Roger Moore: The funny Bond who shall be missed

Legendary British actor Roger Moore will always be remembered for his humour take on ‘James Bond’

Millennials probably only know of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Truth is, while Sean Connery was the original 007, starring as the iconic character back in 1962, it was Sir Roger Moore who succeeded him and according to many Gen-Xers, made the best Bond ever.

Unfortunately, as per a statement from his family on Twitter, Moore passed away on May 23, following “a short but brave battle with cancer.” He was 89 years of age.

Beginning his Bond journey with Live and Let Die after Connery stepped down in 1973, Moore became the oldest man to play the iconic British spy. He went on to play it until 1985, starring in films such as 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).



As legendary as the character was, each actor who played Bond brought a different interpretation to the table. Unlike the Connery’s original, Moore took Bond in a humorous direction and showed an unbelievably cool and suave side. His brand of Bond had a way of remaining calm and composed and get out of any tricky situation with ease.

PHOTO:FILE

While Connery brought a realistic portrayal of Bond, it was Moore who added the humour and the cool, flashy gadgets that have become part of modern action films. The Rolex Submariner watch that always saved the day, the laser pistol and the Glastron GT-50 boat - among many other vehicles – are just some of the things the actor made cool.

As the news of Moore’s death spread, tributes came pouring in for the late star. Even fellow James Bonds Pierce Brosnan, who succeeded Moore and Connery, chimed in. In a statement given to The Independent, Connery said they had an “unusually long” and happy friendship. “We had an unusually long relationship by Hollywood standards, that were filled with jokes and laughter. I will miss him,” he said.



Many others echoed Connery’s sentiments, calling Moore the funniest person they had met. His was a self-deprecating humour that seeped its way in, without actually compromising the actor’s talents and credibility. According to The Guardian, while he was mocked for solely showing emotions through his eyebrows (after the 1980s satirical TV show Spitting Image featured a puppet of him doing just that), it was Moore himself who had cracked it first. “The eyebrows thing was my own fault,” he said. “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.”

Brosnan wrote on his Facebook, “Dear Sir Roger Moore, it is indeed with a heavy heart that I hear the news of your passing this morning. You were a big part of my life, from The Saint to James Bond. You were a magnificent James Bond and one that lead the way for me. The world will miss you and your unique sense of humour for years to come. My sincerest condolences to your family and children.”

Current 007 Daniel Craig also tweeted from the official James Bond Twitter account. He shared a picture of Moore and him, with a message that said, “Nobody does it better - love Daniel.”

The veteran star, who died in Switzerland, will have a private funeral in Monaco in accordance to his wishes, his children said.

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