The world has lost one of its most dashing actors. Sir Roger Moore, the star of The Saint and seven blockbuster James Bond movies, has died at the age of 89.
The English actor had a sprawling film and television career that spanned almost seventy years. Sir Roger Moore worked his way up from small roles and advertisements to eventually star in hit television series (and some not-so-hit television series). One of the sexiest actors in the industry, he was considered for the role of James Bond twice – for Dr. No and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – before he finally took over the series in 1973, with the blockbuster Live and Let Die.
Also: All of the James Bond Theme Songs: Ranked from Worst to Best
Sir Roger Moore played James Bond in seven films, more than any other actor, and redefined the character as a flip and funny superspy who could shrug off the increasingly bizarre situations that befell him throughout Moore’s tenure. James Bond seemed to be enjoying himself in the Roger Moore movies, making it easier for audiences to enjoy themselves too, whether the movies were great (For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me) or not (Moonraker, Octopussy).
For many audience members, Sir Roger Moore will always be James Bond. But although he earned his place at or near the top of everyone’s favorite Bonds, his career was more diverse than many realize. As we mourn the loss of this debonair icon, we wanted to invite you to join us in a look back at the actor’s most indispensable roles, big screen and small, famous and somewhat obscure.
Rest in peace, Sir Roger Moore. Cinema will never forget you.
The Essential Film & TV Roles of Sir Roger Moore:
Top Photo: Eddy Chen/ABC via Getty Images
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Essential Film & TV Roles of Sir Roger Moore
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Ivanhoe (1958-1959)
A dapper young Roger Moore had already been kicking around movies and television for years when he landed his first starring role in Ivanhoe, an adventurous adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's classic tale of chivalry.
Photo: ITV
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Maverick (1959-1961)
When ratings started to flag for Maverick, they added more Mavericks. Roger Moore joined the classic wild west series as Beau Maverick, sticking around for 16 episodes before he walked into the sunset.
Photo: Warner Bros. Television
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The Saint (1962-1969)
Roger Moore's first signature role, as the gentleman thief Simon Templar, made him a household name in this beloved, long-running television series that inspired TV reboots and a big budget feature film adaptation in the 1990s.
Photo: ITV
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The Persuaders! (1971-1972)
Roger Moore teamed up with Tony Curtis to solve mysteries in The Persuaders, a short-lived but cult favorite tv series about two playboys who also fight crime.
Photo: ITV
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Live and Let Die (1973)
Roger Moore was originally considered for the role of James Bond for the superspy's first outing, Dr. No, but finally took over the role with this brassy 1973 adventure, a blockbuster that ushered in a new, quippy, dashing era of Bond.
Photo: Eon Productions
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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
James Bond met one of his greatest nemeses in The Man with the Golden Gun, a ripping yarn about the superspy running afoul of a cocky super-assassin played with three-nippled glee by Christopher Lee.
Photo: Eon Productions
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Sherlock Holmes in New York (1977)
In the midst of his legendary tenure as James Bond, Moore took on another iconic role in Sherlock Holmes in New York. Roger Moore was joined by a spectacular cast, including Patrick Macnee, John Huston, Charlotte Rampling, Gig Young and David Huddleston.
Photo: 20th Century Fox Television
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The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Considered by many to be one of the best Bond movies, Roger Moore's third outing was a grand globetrotting adventure that teamed him up with a sultry Russian agent, introduced another of the hero's greatest enemies: Jaws, a thug who can bite through anything, played by Richard Kiel.
Photo: Eon Productions
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The Wild Geese (1978)
Roger Moore co-starred in several all-star adventures. The thriller The Wild Geese also featured such heavy hitters as Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Stewart Granger, and told the story of mercenaries hired to rescue an African leader before he can be executed.
Photo: Allied Artists
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Moonraker (1979)
A supervillain plans to conquer Earth, and space, in one of James Bond's silliest adventures (and that's really saying something). Moonraker is still a heck of a lot of fun, if only because Roger Moore knows how ridiculous it all is, and seems dead set on having a good time anyway.
Photo: Eon Productions
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The Sea Wolves (1981)
Another all-star adventure finds Moore teaming up with Gregory Peck, David Niven, Patrick Macnee and Trevor Howard to rescue merchant ships under siege by German submarines in World War II. A ripping good time was had by all.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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The Cannonball Run (1981)
Hal Needham's rollicking cross-country comedies stars just about every actor you can imagine, from Roger Moore to Jackie Chan to Burt Reynolds to Dean Martin, as they dash from one absurd comedy set piece to another. The Cannonball Run is a messy, outlandish comedy, but the cast and the great stunts save it.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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For Your Eyes Only (1981)
One of the most underrated Bond films finds Roger Moore teaming up with Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), a woman on a quest for revenge. The stunts are great, the story is great. For our money, this is Roger Moore's best Bond.
Photo: Eon Productions
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Octopussy (1983)
Roger Moore's worst Bond is a mostly forgettable mishmash of spy schtick, but A) it's still James Bond, and B) at least he wears a clown outfit. No other James Bond can say that.
Photo: Eon Productions
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A View to a Kill (1985)
Roger Moore was getting a little old to play James Bond in A View to a Kill, but his last outing is still a hoot anyway. Christopher Walken hams it up as an outlandish supervillain, and the action is brisk and entertaining.
Photo: Eon Productions
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Spice World (1997)
Roger Moore had a few hearty chuckles at his own expense in the goofy Spice World, a cult favorite starring The Spice Girls as themselves, as they race from one absurd scene to another. Roger Moore plays "The Chief", who owns the band's record label, and who looks freaking adorable when he's feeding baby pigs.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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A Princess for Christmas (2011)
Roger Moore closed out his career with smaller and smaller films, but one of them was a perfectly charming Made-for-TV Christmas movie, in which he plays a Duke who gradually warms to his deceased son's family over the holidays.
Photo: The Hallmark Channel
