From Bond legend to ultimate womaniser and loving dad, we look back at the extraordinary life of Sir Roger Moore
AS James Bond he was suave, sophisticated and the ultimate womaniser.
And Sir Roger Moore was the same off screen, too — except in real life he was an even bigger hit with the ladies.
When it came to embracing the 007 lifestyle, well, nobody did it better.
A statement from his children, Deborah, 53, Geoffrey, 50 and Christian, 44, read: “With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.
“Thank you Pops for being you, and being so very special to so many people.”
Sir Roger played Bond in seven films after taking over from Sean Connery.
But the beginnings of his phenomenal career as one of Britain’s most-loved actors were not quite as smooth as his alter ego.
Born in 1927 in Stockwell, South London, to Lily, a housewife, and George, a policeman, Roger left school at 15 to work as a trainee cartoonist.
But he was sacked months later after forgetting to pick up a can of film.
His acting training at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was then interrupted by conscription for national service shortly after the end of World War Two.
Later, a series of knitwear and toothpaste advertisements landed him a deal with movie giant MGM, only for his contract to be dropped after his films flopped.
Then, finally, in the early Sixties, he got his big break with the role of Simon Templar in hit TV series The Saint.
His success, coupled with his trademark English gentleman style, led to inevitable calls for him to play James Bond.
But it was only after Sean Connery stepped down for a second time in 1971 that he got his chance.
From his first stint as 007 in 1973’s Live And Let Die, Sir Roger became an instant fan favourite.
He was known for his deadly one-liners and his killer instinct — and his Bond had a sense of humour like no other.
Memorable moments include his racy line in The Man With The Golden Gun, “Miss Anders, I didn’t recognise you with your clothes on”.
But Sir Roger’s Bond will also be remembered for his iconic eyebrow raise.
He previously explained: “The eyebrows thing was my own fault.
“I was talking about how talentless I was and said I have three expressions — eyebrow up, eyebrow down and both of them at the same time. And they used it — very well, I must say.”
He did once court controversy by insisting that 007 could never be portrayed as a gay man or be played by a woman.
He said: “I have heard people talk about how there should be a lady Bond or a gay Bond. But they wouldn’t be Bond for the simple reason that wasn’t what author Ian Fleming wrote.”
Unlike the Bonds of today, Sir Roger did not do his own stunts — unless they were in the bedroom.
As 007 he got through more women than he did fast cars.
It is no wonder he once said of his predecessor: “Sean played Bond as a killer and I played Bond as a lover.”
Sex scenes were Sir Roger’s bread and butter during his 12 years as Bond, a role he would have continued for ever if he could.
He explained: “Age wouldn’t let me when all the leading ladies started looking like my granddaughters.”
He previously confessed to making female stars keep their socks on during sex scenes, while begging producers for more intimate moments with the opposite sex.
He said: “I always rather liked the bedroom scenes. I felt we didn’t have enough of those really.”
In fact, Sir Roger enjoyed on-screen love-making so much that he would apologise in advance to his co-stars in case he got too excited. Fellow actor Nigel Havers explained: “Roger told me that whenever he does a bed scene he’d always say to the girl before, ‘Excuse me, I want to apologise now if I get an erection’. And then he’d pause and say, ‘And if I don’t’.”
Playing a notorious ladies’ man such as James Bond came easy to Sir Roger, who had his own chequered love life.
The actor met his first wife, fellow drama student Doorn Van Steyn, when he was 18. She was six years older.
But they divorced several years later due to arguments over money.
His marriage to second wife Dorothy Squires did not fare much better.
The Welsh singer, 13 years his senior, once smashed a guitar over his head during a heated row. And she trashed his house after learning of his affair with Italian actress Luisa Mattioli.
Sir Roger recalled: “She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it.
“The police came and they said, ‘Madam, you’re bleeding’ and she said, ‘It’s my heart that’s bleeding’.”
Sir Roger’s fling with Luisa developed into his third marriage in 1969. The couple had three children together before separating 24 years later in 1993, after Sir Roger grew close to younger Scandinavian socialite Kristina “Kiki” Tholstrup.
It led to a bitter legal battle, with Luisa eventually walking away with a £10million settlement. And his children refused to speak to him for years.
But Sir Roger was always gracious, describing his three exes as “lovely ladies with bad taste in men”.
The actor’s turbulent romantic life finally found peace when he married Kiki, his former neighbour, now 76, who he described as his soul mate.
From his Bond films alone Roger was able to live a lavish lifestyle in retirement, with an estimated worth of £70million.
Flitting between homes in Monte Carlo and Switzerland, he said: “I still get royalty cheques twice a year for the Bond films. You wait for the day to come around.”
Yet for all his wealth, Sir Roger insisted money did not make him happy.
He said: “Nice clean notes in my hands make me content. But happy? No. Money buys pills to make you think you’re happy.
“What makes me happy is seeing our families around us growing up. Doing well.” While he once drove a Rolls-Royce — because his business manager told him he could afford one — he switched to a nifty Smart car in his later years.
He explained it was because he found it “easy to park” and that sports cars were “difficult to get in and out of”.
Sir Roger was also a staunch charity worker who fought tirelessly for matters close to his heart, such as animal welfare group Peta and the UN’s children’s organisation Unicef. He was knighted for his humanitarian work in 2003.
Just like James Bond, Sir Roger lived life at 100 miles per hour, but age slowly caught up with him.
Three years ago he was forced to give up his beloved martinis when diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
But despite health worries and grief over the death of Kristina’s daughter Christina Knudsen at the age of 47 last year, Sir Roger never lost the one thing that made him stand out as Britain’s most famous spy — his sense of humour.
Describing his ideal final night on earth in a recent interview, he said: “If I was told I had 24 hours to live I would have a dry martini, made with Tanqueray gin and three olives on the side.”
Shaken, not stirred, of course.
'My Bond' was a true gent, says Jane Seymour
THE first leading role I ever had was as a Bond girl. It was such a new and frightening world, and Roger held my hand and guided me through every process.
I am devastated to learn of his passing.
He taught me about work ethic and humility. He was so funny, kind and thoughtful to everyone around him and taught me what a movie star really was – and should be.
Through his lifelong work with Unicef he also showed the true meaning of being a humanitarian and giving back.
He was my Bond.
Jane Seymour was Solitaire in Live And Let Die