The third and greatest James Bond of all, Sir Roger Moore is dead!

His family announced via his Twitter account on Tuesday, “With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.” Moore died in Switzerland at the age of 89 after what his family described as “a short but brave battle with cancer“.

Moore was popularly known for playing British secret agent, James Bond in seven parts of the series between 1973 and 1985.

Since the late actor is familiar to most for his role as James Bond, here are five other things you should know about Roger Moore:

1. Moore played James Bond longer than any known actor in the role. In a feature article on his life, Guardian UK writes that Moore was not available for the role when he was first approached to play as its timing clashed with that of a television role he was playing at the time. The article said, “When Sean 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.” Moore who was 46 at the time had to loose weight and cut his hair for the role.
2. Moore became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in 1991 after he was introduced to the organisation by his friend, Audrey Hepburn who also worked with UNICEF. Moore visited UNICEF projects in Ghana, the Philippines and other countries of the world. He was given to causes that range from the prevention of animal cruelty to children’s rights. He told The Guardian in an old interview, “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.” He received the UNICEF UK Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
3. 007 served as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps and was enlisted in the final year of the Second World War. He was made a commander of the British Empire in 1999 and became a knighthood in 2003.
4. Washington Post’s Jason Horowitz wrote of Moore, “In his movies, there is none of the realistic grit or psychological tension bookended by Connery and Daniel Craig, or the trying-too-hard of Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton. Who else but Moore could accidentally inhale some treasure out of a belly dancer’s belly button, make a funny face and then get into a fist/karate-chop fight.“
5. Roger Moore, an only child, was born in Stockwell, South London in 1927. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1944 and got into a modelling career in the 50s.

Tolu

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