Bonded for life... 007 stars pay tribute to Moore
THREE JAMES Bonds were shaken and stirred in equal measure yesterday as they joined in tribute to Sir Roger Moore, the actor who held his licence to kill for longer than any of them.
Sir Roger, who died on Tuesday at 89, starred as the secret agent in seven 007 movies between 1973 and 1985.
His predecessor, Sir Sean Connery, who created the role on screen, said he would “miss” Sir Roger, with whom he enjoyed a long friendship “filled with jokes and laughter”.
The Scottish actor, 86, said in a statement: “I was very sad to hear of Roger’s passing, we had an unusually long relationship by Hollywood standards.”
The present James Bond, actor Daniel Craig, invoked one of Sir Roger’s outings in the role, writing: “Nobody Does It Better love Daniel.”
The Irish actor, Pierce Brosnan, who like Craig has starred as Bond four times, described Sir Roger as “magnificent”, as he shared a photograph of the pair together.
He wrote: “It is indeed with a heavy heart that I hear the news of your passing this morning.
“You were a magnificent James Bond and one that lead the way for me, the world will miss you and your unique sense of humour for years to come.”
Sir Michael Caine, who enjoyed a close friendship with Sir Roger, wrote: “I am devastated today at losing one of my oldest and closest friends, Roger Moore. My world will never be the same again.”
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the producers of the Bond franchise, said Sir Roger’s legacy would “live on through his films and the millions of lives he touched”.
The actress Britt Ekland, who played opposite Sir Roger as Bond’s assistant, Mary Goodnight, in The Man With the
Golden Gun, wrote: “Roger was the epitome of Bond – witty, sophisticated, elegant, funny.”
Jane Seymour, who starred with Sir Roger in Live And Let
Die, remembered him as being “funny, kind and thoughtful to everyone around him”.
Sir Roger died in Switzerland on Monday after a “short but brave battle with cancer”, his family said.
He was the epitome of Bond – witty, elegant, and funny Actress Britt Ekland, who played opposite Sir Roger as Bond’s assistant, Mary Goodnight