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Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond, has died aged 89, his family has announced.
Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond, has died aged 89, his family has announced.
He played the famous spy in seven Bond films including Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill.
Sir Roger's family confirmed the news on Twitter, saying he had died after "a short but brave battle with cancer".
The statement, from his children, read: "Thank you Pops for being you, and being so very special to so many people."
"With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated," they said in a Twitter post.
The actor took the character of James Bond in a more humorous direction than his predecessor Sean Connery.
Sir Roger is survived by his three children and wife Kristina Tholstrup
Sir Roger's Bond was calm and suave - a smooth operator who could seemingly get himself out of a tricky situation with ease.
The veteran star, who died in Switzerland, will have a private funeral in Monaco in accordance with his wishes, his children said.
"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," read the statement from Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.
"Our thoughts must now turn to supporting Kristina [Tholstrup, his wife] at this difficult time."
The statement added: "We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for UNICEF which he considered to be his greatest achievement.
Along with his famous Bond role, Moore was also known for TV series The Persuaders and The Saint.
Sir Roger was also well known for his humanitarian work - he was introduced to Unicef by the late Audrey Hepburn and was appointed as a goodwill ambassador in 1991.
TRIBUTES PAID
Russell Crowe led the tributes to the actor on Twitter, writing simply: "Roger Moore, loved him."
Michael Caine said: "I am truly sad and think I will be in tears if I talk about him.
"Roger was the perfect gentlemen, adored by all his friends."
Michael Ball said : "My dearest uncle Roger has passed on. What a sad, sad day this is.
"Loved the bones of him. Generous, funny, beautiful and kind."
Mia Farrow wrote : "Few are as kind & giving as was Roger Moore. Loving thoughts with his family & friends," while Boy George added : "RIP Sir Roger Moore. He was the king of cool."
Roger Moore in Live and Let Die
Duran Duran, who sang the Bond theme song for A View To A Kill, simply tweeted: RIP Roger.
In a statement, fellow Unicef ambassador and actor Ewan McGregor said: "Thank you, Roger, for having championed so tirelessly the rights of all children for the last 26 years.
"You've shown that we all have the power to make a change to the lives of the most vulnerable children."
Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, recalled how he and Sir Roger had become good friends in recent years.
"He even watched me ski past his chalet in Crans-Montana [Switzerland] while sipping a drink on his balcony," he said.
"He had a wonderful sense of humour and I will miss his jokes by email. We had lunch together only a few months ago and even after all these years he seemed surprised that his career had been as successful as it evidently was. We will miss him."
LIST OF MOORE'S BOND MOVIES
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)
A View to a Kill (1985)
BEST QUOTES FROM ROGER MOORE
Sir Roger Moore in the 1950s
Image copyright GETTY IMAGES
Beyond his acting career, Sir Roger Moore was an accomplished and witty raconteur. Here is a look at his best quotes, on Bond and beyond.
On fame
"Being eternally known as Bond has no downside. People often call me 'Mr Bond' when we're out and I don't mind a bit. Why would I?" [The Guardian, 2014]
On his acting technique
"You just have to look at the lines, say them, and don't bump into the furniture." [Cambridge Edition]
On talent
"I believe any talent I have, any gift I possess, is merely loaned to me by a greater being." [My Word Is My Bond, 2009]
On his upbringing
"My father believed in toughness, honesty, politeness and being on time. All very important lessons."
On his interpretation of Bond
"I came into it after it was very well-established and, obviously, I couldn't play it in the same way so I had to have a different approach. And I am a lighter sort of actor than Sean [Connery]." [BBC TV interview, 1985]
On working with Grace Jones
"Is it fun? Well, if you keep out of the way of her feet and her handbag, yes." [Starlog, 1985]
On why Bond is unrealistic
The Bond situations to me are so ridiculous, so outrageous. I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy and yet everybody knows he's a spy. Every bartender in the world offers him martinis which are shaken and not stirred. What kind of serious spy is recognized everywhere he goes? It's outrageous. [Starlog, 1985]
On playing pranks during filming
"I am absolutely evil with Desmond Llewelyn who plays Q because I secretly rewrite all of his dialogue before a scene and get the director to give him whole pages of this terrible technical junk which is impossible to learn. And he still falls for it? Yes, it gets him every time." [007 magazine, 1987]
On the theatre
"I think if you don't get nervous then it's going to be flat. It just makes you concentrate. The first thing before you walk on a stage, it's like doing a play: 'Oh my God, what's the first line?' The first line is to take a deep breath, step forward and allow the exhalation of the breath and out will come the words." [Yorkshire Post, 2013]
On Daniel Craig
"Daniel Craig is a far grittier Bond. I think that makes him a more real Bond. He's so good at being gritty. I mean he looks like a killer. Whereas, I look like a decrepit lover." [Plymouth Herald]
On his decision to quit the Bond series
"I became very conscious that I was getting long in the tooth to play the great lover... Not that I ever needed Viagra." [EW, 2008]
On retirement - or otherwise
"There's an old saying that actors don't retire until the phone stops ringing. It depends on what there is for an old gentlemen to do. I'm not about to run around and do acrobatics, so if I can find something witty to do, I'd love to do it." [BBC News, 2013]
On death
"My attitude about death is, going into the next room, and it's a room that the rest of us can't get into because we don't have the key. But when we do get the key, we'll go in there and we'll see one another again, in some shape or form, or whatever." [NPR, 2014]
ROGER MOORE IN PHOTOS
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