Roger Moore

Having found great success on British television as the star of "The Saint" (ITV, 1962-69), Roger Moore was a natural and worthy successor to Sean Connery in the role of super-agent James Bond. Taking on the iconic character with a license to kill for "Live and Let Die" (1973), Moore spent 12 years as the suave, womanizing 007, though for part of that time he heard criticism for his campy, tongue-in-cheek characterization. Moore settled into the role nicely with "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977), and followed it with the science-fiction-influenced "Moonraker" (1979) and the return to basics "For Your Eyes Only" (1981). Meanwhile, Moore continued making films outside the Bond universe with "Shout at the Devil" (1976), "Sherlock Holmes in New York" (1977) and knockabout comedy "The Cannonball Run" (1981), but nothing elevated him to international acclaim like Ian Fleming's spy. Amidst calls that he was becoming too old for the role, Moore made his last Bond movies, "Octopussy" (1983) and "A View to a Kill" (1985), before settling into an increasingly sporadic schedule as a character actor in films ranging from romantic comedy "Bed and Breakfast" (1992) to Bill Condon's thriller "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" (1995) before retiring after his co-starring role in young adult holiday romance "A Princess for Christmas" (2011). Though sometime dismissed by critics when compared to Connery, Moore made the character his own and earned international fame for one of cinema's most sought-after roles. Roger Moore died on May 23, 2017 following a brief battle with cancer. He was 89 years old.