Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

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Blowfeld
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Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Blowfeld »

Ihave recently decided to write articles on my favourite subjects: English Sports, English History, English Inventions and English icons. At present I have written over 100 articles which I call “An Englishman’s Favourite Bits Of England”. Please visit my Blogs page http://Bloggs.Resources.Comwhere I have listed all my articles to date. Sir Roger Moore is one of England’s greatest icons and is recognised worldwide as a great actor. I thought it would be interesting to write the story of this famous icon from his early beginnings to his present day status as a great English Icon.

Roger George Moore was born in Stockwell, south London on October 14, 1927, the son of a policeman. At 15, he entered art school with the intention of becoming a painter, and later became an apprentice at an animation studio. He delved into acting as an extra in crowd scenes in the mid 1940’s. He studied at the Royal Academy of Drama (RADA) and appeared in some plays in the West End, before being inducted into the British Army. There he served in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant with a Combined Services Entertainment Unit in Germany at the end of World War II. After release from the military, he worked in theatre, radio and television, but also worked as a model and salesman to make ends meet.

Moore came to the U.S. in 1953, where he got a film contract with MGM, playing supporting roles in several films including “Ivanhoe”. His first big TV series was Ivanhoe, followed by Maverick. But it was his role as suave and debonair Simon Templar in the TV series The Saint that catapulted him to stardom. His contract with that show prevented him from being chosen for to play James Bond in 1962.

In 1971 an action/adventure series called The Persuaders! Was produced by ITC Entertainment for initial broadcast on ITV and ABC.

It starred Tony Curtis as Danny Wilde, and Roger Moore as Lord Brett Sinclair, two international playboys. Much of the humour of the show derived from playful observations about the differences between British and American customs. The show ended after one season, in consequence of failing to make an impact on US TV, thereby releasing Roger Moore to star in the popular Bond Films. Roger Moore had been directly involved in the production of the series, and the need for an American co-star was deemed by all imperative to ensure a television release in the USA.

Tony Curtis agreed to the series project and flew into England in April 1970 to commence location filming, only to create headlines of a different type by way of his arrest at Heathrow Airport for possession of marijuana.

But the Bond role returned to Moore in 1972, when Sean Connery again said for a second time that he was finished as Bond, and Moore was hired as his successor for Live and Let Die.

It has been said that Moore is closer to Ian Fleming’s original concept of Bond, as a disenfranchised member of the British Establishment, than Connery’s more rough-and-tumble Bond. Indeed, the tone of the series changed under Moore’s aegis, with the scripts being tailored to his personality and acting ability. Moore made 7 Bond films [more than Connery’s, retiring as 007 after A View to a Kill in 1985.

Moore has acted sporadically since that time, and appears most frequently in European gossip magazines and at charitable events. In 1996 he appeared in a television commercial spoofing James Bond for the conglomerate Hansen’s, which was pulled off the air due to litigation with the Bond copyright holders. He succeeded the late Audrey Hepburn in the role of Special Representative for the Film Arts for UNICEF, raising funds for children in underdeveloped countries.

Roger was the first James Bond to be honoured by the British government, receiving a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) award in March 1999. He was awarded a knighthood in June 2003 for his work with UNICEF.

He has been married 4 times: to Doorn Van Steyn, Dorothy Squires, Luisa Mattoli and Kristina Tholstrup (2002) and he has 3 children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian, and 2 granddaughters.

Roger Moore wrote his memoirs, My Word is My Bond which was published in 2008.
This story can be found at http://www.moviematics.com/2010/08/21/s ... ctor/4772/
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"Those were the days when we still associated Bond with suave, old school actors such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore,"
"Daniel didn't have a hint of suave about him," - Patsy Palmer
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Powder Puff »

Years ago I thought "Roger Moore" was his stage name. Such a perfect name for an actor.
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by doubleoLisa »

What if the Saint hadn't stopped him in 1962? Ian Fleming liked Roger Moore for James Bond they might have gone for him if Connery wasn't an option.
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry »

doubleolisa wroye
What if the Saint hadn't stopped him in 1962? Ian Fleming liked Roger Moore for James Bond they might have gone for him if Connery wasn't an option.
He would have been a great success and been a sightly different Bond to his camper Bond in the seventies. It is simply impossible to imagine anyone other than Connery as the first Bond.
powder Puff wrote:
Years ago I thought "Roger Moore" was his stage name. Such a perfect name for an actor.
The only Bond actor who changed his name for his acting career was Daniel Craig. His real name is Jimmy Connors - he changed it so he would not be confused with the tennis player.
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Dr. No »

I like Moore not my favorite movies but they are fun to watch.
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by carl stromberg »

Capt. Flandry write:
The only Bond actor who changed his name for his acting career was Daniel Craig. His real name is Jimmy Connors - he changed it so he would not be confused with the tennis player.
:lol:
Bring back Bond!
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Dr. No »

I like the idea of recasting Daniel Craig :lol:
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Re: Sir Roger Moore – English Iconic Actor

Post by Countach »

IMO, every actors portraying Bond were very good. Hack, I thought Timothy Dalton as ok as well but than came Craig!

Personally fave is Roger Moore!
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