Vassallo: "007 Remembered for Seven Wonderful Bond Classics"

Roger Moore left us at the age of 90 back in May after having experienced a most interesting and highly successful acting career. Moore starred in some of the greatest films portraying James Bond (007) who was the creation of author Ian Fleming.
Moore’s favorite film of the seven 007’s he participated was “The Spy Who Loved Me” (female costar Barbara Bach). My favorite was “Live and Let Die” that featured the stunning Solitaire played by actress Jane Seymour.  Seymour was 21 in 1973 when the movie premiered. At the box office, the film grossed $162M which today equates to $919M according to LIFE magazine.
Other Moore (Bond) films included “The Man With The Golden Gun”; “Moonraker”;  “For Your Eyes Only”; “Octopussy”; and his finale “A View To A Kill.” Grace Jones also starred in Moore’s Bond farewell as May Day, girlfriend of the villain, Max Zorin played by
Christopher Walken. Jones, a Jamaican native, was a model starting out her career.
Francisco Scaramanga was Bond’s nemesis in Golden Gun which featured two Swedish actresses, model Maud Adams and Britt Ekland. In Moore’s 007 followups, Adams returned as the title character in “Octopussy” (1983).
Roger Moore was extremely talented and played a number of diverse roles in his career including Maverick’s English, cousin in the famous TV western series starring James Garner as Brett Maverick.
As for the actor who portrayed 007 the most often, the tally stands as follows: Roger Moore  7 films; Sean Connery 6; Pierce Brosnan 4; Daniel Craig 4; Timothy Dalton 2 and George Lazenby 1 (1969 vintage). For those of us who have forgotten Lazenby, he starred in “On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service” with Diana Rigg. The title song “We Have All The Time in the World” was performed by the legendary Louis Armstrong.
Roger Moore will always be James Bond to me. His wit, his many facial expressions, and his distinctive voice truly define the 007 character. I haven’t yet read his memoir “My Word Is My Bond,” but have it on my to-do list.  Thank you Roger, for many enjoyable hours, watching you on the big screen and wondering what a life of James Bond was truly like, on and off the set. Apparently, it agreed with Roger Moore!

---

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.