Roger Moore, a career of playing action heros

[stuart.uk]

Roger Moore first came to Hollywood in the early to mid 1950s. his first and only Broadway play flopped, but the fact he was married at the time to the older international caberet star Dorothy Squires probably got him started at MGM

he did a series of movies most of which were at best moderatly successful. the best of them was Diana with Lana Turner. he also did the tv series The Alaskans, which was thought to be so bad it didn't even make British tv screens

like Richard Green before him, he returned after this moderatly successful spell, to the UK and made Ivanhoe for British tv (Green made The Adventures Of Robin Hood). his co-star in this action swashbuckler was Robert Brown, who went on to play M in Octupussy, The Living Daylights and Licensed To Kill, though his character of Admiral Hargreaves was introduced in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Roger returned to Hollywood and reluctantly played Beau Maverick in western series Maverick. though after the departure James Garner, the series was on its last legs. however, Roger himself gained in popularity in America.

He made a good film with Angie Dickinson and Peter Finch, The Sins Of Rachel Cade.

however, it was The Saint on UK tv that made him an international star, yet it almost didn't happen. though hugely successful in Britain none of the major American companies would touch it. then one night a miracle happened. a cable instead of showing a late night movie, showed an episode of The Saint and the rest was history, it grew and grew in popularity and a major network took it on. Roger Played Simon Templar for 7-yrs brilliantly, showing he had skills for fight scenes as well as acting. the series inspired two feature length Saints The Fiction Makers, a spoof story with Sylvia Syms and the much better Hitchcock type Vendetta For The Saint with Ian Hendry as a Mafia don and Finlay Currie as the supreme head of the Mafia in what was his last film role.

Roger after TS made arguebly his best film The Man That Haunted Himself, playing a conserative married buisnessman working in city of London, who is driven mad when he discovers he has a double impersonating him, doing crooked deals and having a mistress

The Persauders with Tony Curtis died in America (it was up against Mission Impossible on a rival channel), yet was a world wide hit every where else, particulary in Britain. the idea was to run the show 5-yrs, but because of its failure in the U.S it was cancelled during its first and only season.

in Roger's case a door shut, but another opened. if TP had been successful as Lew Grade hoped then Roger would have been unable to play James Bond. his first outing was in the decent Live And Let Die with Jane Seymore. following on from that he played 007 in The Man With The Golden Gun with Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Spy Who Loved Me (IMO his Best Bond) with Barbara Bach, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only (IMO his joint 2nd best), Octuppusy with Maud Adams (also IMO his J 2nd best) and finally View To A Kill with possibly the worst Bond girl Tanya Roberts. (the film also had Fiona Fullerton as a Russian spy, who beds Bond early in the film. she would have been a more effective leading lady)

one of the things a like about Moore's Bond, was despite his sexual conquests he was potrayed as a grieving widower. in TSWLM when banterting with Barbara Bach, he became sensitive when she mentioned his late wife tracy. then in FYEO in the opening sequence he's seen putting flowers on Tracy's grave

Roger made films inbetween Bond. Gold was a good one with Susannah York. however, my fav non-Bond role of that period was The Sea Wolves with Gregory Peck. i'm not 100% certain but i think Roger's British agent Gavin Stewart was a real life character. in it Roger showed he could really play toughies, by killing his leading lady, stabbing her in the back, after discovering she's a Nazi spy

[movieman1957]

I'm glad you mentioned "The Sea Wolves." I thought it enjoyable enough. Interesting idea having the older men take a crack at something in the war. I always found his self depricating humor quite charming.

Among his Bond films I like "For Your Eyes Only" and "The SPy WHo Loved Me" to be his best.

One funny thing about Tanya Roberts. She played a wife of a sitcom here called "That 70's Show" and in one episode she was going to renew her vows. Her neighbor was upset she wasn't asked to be a brides maid. When they showed the brides maids the three turned out to have been women from other Bond movies. Barbara Carrera, Maud Adams and Kirstina Wayborn (from "Octopussy.) It is was only a quick shot but enough for anyone who would know. Great inside joke.

[MikeBSG]

I too liked "The Sea Wolves" when I saw it. Perhaps my expectations were low going in, but it turned out to be a very decent action film.

I've heard a lot of good things about "The Man Who Haunted Himself." Apparently it was based on a novel that expanded on the story that was the basis for the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode "The Case of Mr. Pelham."