he wants to drink. It's the same with the Bond girls. All the new ones say, "Oh, I'm going to be different from the others", but before long it's always the same - "Oh, James!".
- [on Quantum of Solace (2008)] I am happy to have done it, but I'm sad that it has turned so violent. That's keeping up with the times, it's what cinema-goers seem to want and it's proved by the box-office figures.
- [on Quantum of Solace (2008)] I didn't like the last Bond film, it was like a long, disjointed commercial.
- Sean (Sean Connery) is a good actor, it's a pity I can't understand what he's saying.
- I jokingly said once that the reason the banks were in trouble, particularly the Royal Bank of Scotland, was that Sean Connery had drawn out all his money in cash.
- I loved Casino Royale (2006) and Daniel Craig. He is a wonderful actor, certainly the best actor to play Bond. I have never been guilty of method acting or even acting if you want to argue a point.
- Bond is an enigmatic character. My only real clue to his personality was a line from one of the books, where he said that he didn't particularly enjoy killing people, but he took pride in doing it well. So that was how I played him.
- [on George Lazenby] Well, Lazenby had a big disadvantage in that he hadn't been an actor before, but he was a model. He did look good, and that is how he came into the role.
- (on Die Another Day (2002)) I thought it just went too far - and that's from me, the first Bond in space! Invisible cars and dodgy CGI footage? Please! They gave the public what they wanted, though maybe they too realised there was only so far they could push it before Bond became a caricature of himself, and the funeral directors were called in.
- [on Daniel Craig playing James Bond]I think we're very lucky to have him because he is quite extraordinary. I always say that Sean Connery looked like a killer but Daniel Craig would finish it off.
To cater to the style and tastes of the 70s, Moore’s played Bond starkly different than the character portrayed in Fleming’s novels—leading to the character’s stereotypes of being a debonair playboy with fancy gadgets and a rapier’s wit. Overall, Moore starred in 7 Bond films including:
Live and Let Die (1973) - $1,000,000
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - $1,000,000
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - $1,000,000
Moonraker (1979) - $4,000,000
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - $3,000,000 + 5% of the net US profits ($4,607,500 total salary)
Octopussy (1983) - $4,000,000 + 5% of the net US profits ($5,265,800 total salary)
A View to a Kill (1985) - $5,000,000 + 5% of the US gross ($7,515,000 total salary)
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