Born:
October 14, 1927
in
London
Best Known For:
Playing James Bond for a record 12 years.
Early-life:
Roger George Moore was born on October 14, 1927, in Stockwell, London, the only child of a policeman. He originally wanted to be an artist, gaining experience as a tracer at an animated film company. After National Service spent in military intelligence, he worked as an extra in the films Perfect Strangers and Caesar and Cleopatra. The director Brian Desmond Hurst arranged for him to train at Rada, which helped get rid of his cockney accent.
Career:
Moore's first important film role came in the 1949 musical comedy Trottie True, but he supplemented his income by modelling. In 1953 he moved to the US, gaining a contract with MGM. He appeared alongside Elizabeth Taylor in The Last Time I Saw Paris before concentrating on TV work. Ivanhoe made him a star and he followed that with Maverick and The Alaskans. After moving back to the UK, Moore starred in The Saint and The Persuaders before becoming James Bond in 1973's Live and Let Die. He stuck with the role until 1985's A View to a Kill. Other films include Gold, The Wild Geese and The Cannonball Run, as well as plenty of comic turns as parodies of himself. He died on May 23, 2017 at the age of 89.
Quote:
"My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised."
Trivia:
Moore became a UNICEF ambassador in 1991.