On television, Moore played the lead role ofSimon Templar, the title character in the British mystery thriller seriesThe Saint (1962–1969). He played Beau Maverick in the AmericanWestern seriesMaverick (1960–1961), replacingJames Garner as the lead, and starred withTony Curtis in the action-comedyThe Persuaders! (1971–1972). Continuing to act in the decades after his retirement from the Bond franchise, Moore's final appearance was in a pilot for a newSaint series that became a2017 television film.
Moore was apprenticed to an animation studio, but he was sacked after he made a mistake with someanimation cels.[5] When his father investigated a robbery at the home of the film directorBrian Desmond Hurst, Moore was introduced to the director and hired as an extra for the 1945 filmCaesar and Cleopatra.[8] While there, Moore attracted an off-camera female fan following, and Hurst decided to pay Moore's fees at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art. Moore spent three terms at RADA, where he was a classmate of his future Bond co-starLois Maxwell, the originalMiss Moneypenny. During his time there, he developed the relaxed demeanour that became his screen persona.[5] He graduated fromRADA in 1945.[9]
In his bookLast Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown, Moore states that his first television appearance was on 27 March 1949 inThe Governess byPatrick Hamilton, a live broadcast (as usual in that era), in which he played the minor part of Bob Drew.[13] Other actors in the show includedClive Morton andBetty Ann Davies. He had uncredited parts in films includingPaper Orchid andThe Interrupted Journey (both 1949). He was in the one-off programmeDrawing-Room Detective on BBC TV (1950) and appeared in the filmsOne Wild Oat andHoneymoon Deferred (both 1951).
In the early 1950s, Moore worked as a model,[8] appearing in print advertisements in the UK forknitwear (earning him the nickname "The Big Knit")[4] and a wide range of other products such as toothpaste.[14]
Moore travelled to the United States and began to work in television. He appeared in adaptations ofJulius Caesar andBlack Chiffon, and in two episodes ofRobert Montgomery Presents, as well as the TV movieThe Clay of Kings (all 1953).
In the 1956 filmDiane, Moore was billed third again, this time underLana Turner andPedro Armendariz, in a 16th-century period piece set in France with Moore playingPrince 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]."[4]
Moore's first success was playing the eponymous hero, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in the 1958–59 seriesIvanhoe, a loose adaptation of the1819 romantic novel bySir Walter Scott set in the 12th century during the era ofRichard the Lionheart, delving into Ivanhoe's conflict withPrince John. Shot mainly in England atElstree Studios andBuckinghamshire, some of the show was also filmed in California owing to a partnership withColumbia Studios'Screen Gems. Aimed at younger audiences, thepilot was filmed in colour, 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.[18] Christopher Lee andJohn Schlesinger were among the show's guest stars, and series regulars includedRobert Brown (who in the 1980s playedM in several James Bond films) as the squire Gurth,Peter Gilmore as Waldo Ivanhoe,Andrew Keir as villainous Prince John, andBruce 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 armour and damned stupid plumed helmet. I felt like a medieval fireman."[19]
After that, Moore spent a few years mainly doing one-shot parts in television series, including an episode ofAlfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959 titled "The Avon Emeralds". He signed another long-term contract to a studio, this time toWarner Bros.[20]
Moore's next television series involved playing the lead as "Silky" Harris for theABC/Warner Bros. 1959–60WesternThe Alaskans, with co-starsDorothy Provine as Rocky,Jeff York as Reno, andRay Danton as Nifty. The show ran for a single season of 37 hour-long episodes on Sunday nights. Though set inSkagway, Alaska, with a focus on theKlondike 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/WBcrime dramaThe Roaring 20s—alongsideRex Reason,John Dehner,Gary Vinson, and Dorothy Provine—appearing in a similar role but with a different character name.
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 filmingThe Alaskans, he had already recited much of Garner's dialogue, for the Alaskan series frequently recycledMaverick scripts, changing only the names and locales.[21] He had also filmed aMaverick episode with Garner two seasons earlier, in which Moore played a different character, in a retooling ofRichard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775comedy of manners playThe Rivals.[22] 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.[22]
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 his cousin Bart (Jack Kelly).Robert Altman wrote and directed "Bolt from the Blue", an episode featuringWill Hutchins as a frontier lawyer similar to his character in the seriesSugarfoot, and "Red Dog" found Beau mixed up with the vicious bank robbersLee Van Cleef andJohn Carradine.Kathleen Crowley was Moore'sleading lady in two episodes ("Bullet for the Teacher" and "Kiz"), and others includedMala Powers,Roxane Berard,Fay Spain,Merry Anders,Andra Martin andJeanne 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.[23] 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.
Roger Moore (left) with Earl Green inThe Saint.Moore posing with Egyptian actresses;Soad Hosny (first from left),Shwikar (second from right) andSharifa Fadel at the Alexandria Television Festival inAlexandria,Egypt, August 1963.[24]
Lew Grade cast Moore asSimon Templar in a new adaptation ofThe Saint, based on the novels byLeslie 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 byITV 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.[25] The series established his suave, quipping style which he carried forward to James Bond, and it also saw him exhibit his trademark raised eyebrow. Francis Blagburn inThe 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 in how to raise an eyebrow... as Simon Templar, he coolly infers [sic] that he knows, and he knows that you know that he knows.[26]
He made two films immediately after the series ended:Crossplot (1969), a lightweight 'spy caper' movie, and the more challengingThe Man Who Haunted Himself (1970). Directed byBasil Dearden, it gave Moore the opportunity to demonstrate greater versatility than the role of Simon Templar had allowed.[4] In 2004, Moore said ofThe Man Who Haunted Himself: "It was one of the few times I was allowed to act... Many say my best role was inThe Man Who Haunted Himself. Being a modest actor, I won't disagree."[4] In one scene in the film, his character says "Espionage isn't all James Bond on Her Majesty's Secret Service."
Moore in 1971
Lew Grade lured Moore to star alongsideTony Curtis inThe 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.[20] Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography,Still Dancing, that Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well".[29] Curtis refused to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while Moore was always willing to work overtime.[29] According to the DVD commentary, neither Roger Moore, an uncredited co-producer, norRobert S. Baker, the credited producer, ever had a contract other than a handshake with Lew Grade.[29]
Despite its focus on the UK and US markets,The Persuaders! became more successful in other international markets.[30] On its premiere on theITV network, it was beaten in the ratings by repeats ofMonty Python's Flying Circus onBBC One. It did however place in the Top 20 most-viewed television series in the UK throughout 1971.[31] 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.[29] In Germany, where the series was aired under the nameDie Zwei ("The Two"), it became a hit through especially amusingdubbing which only barely used translations of the original dialogue.
Moore's Bond was very different from the version created by Ian Fleming and the one portrayed by Connery. Screenwriters such asGeorge 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 humour 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."[32]
Due to his commitment to several television shows, in particularThe Saint, Roger Moore was unavailable for the James Bond films for a considerable time. His participation inThe Saint was as actor, producer, and director, and he also became involved in developing the seriesThe Persuaders!. In 1964, he made a guest appearance as James Bond in the comedy seriesMainly Millicent.[33] Moore stated in his autobiographyMy Word Is My Bond (2008) that he had neither been approached to play the character inDr. No, nor did he feel that he had ever been considered. Only afterSean 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.[34] AfterGeorge Lazenby was cast in 1969'sOn Her Majesty's Secret Service and Connery was enticed back to the role of Bond again forDiamonds Are Forever (1971), Moore did not consider the possibility until it seemed clear that Connery had stepped down as Bond for good. WithThe Persuaders! having been cancelled following poor ratings in the US, Moore was approached, and he accepted producerAlbert 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 inLive and Let Die (1973).[34] Being 44 when he was cast in the role, Moore remains the oldest actor to portray Bond.
Moore made his second Bond film,The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), which was a hit, though less successful thanLive and Let Die. It featuredChristopher Lee as the main antagonist. Also appearing wereBritt Ekland,Herve Villechaize andMaud Adams. He then made a comedyThat Lucky Touch (1975) which was a box office disaster. Moore made an Italian-shot action filmStreet 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 asBarbara Parkins.[citation needed]
Moore returned for a third outing as Bond inThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which was a massive box-office success. It also starredBarbara Bach andRichard Kiel in his first appearance as the villainJaws.[36] He returned to South Africa for a third action movie shot there,The Wild Geese (1978), produced byEuan Lloyd and directed byAndrew V. McLaglen. It was a sizeable hit in Britain and Europe but, likeShout at the Devil, less so in the US.[37] The cast featuredRichard Burton, who had top billing, and Richard Harris.
Moore played the lead inEscape to Athena (1979) partly financed by Lew Grade. It was a heist adventure set in war-time Greece, and starredTelly Savalas and David Niven, and features mostly American character actors, includingElliott Gould,Stefanie Powers,Richard Roundtree,Sonny Bono, and Italian actressClaudia 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.
Moore followed the success of his fourth outing as Bond,Moonraker (1979), with an action film,North Sea Hijack (1980), also known asffolkes. Moore played a very un-Bond-like hero, oppositeAnthony Perkins. The film was a box-office disappointment.[38]
Better received wasThe Sea Wolves (1980), another World War Two adventure, based onJames Leasor’s book, Boarding Party, which reunited many of the crew fromThe 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 theCalcutta Light Horse, colonelled by David Niven's character, assist regular British Army operatives, played by Moore andGregory Peck, in destroying German ships in neutralMormugao harbour, all the time surrounded by German spies and Indian nationalist intrigue.Trevor Howard,Patrick Macnee andBarbara Kellerman also co-star, with a who's-who lineup of British character actors.
Following the filmFor Your Eyes Only, Moore expressed a desire to leave the role, and other actors were screen tested, includingJames Brolin, but Moore was eventually enticed back forOctopussy (1983).[39]
The circumstances aroundOctopussy's release were highly unusual, in that another James Bond film was being released in the same year. Spearheaded byThunderball producerKevin McClory (who retained the film rights to the property because the antecedent 1961Ian Fleming novel was based on an unfilmed 1959 screenplay produced under the aegis of McClory,Jack Whittingham and Fleming), the non-Eon productionNever Say Never Again featured his predecessorSean Connery returning to the role of Bond. Although tantamount to a loose remake ofThunderball, it was not set in the continuity of the previous Eon Bond films. This led to the media dubbing the one-time situation the "Battle of the Bonds".
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 inLive and Let Die, and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985, having played the part for over twelve years. With seven 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 inNever Say Never Again (1983).[40]
In 1987, he hostedHappy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond.[41]
Moore said, about his decision to leave the role of James Bond, that "It wasn’t because of the physical stuff as I could still play tennis for two hours a day and do a one-hour workout every morning. Physically I was okay, but facially I started looking…well, the leading ladies were young enough to be my granddaughter and it becomes disgusting." In his personal opinion, he looked too old to be "hanging around women in their early twenties without it appearing creepy."[42]Moore did not act on screen for five years after he stopped playing Bond; in 1990, he appeared in several films, as well as in the writer-directorMichael Feeney Callan's television seriesMy Riviera. He then starred in the filmBed & Breakfast, which was shot in 1989;[43] and also had a large role in the 1996 filmThe Quest. In 1997, he starred as the Chief inSpice World.[44] At the age of 73, he played a flamboyant homosexual man inBoat Trip (2002) withCuba Gooding Jr.
The British satirical puppet showSpitting Image had a sketch in which theirlatex likeness of Moore, when asked to display emotions by an offscreen director, did nothing but raise an eyebrow; Moore himself stated that he thought the sketch was funny and took it in good humour. 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 byJaws".[26]Spitting Image continued the joke, featuring a Bond film spoof,The Man with the Wooden Delivery, with Moore's puppet receiving orders fromMargaret Thatcher to killMikhail Gorbachev. Other comedy shows at that time ridiculed Moore's acting, withRory Bremner once claiming to have had a death threat from one of his irate fans following one such routine.[45]
In a nod to his 1960s TV show, Moore had a vocal cameo inThe 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 specialVictoria Wood with All the Trimmings, shown on BBC One on Christmas Day. Filming all his scenes in theLondon 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 Germanpolice procedural seriesTatort (episode 506: "Schatten" – "Shadow", 28 July 2002) as himself signing an autograph on a Unicef card.
In the 1981 filmThe Cannonball Run, in a parody of both himself and James Bond, Moore played Seymour Goldfarb, a wealthy but delusional playboy who believes himself to be Roger Moore and enters the race driving anAston Martin DB5.
In support of his charitable work for UNICEF, Moore lent his voice to the character of the magic snowman, Lumi Ukko, for a 1990 feature film produced by Pavlina Ltd/FIT. The film is UNICEF-endorsed and is dedicated to the "world’s children".[46] An audiobook titledThe Magic Snowman and The Rusty Ice Skates features his voice. His daughter, the actressDeborah Moore, narrated the book in honour of her father’s legacy and his work for UNICEF. 20 per cent of the book’s proceeds are pledged to the organisation.
In 2009, Moore appeared in an advertisement for thePost Office. In 2010, he provided the voice of a talking cat calledLazenby in the filmCats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, which contained several references to, and parodies of, Bond films. In 2011, he co-starred in the filmA Princess for Christmas withKatie McGrath andSam Heughan and, in 2012, he took to the stage for a series of sevenEvenings with in UK theatres; in November, guest-hostedHave I Got News for You.[47] 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 ofThe Saint.
Moore's friendAudrey Hepburn had impressed him with her work for UNICEF, and consequently he became aUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in August 1991.[50] His character,Simon Templar, made a pitch for UNICEF near the end of "The Revolution Racket",[51] airing on 5 November 1964. He was the voice of Father Christmas or 'Santa' in the 2004 UNICEF cartoonThe Fly Who Loved Me.[52]
Moore was an active proponent of animal welfare causes, particularly in his later life. He worked prolifically alongsidePETA in campaigning againstfoie gras, narrating short exposés in 2006 and 2012,[53] as well as appearing in ad campaigns, some of which he personally funded.[54] He also wrote columns in various publications, and directly to politicians and businesses, regarding the issue. For his efforts, he was named PETA UK Person of the Year in 2009.[55] The campaign againstSelfridges successfully prompted them to discontinue sales in 2009, while another British company (Creek Projects Investments) shuttered plans to build a large foie gras facility in China in 2012, in response to Moore's advocacy.[56]
Moore also voiced concern for issues of wild animal welfare. He publicly raised awareness regarding the living conditions ofMorgan, a wild-caughtkiller whale who had been taken into captivity, as well as successfully leading the campaign toban the use of wild animals in Britishcircuses.[57] He was an outspoken critic ofsport hunting; in response to thekilling of Cecil the lion, an incident which sparked global outrage,The Telegraph published an opinion piece by Moore:[58]
"Sport" hunting is a sickness, a perversion and a danger and should be recognised as such. People who get their "amusement" from hunting and killing defenceless animals can only be suffering from a mental disorder. We know that we should protect the most vulnerable and helpless in society, not destroy them – much less derive pleasure from doing so. Thankfully, those of us with a conscience are appalled by the idea of gunning down animals for the sake of a thrill or a photo. Interest in hunting in Great Britain and elsewhere is steadily declining since decent people prefer to hike, take photographs, kayak and generally enjoy the outdoors without killing other beings.
In 1946, aged 18, Moore married a fellow RADA student, the actress and ice skater Doornvan Steyn (born Lucy Woodard), who was six years his senior;[59] 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,[60] during which he allegedly suffereddomestic abuse.[61]
In 1952, Moore met the Welsh singerDorothy Squires, who was 12 years his senior, and Van Steyn and Moore divorced the following year.[62] Squires and Moore were married in New York.[62] They lived inBexley,Kent, after their wedding.[63]
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 starletDorothy Provine, and they moved back to the United Kingdom in 1961, where they resided inSutton Coldfield, nearBirmingham.[62] 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.[62]
During their tempestuous relationship Squires smashed a guitar over his head and, after she learned of his affair with the Italian actressLuisa Mattioli, who later 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'."[59] 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.[62] The numerous legal cases launched by Squires led her to be declared avexatious litigant in 1987.[64] Moore paid Squires's hospital bills after her cancer treatment in 1996; she died in 1998.[65][66]
In 1961, while filmingThe Rape of the Sabine Women in Italy, Moore left Squires for the Italian actressLuisa Mattioli.[66] Squires refused to accept their separation, and sued Moore for loss ofconjugal rights, but Moore refused the court's order to return to Squires in 28 days.[66][62] Squires also smashed windows at a house in France where Moore and Mattioli were living, and unsuccessfully sued the actorKenneth More for libel, as More had introduced Moore and Mattioli at a charity event as "Mr Roger Moore and his wife".[66] Moore and Mattioli lived together until 1969, when Squires finally granted him a divorce, after they had been separated for seven years.[65] At Moore's and Mattioli's marriage in April 1969 at theCaxton Hall in Westminster, London, a crowd of 600 people was outside, with women screaming his name.[67]
Moore had three children with Mattioli: the actressDeborah Moore (born 27 October 1963) and two sons, Geoffrey (born 28 July 1966) and Christian (born 23 August 1973).[68] Geoffrey is also an actor, and appeared alongside his father in the filmsSherlock Holmes in New York (1976) andFire, Ice and Dynamite (1990). In later life, he co-founded Hush Restaurant inMayfair, London, withJamie Barber,[69] and released a single in 2023 under the name Jaffa Moore called "You and I" which featured vocals from the lateGlee actorNaya Rivera and included host of stars in the music video miming along to the song.[70][71] Geoffrey and his wife Loulou have two daughters. Moore's younger son, Christian, is a film producer and has four children: a daughter from his first marriage to Heidi Moore, and two sons and a daughter from his second marriage to Lara Sidawi.[72]
Moore and Mattioli separated in 1993 after Moore developed feelings for a Swedish-born Danish socialite,Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup.[66] Moore later described hisprostate cancer diagnosis in 1993 as "life-changing", which led him to reassess his life and marriage.[68] 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.[66][68]
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".[68] Moore's children refused to speak to him for a period after the divorce, but they were later reconciled with their father.[68] Mattioli refused to grant Moore a divorce until 2000, when a £10 million settlement was agreed.[73] Moore subsequently married Tholstrup in 2002.[68] Moore said that he loved Tholstrup as she was "organised", "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".[68] Moore also said that his marriage to Tholstrup was "a tranquil relationship, there are no arguments".[74] Tholstrup had two children, Hans-Christian Knudsen Jr. and Christina Knudsen, from a previous marriage; Christina 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 of cancer on 25 July 2016, at the age of 47; Moore wrote, "We are heartbroken" and "We were all with her, surrounding her with love, at the end".[75][76][77]
On politics, Moore stated he was aconservative and thought thatconservatism was the way to run a country.[78] He was described as a "lifelong" supporter of theConservative Party and endorsed the party during the2001 general election.[79][80][81] However, Moore also expressed a reluctance to be seen as an overtly political figure and felt his work withUNICEF meant that he could not involve himself directly in politics.[80]
In 2011, Moore expressed his support to Conservative Prime MinisterDavid Cameron regarding his policy on theEuropean 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."[82]
Moore also expressed support for Britain keeping thepound sterling as its national currency and was glad the British government had not joined thesingle EU currency, stating: "I would have been very upset if we'd had to takethe 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, asSean Connery is about Scotland."[83]
In 2015, Moore criticised what he regarded as excessivepolitical correctness within the film industry and felt that rewritingJames 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."[84][85]
Moore retained membership of the entertainment and media trade unionBECTU (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.[86] In 2007, Moore also voiced his support to workers from theCadbury chocolate factory atKeynsham who were protesting against the plant's closure.[87]
Moore became atax exile from the United Kingdom in 1978, originally to Switzerland, and divided his year between his four homes: an apartment inMonte Carlo, a holiday house in the coastalTuscan town ofCastiglione della Pescaia, a chalet inCrans-Montana, Switzerland, and a home inSaint-Paul-de-Vence, France.[74][88] Moore became a resident of Monaco, having been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of Monaco byPrince Albert II for his efforts in internationally promoting and publicising the principality.[89] 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."[88]
Moore was vocal in his defence of his tax exile status, saying that in the 1970s, with taxes levied on top earners under theLabour government ofJames Callaghan, he had been urged by his "accountants, agents, and lawyers" to move abroad because, "At that point we were taxed up to 98% onunearned income, so you would never be able to save enough to ensure that you had any sort of livelihood if you didn't work."[59] 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 due".[90]
Moore was a long-term sufferer ofkidney stones[95] and as a result was briefly hospitalised during the making ofLive and Let Die in 1973[96] and again whilst filming the 1979 filmMoonraker.[97] Whilst filming the boat chase inLive and Let Die, Moore crashed a speedboat and suffered a fractured tooth and concussion. During filming forThe Spy Who Loved Me, Moore suffered burns on his buttocks during a chair explosion stunt.
In 1993, Moore was diagnosed withprostate cancer and underwent successful treatment for the disease.[98]
In 2003, Moore collapsed on stage while appearing on Broadway,[99] and was fitted with apacemaker to treat a potentially deadly slow heartbeat.[88] He was diagnosed withtype 2 diabetes in 2013.[88] Some years before his final cancer illness, a tumour spot was found in his liver. Then, in 2017, during the period that he was treated for cancer, he fell, badly injuring hiscollarbone.[100][101]
Moore also had a long-standing friendship withPrincess 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 atSt Peter and St Sigfrid's Church in Stockholm, on 8 September 2013.[13][105]
"Most people settle on Sir Roger Moore or Sir Sean Connery as their favourite 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 [Pierce Brosnan] and the smouldering cool of Connery. Moore's 007 was, in a word, fun: never above a wry laugh, preferably with a dry Martini in hand."
Moore was appointed Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE) in the1999 New Year Honours[107] and was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the2003 Birthday Honours for charitable services, especially UNICEF and latterlyKiwanis International, which had dominated his public life for more than a decade.[108] 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".[109]
On 11 October 2007, three days before he turned 80, Moore was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and in film. Attending the ceremony were family, friends, andRichard Kiel, with whom he had acted inThe Spy Who Loved Me andMoonraker. Moore's star was the 2,350th star installed, and is appropriately located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard.[110]
On 28 October 2008, the French government appointed Moore aCommander of theOrdre des Arts et des Lettres.[111] On 21 November 2012 Moore was awarded an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Hertfordshire for his outstanding contributions to the British film and television industry for over 50 years, in particular film and television productions in Hertfordshire.[112]
After his death, the Roger Moore Stage was opened atPinewood Studios at a ceremony held in October 2017 to celebrate his life and work.[113] His wife and family were in attendance along with Bond producersMichael G Wilson andBarbara Broccoli.[113]
Roger Moore is contentiously credited with inspiring theWalls Magnum ice cream. In the 1960s, he reportedly said that his one wish would be for achoc 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.[119]
Moore's book about the filming ofLive and Let Die, based on his diaries, titledRoger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming Live and Let Die, was published in London in 1973, by Pan Books.[123] 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."
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.[125]
^Rozen, Leah (19 October 2012)."50 Years of James Bond: Roger Moore, Seven Times 007".BBC America. Retrieved20 August 2015.[Moore] played James Bond in 1964 on TV opposite British actress Millicent Martin in a guest appearance on her BBC comedy show, Mainly Millicent.
^Crnobrnja, Stanko; Stanner, C. (22 December 1987),The Magic Snowman (Fantasy, Family), Roger Moore, Justin Fried, Dragana Marjanovic, Pavlina Ltd., TRZ Ton i film, retrieved5 March 2024
^Moore, Roger (1973).Roger Moore As James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming 'Live and Let Die'. London: Pan Books. pp. 15, 46.ISBN9780330236539.
^2016, MI6-HQ Copyright."Bond on Bond Review". mi6-hq.com. Retrieved25 May 2017.{{cite web}}:|last1= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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