Actor Roger Moore, famed for his portrayal of top spy James Bond, has died aged 89.
In a statement, Sir Roger’s family said he passed away on Tuesday May 23 in Switzerland after 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 statement said.
He was also known around the world for his role as Simon Templer in The Saint.
Sir Roger enjoyed a glittering acting career that spanned eight decades, signing for MGM in the mid-1950s.
Some 20 years later, he assumed the role of James Bond, a character he played for 12 years, succeeding Sean Connery and starring in The Man With The Golden Gun, Octopussy and A View To A Kill.
He was also a writer and charity ambassador.
He lived in Stanmore , residing in Gordon Avenue.
His family added: “We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for UNICEF which he considered to be his greatest achievement.
“Thank-you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people.”
He is survived by wife Kristina Tholstrup and his three children.
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now!
He wasn't just Bond!
The actor was also known for his roles in thriller series, The Saint, which first aired in 1962, before taking a role in the highly successful comedy series, The Persuaders in 1972.
He was invited to perform on the West End
Andrew Lloyd Webber invited the actor to star in his new musical, Aspect of Love, back in 1989.
Doubtfully, Sir Roger Moore accepted, after being persuaded by the composer.
Six weeks before the musical however, he pulled out as he thought his singing was not up to the demands of the role.
Longest-serving Bond
He was the longest-serving actor to play the famous fictional character of MI6 agent, 007, spending 12 years in the role of James Bond.
He wished he could have played Lawrence of Arabia
In 2016, when partaking in a question-and-answer session at the Southbank Centre, he admitted that one part he wished he had landed was Lawrence of Arabia.
He said:
I remember Bob Baker and I going to see Lawrence of Arabia and coming out both being very depressed and saying ‘We might as well give up the business’, because they had made the best movie that had ever been made.
The star was born in London
The actor was born in Lambeth in 1927 at Aldebert Terrace, the only son of a policeman.
He went to primary school in Stockwell and later secured a scholarship to Battersea Grammar School.
Sir Roger Moore
Sir Roger Moore was knighted at Buckingham Palace in 2003, in recognition of his charity work, most notably with Unicef.
He said it “meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting... I was proud because I received it on behalf of Unicef as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years”.
Sir Roger Moore served in the British Army
Before a successful career in acting, Sir Roger Moore served in the Royal Army Service Corps as a second lieutenant, following the end of the Second World War.
The name's Bond, James Bond
In total Sir Roger starred in seven James Bond films.
They were:
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
Sir Roger's tribute to an 'old friend'
Speaking after Sir Christopher Lee died in June 2015, a sad Sir Roger said: “It’s terribly (sad) when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948.”
'A great ambassador for UNICEF'
Entrepreneur and Dragon Duncan Bannatyne remembered the good work Sir Roger did away from the TV and cinema screen
Sir Roger nearly 50 years ago
Here is Sir Roger when he was probably just known as Roger, surrounded by bikini-clad women, during a visit to Earls Court.
Short battle with cancer
Sir Roger Moore has died after a short battle with cancer, his family has announced.