By: Omair Alavi His name was Moore, Sir Roger Moore and before he became the third actor to play James Bond, he had become a household name through TV. The British actor who passed away on 23rd May at the age of 89 might be remembered for his heroics as ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’,…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: May 23, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By: Omair Alavi
His name was Moore, Sir Roger Moore and before he became the third actor to play James Bond, he had become a household name through TV. The British actor who passed away on 23rd May at the age of 89 might be remembered for his heroics as ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, ‘Moonraker’ and ‘Octopussy’ but there was another side of Roger Moore that people didn’t know. Let’s check out his non-Bond roles and relive the memories of this wonderful actor who still lives in our hearts.
Ivanhoe (1958-59)
If you had a problem in the 60s, then the only person with a solution was Simon Templar, played by Roger Moore in The Saint. The series was considered ahead of its times as here, the Robin Hood minded Templar kept the loot after relieving the rich. From 1961 to 1969, he played everyone’s favourite character on TV and even made a successful transition from Black & White to Colour. He left the series only after there were talks of doing something else, with a Hollywood actor as partner – The Persuaders.
The Persuaders (1971-72)
Roger Moore played Lord (Brett) Sinclair in this wonderful international action series also starring Hollywood giant Tony Curtis as the American millionaire Danny Wilde. They both were tricked into playing detectives by a crippled judge who had threatened to imprison them had they not complied. Together, they helped all those who needed to be helped and although the series lasted just one season, its regarded as a cult classic due to the amazing chemistry between the two leads, the brilliant plotlines and above all, the future James Bond!
The Sea Wolves (1981)
On one hand he was the famous James Bond, while on the other, Roger Moore played roles that required him to shrug off the ‘Spy’ tag. He teamed up with veteran actors Gregory Peck, Patrick Macnee and David Niven in this World War 2 story that takes place in British India, but in the neutral region of Goa. The Bond actor is the only young man in the team of soldiers who are happy living a retired life and are called back to duty one last time. One of the best non-Bond flicks of Roger Moore’s career also was the last film to have The Guns of Navarone actors Gregory Peck and David Niven in leading roles.
The Quest (1996)
And then there was Sir Roger Moore’s last starring role that came a decade later after he hung his boots as James Bond at the age of 59. In Jean Claude Van Damme’s The Quest, he played second-fiddle to the leading man just as Gregory Peck had done 15 years back and excelled with his mannerisms and performance. Roger Moore’s character had shades of grey in this movie although he had become famous playing the good guy most of the time. The Quest was directed by Jean Claude Van Damme who had the most number of action sequences in the film; his selection of Moore for the role of Lord Edgar Dobbs can be termed as a masterstroke.
