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Sir Roger Moore James Bond 007

 Sir Roger Moore James Bond 007

There are many apocryphal stories as to when Moore's name was first dropped as a possible candidate for the role of James Bond. Some sources, specifically Albert R. Broccoli from his autobiography When The Snow Melts, claim that Moore was considered for Dr. No, and that he was Ian Fleming's favorite for the role after apparently having seen Moore as Simon Templar in The Saint; however, the series did not begin broadcasting in the United Kingdom until 4 October 1962  – one day before the premiere of Dr. No, although it's possible that the show began filming before or around the film.

Other sources, such as the commentary for the special edition DVDs,^{[citation needed]} claim that Moore was passed over for Bond in favour of someone who was older. As Moore is older than Sean Connery, this is probably not true. Publicly, Moore was not linked to the role of 007 until 1967, when Harry Saltzman claimed he would make a good Bond, but also displayed misgivings owing to his popularity as Simon Templar. Nevertheless, Moore was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973). There was considerable surprise when Moore was unveiled as the new Bond in late 1972, since at 45 he was already five years older than Connery had been during the filming of Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

Roger Moore's twelve years as James Bond earned him enough popularity (and credibility) among fans of detective fiction to earn many Bond fans' acceptance, despite the inevitable comparisons to Connery. Moore played Bond in Live and Let Die (1973); 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).

To date, Moore is the longest-serving James Bond actor, having spent twelve years in the role (from his debut in 1973, to his retirement from the role in 1985), and made seven official films. (Connery also made seven, but his last Bond film, Never Say Never Again (1983), was not part of the "official" EON Productions series). He is also the oldest actor to play Bond: he was 45 when he started, and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985. It was agreed by all involved that Moore was too old for the role by that point; he had actually tried to leave the role after For Your Eyes Only.

Moore's James Bond was light-hearted, more so than any other official actor to portray the character. Connery's style, even in its lighter moments, was that of a focused, determined agent. Moore often portrayed 007 as somewhat of a playboy, with tongue firmly in cheek, but also as a very capable and seasoned detective. The humour served Moore and his fans well through most of his Bond tenure.

Moore can boast a dramatic education at RADA, the prestigious London drama college^{[citation needed]}. However, Moore only attended for six months in 1945. In 2004, Moore was voted 'Best Bond' in an Academy Awards poll and won with a large 62% of votes whilst in late 2008, he also topped another poll on moviefans.com beating new Bond star Daniel Craig with 56% of votes^{[citation needed]}.

During Moore's Bond period he starred in 13 other films, including the thriller Gold (1974) and even made a cameo as Chief Inspector Clouseau, posing as a famous movie star, in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) (for which he was credited as "Turk Thrust II"). However, most of these films

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