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James Bond - Roger Moore

Roger Moore

When Sean Connery announced after Diamonds Are Forever that he would do no more Bond films, there was no need for an extensive replacement search.  Roger Moore, rumored to have been a top choice of Ian Fleming's, was free from the contractual obligations that prevented him from taking the role in 1962.

 

Born in south London on October 14, 1927, Moore originally intended on becoming a painter, but later turned to animation.  He started acting as an extra and studied at the Royal Academy of Drama before being inducted into the British Army.  After serving in an entertainment unit during World War II, he worked in theatre, radio and television, as well as modeling and working as a salesman to make ends meet.

In 1953, he came to the United States and got a film contract qwith MGM.  After supporting roles in several films, he was cast in his first big television role in Ivanhoe, followed shortly thereafter by Maverick.  It was his starring role on The Saint, though, that made him a star and prevented him from becoming the original James Bond.

Moore's first Bond movie, Live and Let Die, was released in 1973.  It has been said that Moore was closer to Ian Fleming's original concept of Bond-- a disenfranchised member of the British Establishment as opposed to Connery's more rough-and-tumble Bond.  Moore retired as Agent 007 in 1985, after A View to a Kill was released.  In all, he made seven Bond films, more than any other Bond (not counting Connery's "unofficial" release).

Moore has continued to act occasionally since retiring from the Bond series, and in 1999 became the first James Bond to be honored by the British government, receiving a Commander of the British Empire award.

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