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Roger Moore “Mr. James Bond, 007” 

Sir Roger George Moore (born 14 October 1927) is an English actor, and played the British secret agent James Bond in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985. He worked as a model and made several appearances in minor films and television dramas before finding more substantial roles in the television serials Ivanhoe (1958–1959), The Alaskans (1960–1961) and Maverick (1961). Moore’s most significant television work came with his portrayal of Simon Templar in The Saint from 1962 to 1969 and his starring alongside Tony Curtis in the television drama The Persuaders! (1971).

Moore was cast as Bond in 1973 and portrayed him in seven official films in a row; Live and Let Die (1973); The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Moonraker (1979); For Your Eyes Only (1981); Octopussy (1983); and A View to a Kill (1985). He is the longest-serving James Bond actor, having spent 12 years in the role (from his debut in 1973, to his retirement from the role in 1985). Moore is the oldest actor to have played Bond – he was 45 in Live and Let Die (1973), and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985.

Moore’s Bond was very different from the version created by Ian Fleming. Screenwriters like George MacDonald Fraser provided scenarios in which Moore was cast as a seasoned, debonair playboy who would always have a trick or gadget in stock when he needed it. This was designed to serve the contemporary taste of the 1970s. Moore’s version of Bond was also known for his sense of humour and witty one liners, but also a skilled detective with a cunning mind

Moore worked regularly throughout his Bond era, and has worked sporadically since. He is a Goodwill Ambassadorfor the charity organization UNICEF, and has demonstrated against the production of foie gras. Moore has been a tax exile from the United Kingdom since the 1970s. Moore has been married four times, including to the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires and the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, with whom he had three children. Moore published an autobiography in 2008, and has written other books of reminiscences of his career and filming Bond.

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Dr. No (1962) : the first “James Bond 007” film

Dr. No (1962) is a british spy film and the first James Bond film, starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress and Joseph Wiseman. Based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, a partnership that would continue until 1975.

Dr. No was produced on a low budget and was a financial success. While critical reaction was mixed upon release, over time the film has gained a reputation as one of the series’ best instalments. The film would become the first of a successful series of 24 Bond films. Dr. No also launched a genre of “secret agent” films that flourished in the 1960s. The film also spawned a spin-off comic book and soundtrack album as part of its promotion and marketing.

Producers Broccoli and Saltzman originally sought Cary Grant for the role, they discarded the idea as Grant would be committed to only one feature film, and the producers decided to go after someone who could be part of a series. Richard Johnson and Patrick McGoohan were other choices but they both turned down the role. Another potential Bond included David Niven, who would later play the character in the 1967 satire Casino Royale.

Ian Fleming favoured actor Richard Todd. In his autobiography, Cubby Broccoli said Roger Moore had been considered, but had been thought “too young, perhaps a shade too pretty.” In his autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, Moore says he was never approached to play the role of Bond until 1973, for Live and Let Die. Moore appeared as Simon Templar on the television series The Saint, airing in the United Kingdom for the first time on 4 October 1962, only one day before the premiere of Dr. No.

Ultimately, the producers turned to 30-year-old Sean Connery for five films. After Connery was chosen, Terence Young took the actor to his tailor and hairdresser, and introduced him to the high life, restaurants, casinos and women of London. In the words of Bond writer Raymond Benson, Young educated the actor “in the ways of being dapper, witty, and above all, cool.

The famous cpmposition”James Bond Theme”, which is heard in the gunbarrel sequence and in a calypso medley over the title credits, was written by Monty Norman based on a previous composition of his.