Roger Moore has died aged 89

Sir Roger Moore, best known as the third actor to play James Bond, has sadly died aged 89.

His official Twitter account confirmed the news revealing he’d passed away following a “short but brave battle with cancer”.

“The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone,” the message, signed by his three children, adds.

A private funeral will be held for the star in Monaco.

Beyond being the longest-serving James Bond with seven 007 films under his belt Sir Roger will also be fondly remembered for his TV work in ‘The Saint’ and alongside Tony Curtis in ‘The Persuaders!’.

Born in 1927 as an only child to Lily and George Moore, Roger grew up in Stockwell, London. After school he attended the university of Durham but didn’t graduate. He was conscripted for national service in 1946 rising to the rank of Captain.

After studying at RADA alongside Lois Maxwell, the future Miss Moneypenny, Moore left to find paid work as an actor and model, before being signed by MGM in 1954. He next signed a studio deal with Warner Bros. but it would be in TV’s ‘Ivanhoe’ where he made his name playing the eponymous hero.

Later his work as suave supercriminal Simon Templar in six series of ‘The Saint’ brought him to the attention of the producers of the James Bond franchise and he went on to play 007 a record seven times.

After Bond, Moore continued acting but in his later years he dedicated his life to charity work as a UNICEF ambassador.

Moore’s last tweet on 9 May demonstrated the great man’s good humour even in the face of his illness, with the actor asking who could play him in HBO’s forthcoming Hervé Villechaize (Nick Nack) documentary.

Sir Roger Moore – 1927-2017 RIP

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