HOME | DD

Bat22 — Three Faces of Roger Moore

Published: 2023-11-10 16:32:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 12989; Favourites: 30; Downloads: 3
Redirect to original
Description And now we come to the actor who inspired these "Three Faces" nods.

My introduction to Roger Moore was my discovery that there existed two James Bonds (before I learned of Lazenby). But I also recall somewhere in my childhood seeing Sir Roger team up with Tony Curtis, and the name "Simon Templar" mentioned. TV programming in Lagos was a hodgepodge of British, American, Nigerian, and a few other international shows.

So Bond was my Roger Moore template, and his 4+ films had their highs comparable to the highs of Connery, Brosnan, and Craig; however, even the lower-ranked Moore films have a good share of enjoyment to them, such that I'd argue he had the best Bond series overall. At least an impressive run for someone who was actually a little older than his predecessor when he took the reins at 45 with Live and Let Die (1973).

With the normalizing of online videos, I got to clear up my childhood memories of Moore pre-Bond. In particular, his role of Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders! TV series (1971-72), playing a silver-spooned but good-hearted aristocrat who teamed with Curtis's self-made "new money" in Danny Wilde. While not playing a secret agent, the Sinclair and Bond roles had a good bit of overlap...

And so, too, did Moore's preceding role as Simon Templar in The Saint series (1962-69) that I've more recently been binging. Templar actually precedes James Bond's publishing by about 25 years, though the character was "cleaned up" for television. A number of actors and actresses appeared on the show who also appeared in the Bond films. Even the Aston Martin in Goldfinger first appeared on a Saint episode.

So between Templar and Sinclair... men of action who enjoy the finer things in life... with no shortage of charm or sophistication... who've globe-trotted while rubbing elbows with affluent and authority figures... and faced more than a few conspiracies, criminal groups, and masterminds...

With this rediscovery, without having been alive when Roger Moore was picked to be the next Bond, the casting now seems to me to be as slam dunk a case as Patrick Stewart for Professor X.
Related content
Comments: 20

TheDevilDaughters [2023-11-25 03:25:25 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to TheDevilDaughters [2023-11-28 18:14:00 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

TheDevilDaughters In reply to Bat22 [2023-12-03 21:59:13 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to TheDevilDaughters [2023-12-06 07:12:52 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

TheDevilDaughters [2023-11-25 03:21:28 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

Annakonder [2023-11-19 22:14:33 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to Annakonder [2023-11-20 21:22:23 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Annakonder In reply to Bat22 [2023-11-24 00:13:48 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to Annakonder [2023-11-24 17:03:59 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

Narutaki2000 [2023-11-11 19:03:30 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to Narutaki2000 [2023-11-14 07:22:02 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Narutaki2000 In reply to Bat22 [2023-11-17 05:25:46 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to Narutaki2000 [2023-11-17 16:43:52 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

death-tribble [2023-11-11 10:33:03 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to death-tribble [2023-11-14 07:18:25 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

ndgmtlcd [2023-11-11 10:07:54 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to ndgmtlcd [2023-11-14 07:09:11 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

VCultist1104 [2023-11-10 16:47:50 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

Bat22 In reply to VCultist1104 [2023-11-14 07:08:34 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 1

VCultist1104 In reply to Bat22 [2023-11-14 09:36:20 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0