I travelled world as James Bond’s right hand man
GARETH Owen never imagined he would end up travelling the world as Roger Moore’s right hand man when he grew up watching the actor play James Bond.
The 45-year-old from Wrexham got so close to the actor that during Sir Roger’s last days at his Swiss chalet before his death last May, Mr Owen was asked to spend time with him and his wife.
It was a friendship that began in the late 1990s when Gareth, who was producing short films at Pinewood Studios, approached Sir Roger to seek his blessing for a planned biography.
And he wasn’t the only James Bond with whom Mr Owen crossed paths with at the time.
He told the Daily Post : “Pinewood Studios was an extraordinary place to be in the 90s.
“The canteen would be full of stars like Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Sir John Mills and Michael Caine.
“One of the most charismatic was Sean Connery, who was doing the film First Knight.
“I saw him pass my office so I followed him down the corridor, and he turned around and said hello and we had a chat.
“He’s six foot two and definitely has an aura about him.
“The stars were all very approachable and, when I approached Sir Roger Moore about the book, he said he wasn’t going to assist me in any way but wouldn’t stand in my way.”
The Saint star must have liked Mr Owen’s book as following the retirement of his long-term secretary, he approached him and asked whether he wanted the job.
“Roger asked me to think about it, but I accepted in a heartbeat,” said Mr Owen, who studied applied physics at Bangor University .
“He was wonderful to work with and, although always very professional, had a proper schoolboy humour. He was always fun to be around.
“He never took himself too seriously, and said when he played Bond he liked to keep it relaxed on set, because he believed you’d get the best out of the crew if they were happy.”
Mr Owen, who now lives in Llanfairfechan in Conwy, said Sir Roger’s favourite Bond movie was The Spy Who Loved Me, which was his third film as 007 and was released in 1977.
“It had all the ingredients of a classic Bond film, including exotic locations, fast cars, chases and a good storyline,” he said.
Mr Owen said Sir Roger’s favourite co-star was Maud Adams, who appeared in The Man with the Gold-