Roger Moore, English actor (b. 1927)
Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 1927 – 23 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985. Moore's seven appearances as Bond, from Live and Let Die to A View to a Kill, are the most of any actor in the Eon-produced entries.On television, Moore played the lead role of Simon Templar, the title character in the British mystery thriller series The Saint (1962–1969). He also had roles in American series in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Beau Maverick on the Western Maverick, where he replaced James Garner as one of the leads for the 1960-61 season. He was also co-lead of the British action-comedy The Persuaders! (1971–1972) opposite Tony Curtis, in which he played a suave, trouble-solving gentleman similar to his James Bond and Simon Templar characters.
After his role as the Saint and in-between his Bond movies, he had major roles in numerous other projects, a mix of action, thriller and comedy films, although most were not substantial box offices successes. The most notable of these films were the World War II adventures Escape to Athena (1979) and The Sea Wolves (1980), both also featuring David Niven, with the latter starring Gregory Peck, and the contemporary counter-terrorism action film North Sea Hijack (1979), plus the successful ensemble comedy The Cannonball Run (1981), supporting top-billed Burt Reynolds. After a five-year absence from the screen after his retirement from the Bond franchise, he returned to acting appearing in over 20 films and a few television roles. Moore's final appearance was in a pilot for a new Saint series that became a 2017 television film.
Moore was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for services to charity. In 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry. In 2008, the government of France made him a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.