Bio | Pics & Clips | Other Bond Actors

Appears 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)
• A View to a Kill (1985)

Background:

There are many 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 claim that Moore was considered for Dr. No, and that he was Fleming's favorite for the role after apparently having seen Moore in The Saint; however, this story is often debunked by fans and Bond-film historians, who point to the fact that the series did not begin airing in the United Kingdom until October 4, 1962 - only one day before the premiere of Dr. No.

As Moore is older than Sean Connery, this is probably not true. Publicly, Moore wasn't linked to the role of 007 until 1967, when Harry Saltzman claimed he would make a good Bond, but also displayed misgivings due to his popularity as Simon Templar. Nevertheless, Moore was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973). He was great friends with Lois Maxwell the actress who first portayed Monneypenny; they had attended drama school at RADA together.

Moore was offered the role on the condition that he had his long hair cut and lose some weight (during filming of the television show "The Persuaders" with Tony Curtis, he and Moore had quaffed real champagne instead of coloured water and he had subsequently gained twenty pounds). Each time he returned to Cubby Broccoli he was told to lose more hair and more weight. "Why didn't they get a thin actor who was bald to do the part?" Moore opined.

In an attempt to distance himself from Sean Connery's potrayal of Bond, Moore deliberately smoked cigars instead of cigarettes and drank bourbon instead of martinis, which is actually more in-keeping with the character of Bond from the books.

Moore also has the distincition of being one of only two English actors to actually play James Bond (Daniel Craig being the other). Sean Connery is Scottish, George Lazenby Australian, Timothy Dalton Welsh and Pierce Brosnan Irish.

Upcoming Projects:

• Agent Crush (voice)

Fun Fact:
Roger Moore Fav Bond Flim Is The Spy Who Loved Me