The past year and a half have been brutal for film fans in terms of deaths. Just this year alone we’ve lost people like John Hurt, Bill Paxton, Michael Parks, Chris Cornell, and Powers Boothe. Today we have lost another. Sir Roger Moore, famous for his role as James Bond across seven films, has passed away at his home in Sweden. The actor/humanitarian/author had been battling cancer.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a James Bond fanatic. That’s where I came to Moore’s work first. Those are the films likely to be celebrated the most in the wake of his passing and it’s not hard to see why. Like any Bond actor, Roger Moore’s run as 007 contained ups and downs. Still, for every lesser entry like The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill, there are outright classics like Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Moonraker. Yes, Moonraker has some silly moments, but it’s pretty stellar in all other ways and I still count it among the better installments in the franchise.
Moore’s James Bond lacked the rugged bravado of Connery, but he made up for it in swagger. When taken as a whole, the 007 franchise is a rather ridiculous concept. Sir Roger knew this and played it to the hilt, with a wink of the eye and his tongue planted firmly in cheek. The result was an interpretation of the character that remains an insanely popular one to this day, both among fans and general audiences. He might not be my personal favorite Bond, but his films are often the most fun to revisit. Why? Because Sir Roger himself was clearly having a blast playing James Bond and that carried through to his performance. Amidst his fellow Bond actors, his sheer enthusiasm for the role remains unparalleled to this day. Nobody has as much fun being Bond as Sir Roger did.
There was more to Sir Roger than 007, however. For one thing, the man was already an accomplished television star before even stepping into the snazzy suits and gadget-filled vehicles. Moore most notably portrayed the Robin Hood-esque antihero Simon Templar in “The Saint” from 1962-1969. If your familiarity with that property lies only in the ’90s film starring Val Kilmer, I suggest you track down some episodes of the Moore series. It’s highly entertaining. Moore’s television work also included lead roles in “Ivanhoe” (1958), “Maverick” (1959), and the cult adventure series “The Persuaders!“. The latter is a show I’ve always meant to catch up with, something I plan to finally make good on now.
On the film front, Moore starred in numerous offerings outside of the world of 007 that are well worth your time. Do you crave light-hearted adventure? Perhaps give Ffolkes a look and see Moore as a cat-loving, eccentric hero taking on terrorists played by Anthony Perkins and Michael Parks. Want something with a bit more fist-pumping action? Then The Wild Geese, co-starring Richard Harris and Richard Burton, is the film for you. Not enough? Seek out Shout at the Devil, The Cannonball Run, The Sea Wolves, Street People, The Naked Face, and even The Quest while you are at it. The point is that Roger Moore was a great actor who was incredibly charismatic and also utterly unafraid to play both into and against type. As a result, he managed to accrue an impressive body of work that will stand the test of time.
Godspeed, Sir Roger. You were wonderful on screen, be it big or small, and you were even more wonderful in your work with UNICEF. You were an icon and you will be missed.
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Richter Belmont