Chitchat Death of 007

Did not realise that Roger Moore was so old. He was 89. RIP & it makes one think that time is running out :(

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...uader-and-the-suavest-james-bond-dies-aged-89

Roger Moore – Saint, Persuader and the suavest James Bond – dies aged 89

The much-loved English actor, who made his name on the small screen before taking on the mantle of 007, has passed away in Switzerland

He was the epitome of the suave English gent, quipping sweatlessly in a bespoke three-piece suit, who enjoyed an acting career spanning eight decades. On Tuesday, Roger Moore’s children announced his death at the age of 89 in Switzerland, saying: “he passed away today ... after a short but brave battle with cancer”.
Roger Moore: ‘Being eternally known as James Bond has no downside’
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Moore was best known for playing the third incarnation of James Bond as well as his roles in hit shows The Saint and The Persuaders. He also devoted a lot of his time to humanitarian work, becoming a Unicef goodwill ambassador in 1991.

The actor was born in London in 1927 and, after working as a model in the early 50s, he signed a seven-year contract with MGM. His early movies weren’t particularly memorable, from Interrupted Melody to The King’s Thief, and it was a move to the small screen that brought Moore his first taste of success.

“During my early acting years I was told that to succeed you needed personality, talent and luck in equal measure,” Moore said to the Guardian in 2014. “I contest that. For me it’s been 99% luck. It’s no good being talented and not being in the right place at the right time.”

His first break in TV came in romantic adventure Ivanhoe which was the start of a set of hit shows for Moore, including western Maverick and crime shows The Saint and The Persuaders. The success of The Saint gave Moore an opening in Hollywood yet the resulting spy movies failed to ignite the box office.

Moore had been approached to play the character of James Bond but scheduling conflicts with his television roles meant that he was never available. When Connery had stepped down from the role for good, Moore was asked again and made his first Bond film in 1973, the well-received Live and Let Die. He went onto star in another six films as 007 over a period of 12 years, making him the longest running actor in the role. When he finally retired from the role in 1985, he was 58.

“Being eternally known as Bond has no downside,” Moore told the Guardian. “People often call me ‘Mr Bond’ when we’re out and I don’t mind a bit. Why would I?”
Why I'd like to be … Roger Moore, particularly in his non-Bond roles
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After handing over the reins to Timothy Dalton, Moore took a break from the spotlight and didn’t make another film until 1990. From then on, his acting work became sparse, including small roles in Spice World and Boat Trip.

In 1999, Moore was awarded a CBE which then became a knighthood in 2003, given to him for his charity work. Moore’s decision to become a Unicef goodwill ambassador was actually based on his friendship with Audrey Hepburn, who had also worked with the same charity.

“The knighthood for my humanitarian work meant more than if it had been for my acting,” Moore said to the Guardian. “I’m sure some people would say, “What does an actor know about world issues?” But [working for Unicef] I’ve become an expert on things from the causes of dwarfism to the benefits of breastfeeding. I feel very privileged.”

Moore also wrote two books about his time as Bond as well as two autobiographies, the most recent of which was 2014’s Last Man Standing. When asked by Time in 2012 who his favourite Bond was, he changed his mind from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

“You can either grow old gracefully or begrudgingly,” he said to GQ in 2008. “I chose both.”

Moore is survived by his wife, Kristina Tholstrup, and three children.

Commentary: My favourite James Bond? Roger Moore. Nobody played the British spy better
It’s the seventies 007’s recognition of the character’s ridiculousness that makes Roger Moore the best James Bond of all time, says Christian Barker.
British actor Roger Moore, best known for playing 007 in the Bond films, died in May 2017. (Photo: AFP/Pierre VERDY)Share this content
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SINGAPORE: “I’m the worst Bond, according to the internet,” the late, great Sir Roger Moore once said. “Generally hated! I was too funny, too light. Didn’t take it seriously enough.”
It’s true that Moore’s sense of humour and playful approach to portraying agent 007 struck an off note with some viewers.
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But to me, they’re high among the attributes that make him the best James Bond ever.
MOVE OVER SEAN CONNERY
Surveys attempting to officially rank the greatest cinematic Bonds unfailingly place Sean Connery as the fans’ favourite, the Scottish actor who played Bond in six of the earliest films sometimes reaping more than half the votes.
The current Bond, Daniel Craig, is generally moviegoers’ second most popular choice, and Pierce Brosnan often takes third place on the podium.
Without question, Connery, Craig and Brosnan are very good. In my opinion, though, they’re each bested by Moore — not least because, while the others took Bond all too seriously, Moore recognised and revelled in the absurdity of the role.
“To me, the Bond situations are so ridiculous, so outrageous. I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy and yet, everybody knows he’s a spy,” Moore once pointed out.
“Every bartender in the world offers him martinis that are shaken, not stirred. What kind of serious spy is recognised everywhere he goes? It’s outrageous. So you have to treat the humour outrageously as well.”
Daniel Craig poses for photographers as he attends the world premiere of the new James Bond 007 film "Spectre" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, October 26, 2015. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/Files
HE’S SO ‘UN-ACTORISH’
Despite having been classically trained in theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Moore self-deprecatingly described his acting style as “left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised”.
That cocked-brow expression was a signature, appearing countless times throughout Moore’s seven Bond movies, produced between 1973 and 1985. It serves as the perfect encapsulation of Moore’s wry take on 007.
His strength was acknowledging with a sly wink the silliness of the character — who, when it comes down to it, is basically a comic-book superhero, merely clad in a tuxedo rather than a cape and lycra tights.
Nevertheless, while conceding how literally unbelievable 007 is, Moore’s portrayal of Bond seemed entirely natural. Britt Ekland, his co-star in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun, said, “He’s so ‘un-actorish’. What you see on the screen is the Roger Moore you see if you have lunch with him. He doesn’t put on that character."
Indeed, Moore was every bit the rakish Bond-style bon vivant, a dapper dresser, fond of fine wines and cigars, and exceedingly popular with the ladies.
When Moore first played Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die, he was a seasoned 45-year-old playboy and already on the third of his four marriages — the perfect fit for the part of the dissolute spy.
Many who’ve read the literary source material say Moore’s look, personality and bearing are closer than any of the other actors’ to the James Bond described by the character’s creator, author Ian Fleming.
Former James Bond actor Roger Moore pictured at Hanoi airport on October 26, 2003 during a goodwill ambassador visit for the United Nations Children's Funds (UNICEF) (Photo: AFP/Hoang DINH NAM)
In fact, when rough-edged Edinburgh bodybuilder Connery was cast in the earliest Bond films, Fleming griped:

I thought we were getting Commander Bond, not an overgrown stuntman.

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There’s a brooding sense of menace to James Bond as channelled by Connery and Craig (the latter’s burly musculature fairly bursting the seams of his Tom Ford suits).
They’re highly believable as ruthless assassins on Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but the veneer of seductive sophistication seems just that — purely superficial, a mask.
Moore, meanwhile, takes to the clothes, the cars, the cocktails and the comely companions like a duck to water. Unlike some of the other Bond actors, he seems utterly at home in the Savile Row tailoring, luxury locales and sleek sports cars that are 007’s natural habitat.
The same could be said of Pierce Brosnan, an excellent Bond, credible both as a sophisticate and a killer. But the ludicrous material he was given to work with let him down terribly. Face-swapping villains and invisible cars? Honestly!
As Quentin Tarantino recently remarked, “I didn’t care for the movies that they put [Brosnan] in, which I always thought was a bit of a tragedy, because I thought he was a very legitimate Bond.”
Single-shot Bond George Lazenby? Too Australian, and if there’s one quality integral to James Bond, it’s Britishness.
As for Timothy Dalton … Bland, James Bland, double-oh-spare-us.
THE NEXT BOND
Coming to screens in April 2020, the next Bond movie, No Time To Die, will be Daniel Craig’s last. Rumours abound over who will assume the mantle. Henry Cavill has been suggested, but he’s already so closely associated with that other hero frequently called upon to save the world, Superman.
Tom Hardy is Venom and Bane — could he be Bond, too?
Cast member Tom Hardy attends the premiere for the movie "Venom" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 1, 2018. (Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
Idris Elba is the bookmakers’ favourite, however at 47, he’s a little long in the tooth and would make his debut at an even older age than Moore did.
My preferred pick is Richard Madden, star of The Bodyguard and Game of Thrones’ tragic hero Robb Stark. He’s 33, meaning he’d have the potential to play Bond for a four- or five-movie run.
He looks great in a tux, boasts a rich Scottish burr, has ample experience fighting and fornicating on film, and apparently even drinks vodka martinis in his free time — sharing one of Bond’s most famous predilections.
Icing on the cake: Madden’s in possession of a superb set of eyebrows and has frequently demonstrated his skill at cocking one of them independently, à la Moore. He’s the full package.
STILL, NO ONE DID IT BETTER THAN MOORE
I doubt Madden would outdo Sir Roger though. Even the man’s name was perfect for the Bond franchise — brimming as the series is with double-entendre monickers such as Plenty O’Toole, Pussy Galore, Mary Goodnight and Honey Ryder.
Roger Moore by name and by nature, was the series’ most prolific Casanova, enjoying 17 romantic assignations over the course of his seven films. Bond’s skills as a seducer are among the attributes his overwhelmingly male fanbase most envy and admire him for.
Roger Moore was known for his cheeky quips. (File photo: AFP/PASCAL GUYOT)
As The Guardian’s film critic wrote following the actor’s death in 2017:

The Connery Bond was feared and admired, and the same went for the Brosnan Bond or the Craig Bond. But the Roger Moore Bond was loved.

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Much loved, one might even say (with a cocked eyebrow).
The knowledge that Moore was something of a saint in real life — tirelessly campaigning for UNICEF causes and receiving his knighthood for services to charity — only deepens our respect for this brilliant Bond and outstanding human being.
Forgive the cliché, but to paraphrase Carly Simon’s theme song for 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me - nobody did it better.
Christian Barker is a journalist and editor with two decades' experience writing about men's style and luxury for publications including The Rake, Forbes Asia, Robb Report, GQ and Esquire.

Mahathir and QE2 fighting to be the last man/woman alive from their generation. Mahathir, Bhumibol, LKY all mati already.

I like moore better then any others that played bond.
Worst was George Lazenby

Moore was the bond of my era.
I read his autobiography and his wife actually told him ‘not to enjoy work too much’....alluding to his intimate scenes.

God bless the movies goers of much heap and bs to glorify evil BE at the time BE controlled media video technology ...

This type of movies which taught angmoh from young one angmoh lang can change the world, or be different, other races and countries, espically poor countries, are liablities and shd change regime.... what such a bs..... hollywood their arse....

Here I thought we finally gonna get a female 007.

Sean too. At 89 and still alive. Truely 007!

the last few James Bond Daniel Craig movies good or not ?

I like Roger Moore as 007 best! RIP!