Roger Moore

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Roger Moore, seated, in a dark blue suit, white shirt and blue and white striped tie with a lighted cigar in his hand on the bed of photographer Allan Warren.  Recording from 1973
Roger Moore (1973)
Signature of Roger Moore

Sir Roger George Moore , KBE (born October 14, 1927 in Stockwell , London - † May 23, 2017 in Crans-Montana , Switzerland ) was a British actor . After global success with the television series Simon Templar (1962-1969) and Die 2 (1971-1972) Moore played the British secret agent James Bond in seven films in the 1970s and 1980s . He embodied the agent "007" in the official Bond film series most often.

From the 1990s onwards, the Golden Globe award winner concentrated primarily on his social commitment as a UN special ambassador for the UNICEF children's aid organization and for animal welfare .

Life

Acting career

The son of the police officer George Alfred Moore and the cashier Lillian "Lily" Pope originally wanted to become a draftsman. From 1941 he attended a London art school and then worked for an animation studio . In 1945 he joined the British Army at the age of 18 and served in the occupation forces in Germany and Austria (in Carinthia ).

Stationed in Schleswig and later in Neumünster , he worked for the "Combined Services Entertainment Unit" in various plays and shows for the troupe theaters in the surrounding cities, such as the "Gaiety Theater, City of Hamburg" in Eckernförde .

In the late 1940s, Moore took on several small extras in film and then decided to become an actor. His idol at the time was Stewart Granger , with whom he directed Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) and later the action film The Wild Geese Come (1978). He began studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , which he was funded by director Brian Desmond Hurst . A fellow student of his during this time was the later Miss Moneypenny Lois Maxwell . During his studies Moore earned money as a model in print advertisements for various products such as toothpaste , but above all for knitwear, which earned him the nickname "The Big Knit".

From 1950 Moore played mainly theater . He had one of his first stage appearances in Joshua Logan's production of the comedy Mister Roberts with Tyrone Power at the London Coliseum . In 1953 he took on a leading role in the Broadway production A Pin to See the Peepshow . The production was discontinued after the premiere due to bad reviews . In 1954 he was on stage for eight weeks in Dodie Smith's play I Capture the Castle at the Aldwych Theater in London. A little later, an offer from the Royal Shakespeare Company and one from MGM followed . Following advice from Noël Coward , Moore chose MGM.

In 1954 Moore went to the United States , where he was first with MGM and later with Warner Brothers under contract. He was given the opportunity to shoot the love drama Back then in Paris with Elizabeth Taylor in 1954 and to play a supporting role in the Oscar-winning melodrama Interrupted Melody in 1955 . In the same year he appeared in the coat-and-sword film The King's Thief in the role of Jack alongside his friend David Niven . In 1956 he played Lana Turner's lover in the costume drama Diane - Courtesan of France .

When MGM didn't offer him any more significant roles, he resigned and signed a little later with Warner Brothers. Until 1961, Roger Moore played leading roles here in the films The Madonna with Two Faces (1959), The Gold of the Seven Mountains (1960) and Beyond the Ruwenzori (1961). Meanwhile, the studio gave him the lead role in the western television series Gold in Alaska (1959-1961) and put him in the fourth season of the successful television series Maverick (1960/61) as the English cousin of the title character played by James Garner . In the meantime he shot the television series Ivanhoe (1958/59) in England for ITV .

After a trip to Italy , where he made two insignificant adventure films in 1961/62, Moore returned to England, where he became world famous and wealthy in the mid-1960s with the role of gentleman- detective Simon Templar in the series of the same name (1962–1969) has been. Simon Templar was sold in 87 countries and was also the most successful British series of the time. His elegant appearance, his quiff as well as his ironic play with the eyebrow made Moore a style icon of the 1960s. For the series, he also took on tasks behind the camera for the first time. Moore wrote scripts and directed some episodes, probably with success, because later he was also offered the direction of feature films. Moore's portrayal of Simon Templar finally shaped his typical image of the self-deprecating British adventure hero, which he also cultivated in later roles.

It followed in 1971/72 alongside Tony Curtis in the leading role in the television series Die 2 , which flopped in the United States, but was very successful in Europe and most other countries around the world. He also became the highest paid television actor in the world for a million pound sterling .

Roger Moore in 1973

After Moore became world-famous through his television series, he took on the role of British secret agent James Bond in 1973 in Live and Let Die, finally establishing himself as a screen star. After an interlude with George Lazenby, he succeeded Sean Connery , who after Diamond Fever (1971) had finally left the agent film series. Rumor has it that Moore was chasing for the role in the first film in the James Bond series as early as 1962. No was intended, which Moore denied. In fact, the producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had already asked him for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), but he had to cancel because of obligations for Simon Templar . However, Roger Moore parodied the role of secret agent James Bond 007 in the television series Mainly Millicent as early as 1964 .

This was followed by the Bond films The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), In A Deadly Mission (1981), Octopussy (1983) and In the Face of Death (1985). The Bond films with Moore were always among the five most commercially successful productions of the year worldwide. Moonraker (1979) in particular was for a long time the most successful Bond production ever and at the same time in 1979 it was the world's most successful film of that year with a grossing of 210 million US dollars . Actually Moore planned to say goodbye to the role after In Fatal Mission , which is why test recordings with James Brolin as his successor have already been made. However, he was then convinced again to play the part. This is probably also because of his pulling power as a star, since the production Octopussy was in direct competition with the unofficial Bond film Never Say Never , in which Sean Connery appeared again as James Bond after a twelve-year break. After all, Octopussy was more successful with grossing US $ 188 million than Sag Never Never with US $ 160 million. Overall, Moore embodied the role with seven times the most. When he announced his resignation as James Bond on December 3, 1985, he was already 58 years old.

During his Bond era, Moore also played leading roles in a number of other films, including the disaster drama Gold (1974), the war adventure films The Wild Geese Come (1978) and The Sea Wolves Come (1980), the action film Explosive Command Atlantic (1980) and the action comedy Auf dem Highway All Hell Loose (1981) were the most successful of these non-Bond films. In 1983, Moore took on the role of chief inspector Jacques Clouseau from the recently deceased Peter Sellers in the comedy The Curse of the Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards . This film was also the fourth and final collaboration with his close friend David Niven, who succumbed to his ALS disease shortly after filming .

His enormous popularity brought Moore a Golden Globe Award and a Saturn Award in 1980 .

Roger Moore on the set of The Sea Wolves (1979)

Occasionally, Moore showed that his acting skills enabled him to do more than “just” portray the smart woman hero and adventurer: In 1970, he was convincing in the psychological thriller A man chases himself in a double role as an honest employee and family man and as his ruthless and uninhibited Alter ego , played a cynical and eccentric anti-terrorist specialist in the action film Sprengkommando Atlantik (1979), who hates women, but loves cats, embroidery and scotch - and was also credible as a frightened and helpless psychiatrist in the psychological thriller The Naked Face (1984) .

After leaving the James Bond series, Roger Moore did not appear in any film or television production for more than five years. Only in 1990 did he return to the cinema with the lead role in the German-British coproduction Fire, Ice & Dynamite . In the same year he played on the side of his friend Michael Caine and his daughter Deborah Moore in the crime comedy Bullseye - The Crazy Diamond Coup . The following year he made the comedy Agents Live Alone , in which he starred alongside Talia Shire . The action film The Quest (1996), in which he starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, became his greatest success after James Bond . In 2002 he appeared in Boat Trip .

In 2002 Moore returned to theater and has appeared in numerous performances of The Play What I Wrote , directed by Kenneth Branagh, in London's West End . Because of its great success, the play moved to the Lyceum Theater on Broadway in 2003 . On his second appearance on Broadway, Moore collapsed from a heart attack, but played the piece to the end before he was hospitalized for a pacemaker .

His autobiography My Word is My Bond was published in 2008 in the UK and in 2009 under the title Mein Name ist Bond… James Bond also in Germany. To mark the 50th anniversary of Bond, he launched his homage Bond about Bond in 2012 : Everything about the world's most successful cinema series .

In 2010, Moore took on a speaking role in the agent parody Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Kahlohr . He also made an acting comeback the following year, starring in the family film A Princess for Christmas .

social commitment

When his friend Audrey Hepburn asked him in May 1991 to moderate the Danny Kaye International Children's Award for UNICEF with her , he said yes, but said that he knew too little about the children's charity. At the press conference that followed, Moore found Audrey Hepburn so "passionate and engaging" that he "felt an urgent need to learn more about the work of UNICEF". Shortly afterwards, Hepburn invited him again to accompany her to a UNICEF seminar in Geneva , where he could find out more about the work of the aid organization. Here he also met the then UNICEF General Secretary James P. Grant , with whom Roger Moore signed a contract as UNICEF ambassador . From then on he traveled to countless countries to support UNICEF projects. On the side he raised money at various charity events where he reported on his work. In a 2006 interview, he described this commitment as “the most important thing I've done so far”. In 2012 he shot another commercial for the children's aid organization, in which he campaigns against dirty water: “3000 children die from it - every day. Clean water is a human right, ”he warned there. Most recently, he campaigned for refugees from the civil war in Syria on behalf of the Children's Fund .

Commitment to animal welfare

Moore has consistently advocated animals for years. He was particularly known for his efforts against foie gras , which he considered to be a "disease and not a treat". In his fight against this "repulsive" practice, he worked regularly with the animal rights organization PETA . His greatest success in this area was that, as part of a campaign, he got the Selfridge department store chain to remove foie gras from their range. His aversion to foie gras went so far that he would never call old friends back if they continued to eat foie gras even though they knew how it was produced.

Moore also supports the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd , as well as TigerTime and Animal Defenders International . Moore also found clear words regarding trophy hunting . He described people who enjoy killing defenseless animals as "mentally ill".

Moore also campaigned against the use of wild animals in circuses. He called for the release of an orca named Morgan and raised funds to fly 33 abused lions back to their homes.

Moore asked Queen Elizabeth II to replace the real fur hats of her guard with synthetic hats.

In 2012 Moore was a guest at the Gut Aiderbichl Gnadenhof together with the actress Daryl Hannah .

In 2017, Moore was voted Person of the Year by the animal rights organization PETA.

Private life

Roger Moore with his third wife Luisa Mattioli at the 1989 Cannes International Film Festival

Roger Moore was married four times and had three children. In 1946 he married his childhood sweetheart, the ice skater Doorn van Steyn, from whom he divorced in 1953. In the same year he married the singer Dorothy Squires, with whom he lived in Hollywood , among other places . The couple divorced in 1968.

In 1961 he met his third wife Luisa Mattioli while filming the Italian film The Rape of the Sabine Women . He convinced her to move to England with him and married her in 1969. The marriage had three children: actress Deborah Moore , actor and restaurateur Geoffrey Moore, and film producer Christian Moore.

In 1996 the two divorced, according to media reports that he paid the equivalent of 16 million euros, half of his assets, according to an out-of-court severance agreement. In 2002 he married the Danish millionaire Kristina Tholstrup.

In 2013 Moore was diagnosed with diabetes . In addition, he had to learn to walk again after a severe pneumonia . He had been wearing a pacemaker since he was weak . Roger Moore died on May 23, 2017 of complications from cancer . He last lived in Crans-Montana ( Switzerland ) and in the Principality of Monaco , where he was buried at the Cimetière de Monaco according to his own wishes .

Trivia

Honors and awards (selection)

Roger Moore (2012)

Roger Moore has received various awards and honors over the decades. In 1967 and 1981 he received the gold, 1969, 1972 and 1973 the silver and 1968, 1974 and 1979 the bronze Bravo Otto of the German youth magazine BRAVO. Also in 1967 he was honored by Spanish television with the Ondas Award for best actor in an international television series (Simon Templar) . Together with his series partner Tony Curtis, he received the prize for Die 2 in 1973 from the French magazine tele-7-jours as “Best Actor in a Foreign TV Series” and a Bambi in Germany .

In 1978 he was nominated for a Saturn Award in the Best Actor category for his portrayal in The Spy Who Loved Me .

In 1980 he received a Golden Globe Award as World Film Favorite and a Saturn Award as Most popular international performer in Hollywood . For his life's work in Germany he received another Bambi in 1991 and in 1992 the Golden Camera in the World Star category with commitment to UNICEF . In 1997 Michael Caine presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. In 2000, his services to television were honored with a Golden Nymph at the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo .

For his social commitment he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Great Britain in 1999 . In the same year he received an honorary doctorate from Ryerson University . In 2003 he received the Federal Cross of Merit in Germany . In the same year he was selected by Queen Elizabeth II as. Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the knighthood applicable; since then he has been allowed to use the suffix "Sir". He was also awarded the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Medal in 2007 .

On October 11, 2007, Moore received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard . In 2008 he was honored with the highest French cultural order, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres .

In 2010 Moore was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the German Entertainment Prize . In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire . Also in 2012 Moore received the Order of St. George . In 2013 Sir Roger Moore received the Golden Heart award for his social commitment at the charity gala for Ein Herz für Kinder .

Filmography (selection)

Roger Moore (1973)
Roger Moore (1973)
Roger Moore (2010)

As an actor

As a producer

bibliography

  • Roger Moore: Bond about Bond: Everything about the most successful cinema series in the world , Knesebeck Verlag , 2012, ISBN 978-3868735017 (Original title: Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 Years of James Bond Movies , Michael O'Mara Book Limited, 2012, ISBN 978-0762782819 )
  • Roger Moore: Last Man Standing: Confessions of the Last Gentlemans , Langen Müller Verlag , 2016, ISBN 978-3784433899 (Original title: Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown , Michael O'Mara Books, 2014, ISBN 978-1782432074 )
  • Roger Moore: My name is Bond ... James Bond: The Autobiography , IP Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-931624-62-0 (Original title: My Word is My Bond , Michael O'Mara Publications, 2008, ISBN 1-84317 -332-8 )
  • Roger Moore: Roger Moore as James Bond - Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming LIVE AND LET DIE , Macmillan, 1973

Discography

  • 1959: We Wish You a Merry Christmas - 15 Great Christmas Favorites sung by Warner Bros. Stars
  • 1963: Aladdin told by Roger Moore
  • 1965: Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs told by Roger Moore
  • 1965: Where Does Love Go (reached number 29 on the UK charts)
  • 1985: Sidney Sheldon: If Tomorrow Comes
  • 1987: Sidney Sheldon: The Naked Face
  • 1992: The King and I (studio recording of the musical with Ben Kingsley , Julie Andrews and in supporting roles Roger Moore and Martin Sheen )
  • 1993: Jack Higgins: Thunder Point
  • 1995: The Children's Audiobook of Virtues
  • 2006: Catching Life by the Throat. How to Read Poetry and Why brought together by Josephine Hart

German dubbing voices

Roger Moore was initially dubbed by different speakers, but in the 1960s he received his regular speaker Niels Clausnitzer , who until 2002 lent him the voice regularly and in formative roles ( James Bond , Simon Templar ). Since the 1970s, Lothar Blumhagen has also established himself as a regular speaker. He was first heard mainly in series such as Die 2 and in some episodes of Simon Templar , but later also spoke him in numerous movies.

literature

  • John Williams: The Films of Roger Moore. Barnden Castell Williams Limited, London 1974, ISBN 0-904159-14-0 .
  • Paul Donovan: Roger Moore. Virgin Books, 1983, ISBN 0-491-03051-7 .
  • Roy Moseley, Philip Masheter, Martin Masheter: Roger Moore: A Biography. New English Library, Sevenoaks 1985, ISBN 0-450-06114-0 .
  • Gareth Owen & Oliver Bayan: Roger Moore - His Films and Career. Robert Hale Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0-7090-7884-6 .
  • Jessica Johnston, Andrea Rennschmid, Reinhard Weber: Roger Moore… more than just James Bond. Reinhard Weber Verlag, Landshut 2002, ISBN 3-9802987-7-9 .

Web links

Commons : Roger Moore  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marion Löhndorf: Roger Moore died. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG, May 23, 2017, accessed on May 23, 2017 .
  2. ^ Roger Moore Biography (1927–). In: filmreference.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  3. Moore or the real Bond? In: Upper Austrian news. November 27, 2010.
  4. Ilse Rathjen-Couscherung: Eckernförde under British occupation. Heimatgemeinschaft Eckernförde, Eckernförde 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-025744-5 , p. 78 f .; the information was directly confirmed to the author by Roger Moore.
  5. 007 star pays tribute to Maxwell. In: BBC News . Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  6. ^ A Pin to See the Peepshow. In: Internet Broadway Database . Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  7. Eyebrow as a weapon - Roger Moore is 80. In: Die Welt . Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  8. Sought-after bachelor. In: Tagesspiegel . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  9. 007 star Sir Roger Moore reveals . In: Daily Express , accessed November 30, 2012. (English)
  10. Six actors were licensed to kill. The funny one: Roger Moore . ( Memento of October 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) MDR . In: mdr.de , accessed on November 29, 2012.
  11. Roger Moore: The Autobiography: My Name is Bond ... James Bond . IP Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-931624-62-0 , p. 190
  12. BBC America: 50 Years of James Bond: Roger Moore, Seven Times 007. In: bbcamerica.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016 .
  13. Ranking list of films from 1979. In: worldwideboxoffice.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  14. The double return of 007 . In: Der Spiegel , 32/1983, accessed on November 29, 2012.
  15. Roger Moore (longest incarnate James Bond) . In: ProSieben .com , accessed on 29 November 2012 found.
  16. ^ Roger Moore (resignation of James Bond) . In: zauberspiegel.de , accessed on November 29, 2012.
  17. ↑ Feeling weak on the stage. In: Spiegel Online , May 8, 2003, accessed November 28, 2012.
  18. Pacemaker for 007. In: n-tv , accessed on November 28, 2012.
  19. Permit: James Bond and the Scared Rabbit . In: Focus , June 2, 2009, accessed November 30, 2012.
  20. ^ Roger Moore: The Autobiography: My Name is Bond ... James Bond IP Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-931624-62-0 , p. 311 f.
  21. UNICEF in conversation with Sir Roger Moore. Conversation on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of UNICEF, accessed on February 14, 2012.
  22. ^ "Shaken, not stirred": Roger Moore promotes drinking water. In: Morgenpost.de
  23. Roger Moore Appeals To Fans To Help Syrian Refugees. In: starpulse.com , accessed January 4, 2013.
  24. DER SPIEGEL: Animal welfare: Ex-007 chases foie gras - DER SPIEGEL - Panorama. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  25. James Bond targets the atrocities of foie gras production. ( Memento from November 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: peta.de. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  26. No license to buy. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . September 14, 2009, accessed March 8, 2012.
  27. a b Letters: Roger Moore worked to protect animals. His campaigns must live on | Letters . In: The Guardian . May 26, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed June 3, 2020]).
  28. Vegetarian Star Sir Roger Moore Won't Speak To His Foie Gras Friends. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  29. ^ Roger Moore: Charity Work & Causes. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  30. Captain Paul Watson. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  31. ^ A b Sir Roger Moore: The Man with the Golden Heart. Retrieved May 23, 2017, June 3, 2020 (American English).
  32. Ex-007 Roger Moore wants to save orca lady "Morgan". Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  33. Felipe Araujo: James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore in bid to save 33 lions abused in the circus. November 12, 2015, accessed June 3, 2020 .
  34. Roger Moore and Daryl Hannah at Gut Aiderbichl. Retrieved June 3, 2020 .
  35. LooMee Editor: Roger Moore: PETA Person of the Year 2017. In: LooMee TV. December 31, 2017, accessed on June 3, 2020 (German).
  36. Gossip and gossip: Roger Moore wants to cede half of his fortune to his ex-wife. In: Der Tagesspiegel . Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH, October 10, 2000, accessed on May 23, 2017 .
  37. Klaus Nerger: The grave of Roger Moore. In: knerger.de. Retrieved July 14, 2018 .
  38. Highlights of the Oscar Decades. In: Gala.de , accessed on March 8, 2012.
  39. ^ "Ordre des Art et Lettres" to Roger Moore. In: derstandard.at. October 29, 2008, accessed October 30, 2008.
  40. Carlos Corbelle: presentation of the DIVA Awards: Prize for Roger Moore. In: Filmreporter.de , January 26, 2010, accessed on May 23, 2017.
  41. ^ Sir Roger Moore Meets The New Q. ( Memento April 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: University of Hertfordshire . Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  42. Charlotte Rybak: “A Heart for Children” 2013: Sir Roger Moore is honored with the Golden Heart. In: springer-verlag.de. Axel Springer SE , November 21, 2013, accessed on May 23, 2017 .
  43. Where does love go / Tomorrow after Tomorrow. In: sirrogermoore.net .
  44. Sir Roger Moore. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on May 23, 2017 .