PrintHappy heavenly birthday, Sir Roger Moore
Sir Roger Moore was among the old-fashioned movie superstars from an era in Hollywood that has vanished.
He was flawlessly handsome, he stood over six feet, two inches tall, and rich baritone voice (with an uppercut English accent). Consequently, Sir Roger would be typecast as the gentleman ‘hero’.
Always impeccably dressed, always charming, always getting the loveliest of girls, always eliminating the most sinister villains of all shapes and sizes, usually unflappable while mouthing the wittiest of one-liners.
Roger Moore in 1973 (Photo credit: Allan Warren CC BY-SA 3.0 license
He is most known for playing Simon Templar in the famous TV series The Saint and for playing James Bond in seven hugely enjoyable films.
But Sir Roger did play many roles beyond Bond and Templar.
On what would have been his 95th Birthday, here’s an attempt to revisit some of his rare and overlooked works.
Sir Roger played a London businessman who discovers that a doppelganger has tried to take over his identity. This film is dark and terrifying. Moore delivers a sterling performance in both roles as the man that was devoid of any heroism. Watch him play the everyman whose life unravels.
Sir Roger plays the leader of a special commando unit who is deployed to stop a terrorist group from exploding two oil rigs in the North Sea.
Moore clearly excelled playing against type as Ffolkes, a woman-hating curmudgeon genuis who is also a recluse and has no tolerance for who he considers his inferior. Ffolkes is also a cat enthusiast, enjoys scotch whiskey, and loves to knit.
The complete film may be viewed for free on YouTube here.
What’s better than one Roger Moore? Two Roger Moores! It also helps to have another knight. Sir Michael Caine also plays dual roles.
This is a comedy of errors.
Moore and Caine play crooks who must impersonate two scientists working on an Anglo-American cold fusion project. Their mission is to investigate if the scientists plan to sell their inventions to hostile foreign powers.
The film is hilarious.
At one point in the film, Sir Roger masquerades as a visually impaired Austrian piano tuner to gain entry into one of the scientist’s homes. It proves how gifted Moore was at comedy
The complete film may be viewed for free on YouTube here.
A British banker hires a group of mercenaries, played by Moore, Richard Harris, and Richard Burton, to rescue the imprisoned president of a Central African state.
Moore famously requested to have fewer lines in his scenes with Burton and Harris. This was unheard of by a major star. When queried about this request, he replied in his typical trademark self-deprecating style, “You don’t seriously expect me to act against these gents?”
This film also featured one of Moore’s childhood heroes Stewart Granger.
It was good fun with great humor and some well-done action scenes.
This film was also set in the African continent.
An American ex-military man played by Lee Marvin and a wealthy English aristocrat played by Sir Roger Moore become unlikely partners in the East African ivory trade on the eve of World War I. The men spend most of their time eluding occupying German troops.
This was a good old-fashioned adventure film. It was beautifully photographed, well directed and acted.
Moore and Marvin got into a real fight during filming. Moore recalled that Marvin was drunk and - with a red mist in his eyes - threw punches for real. Moore responded by punching back and won the fight. Marvin recalled, "The guy is built like granite. Nobody will ever underestimate him again."
The Sea Wolves (1980)
A German spy is sending crucial information about Allied ships in the neutral harbor of Portuguese-ruled Goa, India, with catastrophic results. Unable to officially undertake a full military operation in neutral territory, English intelligence brings out a crew of elderly ex-soldiers to accomplish the mission
In addition to Sir Roger, the film starred greats such as Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Trevor Howard.
This is a ponderous but enjoyable war action film, with plenty of thrills and humor. The presence of the great stars elevate the picture considerably.
Off-screen, Sir Roger dedicated his life as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He was a fervent advocate and fundraiser for the welfare of children. He traveled extensively to poor countries as he promoted the importance of education, healthcare, sanitation, and clean water. Sir Roger received numerous recognitions for his work against child trafficking as a special representative to UNICEF.
UPDATE:
Finally, here is Sir Roger appearing alongside British politician Enoch Powell and British director and author Jonathan Miller.
Powell was famous for his "Rivers of Blood" speech in 1968, where he strongly criticized mass immigration, especially Commonwealth immigration to the United Kingdom. The speech caused a political storm, making Powell a divisive figure in his country. The usual suspects continue to called him Powell "racist" or "fascist" and that has been Powell’s reputation.
However British author Raheem Kassam, himself of Indian-Muslim origin wrote a book called 'Enoch Was Right: 'Rivers of Blood' 50 Years On' where he accuses the political establishment of either maliciously misrepresenting Powell, or too intellectually lacking to understand and convey the nuances of Powell's speech.
The Dick Cavett show was broadcast in 1971, just 3 years after Powell's speech.
In today's time, stars would not only refuse to appear alongside a figure like Powell but make a big deal about the refusal and brand Powell a bigot, etc. Even if they agreed with Powell they would be petrified to be seen with him.
But Moore was respectful and cordial with Powell. Back then they could disagree without being disagreeable.
