Sir Roger Moore, who died May 23, 2017, at 90, is remembered for succeeding Sean Connery as James Bond — which he did and didn’t do.
As Bond buffs well know, George Lazenby briefly followed Connery as Bond in 1969’s ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE. Lazenby, who hadn’t meshed well with Eon Productions partners Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman, thought Bond would fade with the rise of youth appeal hits like THE GRADUATE & EASY RIDER. Telling his agent that he was uncertain about continuing led to his demise — despite having previously been offered a deal to play Bond in seven episodes.
Connery was persuaded to return as Bond for the sixth time in 1971’s DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER — after which Moore actually did take over for Connery, starting with 1973’s LIVE AND LET DIE. Moore couldn’t have done so any sooner than fully committed to British TV mogul Lew Grade’s hit series THE SAINT. He played Simon Templar, an English Robin Hood type crime-fighter created in the 1920s by British novelist Leslie Charteris, and also was a series producer & director. THE SAINT, which aired 118 episodes from 1962-to 69, made Moore the perfect solution to recasting Bond.
Moore has said he didn’t want to think about playing Bond until it was settled that Connery had definitely decided to give it up. And when Moore came on board, he was no Connery carbon copy. Where Connery, a famously proud Scotsman, was a departure from the English gentleman in the pages of Ian Fleming’s Bond novels, Moore fit the role splendidly well. Moore’s Bond was a custom-tailored playboy type who always seemed to have a gadget on hand to save the day. The Moore/Bond became known for witty one-liners since, as Moore once explained, he played the role “mostly for laughs” and not as a “cold-blooded killer type.”
To play Bond on screen, however, Moore had to lose weight and cut his hair, about which he made no secret of being unhappy. But in return, he starred in six more Bond films — 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).
On Dec. 3, 1985, Moore revealed that he was retiring as Bond; he’d had the role for over a dozen years. Moore’s seven times as Bond is the record for Eon’s franchise. However, technically Moore’s tied with Connery because Connery played Bond one more time in 1983’s non-Eon production NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, which became Connery’s seventh time out as Bond.
“I spent my life playing heroes because I looked like one,” – Roger Moore
