Sir Roger George Moore KBE
(born 14 October 1927) is an English actor. He is
perhaps best known for portraying two British action
heroes, Simon Templar in the television series
The Saint from 1962 to 1969, and James Bond in seven
films from 1973 to 1985. He has been a UNICEF ambassador
since 1991. He has the distinction of being the final
guest star to appear on the
The Muppet Show, in the show's last episode in 1981.
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In the early 1950s, Moore worked as a male
model, appearing in print advertisements for knitwear (earning him
the amusing nickname "The Big Knit"), and a wide range of other
products such as toothpaste – an element that many critics have used
as typifying his lightweight credentials as an actor. His earliest
known television appearance was on 27 May 1950, in Drawing Room
Detective, a one-off programme. Presented by veteran BBC announcer
Leslie Mitchell, it invited viewers at home to spot clues to a crime
during a playlet, whose actors also included Alec Ross (first
husband of Sheila Hancock) and Michael Ripper. Barring interviews,
Moore has not worked for BBC television since.
Although Moore won a contract with MGM in the 1950s, the films which
followed were not a success and, in his own words, "At MGM, RGM
(Roger George Moore) was NBG [no bloody good]." His starring role in
The Miracle, a version of the play Das Mirakel for Warner Bros., had
been turned down by Dirk Bogarde.
Eventually, it was television in which Moore made his name. He was
the eponymous hero in the serial Ivanhoe, a very loose adaptation of
the romantic novel by Sir Walter Scott, and he also appeared in the
series The Alaskans, as well as playing Beau Maverick, an English
cousin of frontier gambler Bret Maverick (James
Garner) in
Maverick.
The Saint (1961–1969)
Worldwide fame arrived after 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, during 1963, that he wanted
to buy the rights of Leslie Charteris's character and the
trademarks, but didn't have enough money. He also joked that the
role was supposed to have been meant for Sean Connery who was
unavailable. The television series was made in the UK with an eye on
the American market, and its success there (and in other countries)
made Moore a household name. It also established his suave, quipping
style which he would carry forward to James Bond. Moore would also
go on to direct several episodes of the later series, which moved
into colour in 1967.
The Saint ran from 1961 for six seasons and 118 episodes, making it
(in a tie with The Avengers) the longest-running series of its kind
on British television. However, Moore grew increasingly tired of the
role, and was keen to branch out. He made two films immediately
after the series had ended: Crossplot, a lightweight 'spy caper'
movie, and the more challenging The Man Who Haunted Himself (1971).
Directed by Basil Dearden, it gave Moore the opportunity to
demonstrate a wider versatility than the role of Simon Templar had
allowed, although reviews at the time were lukewarm, and both did
little business at the box office.
After The Saint (1969–1973)
Television lured Moore back to star, alongside Tony Curtis, in what
has become another cult series, The Persuaders!. Even more
light-hearted in tone than The Saint, it featured the adventures of
two millionaire playboys across Europe. It was for this series that
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.
However, Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography Still Dancing, that
Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well". Curtis refusing
to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while Moore
was always willing to work overtime.
The series failed in America, where it had been pre-sold to ABC but
it was successful in Australia and in Europe. In Germany, where the
series was aired under the name Die Zwei, it became a hit through a
special funny dubbing that only barely used the original
translations of the dialogs. And in Britain it was also popular,
although on its premiere on the ITV network, it was beaten in the
ratings by repeats of Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBC1. When
Channel 4 repeated both The Avengers and The Persuaders! in 1995, it
was generally agreed that the latter, which had not been seen for
many years, had not aged as well as the former. It has not been seen
on any of the five main UK terrestrial channels since.
Since then, The Persuaders has enjoyed something of a renaissance
both on television and DVD, with the 'rivals' Moore and Curtis
reuniting to provide commentaries on the most recent issues. In
France, where the series (entitled Amicalement Vôtre) had always
been popular, the DVD releases accompanied a monthly magazine of the
same name. James Bond (1973–1985)
There are many apocryphal stories as to when Moore's name was first
dropped as a possible candidate for the role of James Bond. Some
sources, specifically Albert R. Broccoli from his autobiography When
The Snow Melts, claim that Moore was considered for Dr. No, and that
he was Ian Fleming's favorite for the role after apparently having
seen Moore as Simon Templar in The Saint; however, the series did
not begin airing in the United Kingdom until October 4, 1962 – one
day before the premiere of Dr. No, although it's possible that the
show began filming before or around the film.
Other sources, such as the commentary[5] for the special edition
DVDs, claim that Moore was passed over for Bond in favour of someone
who was older. As Moore is older than Sean Connery, this is probably
not true. Publicly, Moore was not linked to the role of 007 until
1967, when Harry Saltzman claimed he would make a good Bond, but
also displayed misgivings owing to his popularity as Simon Templar.
Nevertheless, Moore was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let
Die (1973).
Roger Moore's twelve years as Simon Templar earned him enough
popularity (and credibility) among fans of detective fiction to earn
many Bond fans' acceptance, despite the inevitable comparisons to
Connery. Moore played Bond in Live and Let Die (1973); The Man with
the Golden Gun (1974); The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Moonraker
(1979); For Your Eyes Only (1981); Octopussy (1983) and A View to a
Kill (1985)
To date, Moore is the longest-serving James Bond actor, having spent
twelve years in the role (from his debut in 1973, to his retirement
from the role in 1985), and made seven official films. (Connery also
made seven, but his last Bond film, Never Say Never Again (1983),
was not originally part of the official EON Productions series.) He
is also the oldest actor to play Bond: he was 45 when he debuted,
and 58 when he announced his retirement on December 3, 1985, as it
was agreed by all involved that Moore was too old for the role by
that point (he had actually tried to leave the role after For Your
Eyes Only). Moore himself was quoted in the contemporary press as
saying that he felt embarrassed to be seen making love scenes with
beautiful actresses who were young enough to be his daughters.
Moore's James Bond was light-hearted, more so than any other
official actor to portray the character. Connery's style, even in
its lighter moments, was that of a focused, determined agent. Moore
often portrayed 007 as somewhat of a playboy, with tongue firmly in
cheek, but also as a very capable and seasoned detective. The humour
served Moore and his fans well through most of his Bond tenure.
Although often considered a 'lightweight', owing to never having had
a significant stage career or having appeared in serious dramas,
Moore is the only James Bond actor other than Timothy Dalton who can
boast a dramatic education at RADA, the prestigious London drama
college. However, Moore only attended for six months in 1945. |
