British actor, most noted for his role as James Bond, agent 007 in the film series and for his leading role as Simon Templar in the TV series “The Saint.”
Appearances in other films include “Act of Violence” (1949), “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (1954), “The Miracle” (1959), “The Sins of Rachel Cade” (1961), “Gold” (1974), “Crossplot” (1969) and “Sherlock Holmes in New York” (1976).
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival’s Grand Gala on 12 April 1997 and Commander of the British Empire Award in March, 1999.
The son of a London policeman, Moore entered art school at 15 with the intention of becoming a painter. After serving as an apprentice at an animation studio, his first experience with acting was as an extra in crowd scenes in the mid ’40s.
Following his training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Drama, he appeared in bit roles in London’s West End. At the closing days of WW II, he was inducted into the British army where he served in the rank of Second Lieutenant with a Combined Services Entertainment Unit in Germany.
Returning to civilian life he worked sporadically in theatre, radio and television while moonlighting as a model and salesman to supplement his income.
After moving to the U.S. in 1953, Moore signed a contract with MGM and played supporting roles in several films. His big break came in a TV series in 1957-1958, “Ivanhoe” followed by “The Alaskans” (1959-1960) and “Maverick” (1960-1961).
It was his role of Simon Templar in the TV series “The Saint” (1962-1969) that catapulted him to stardom. His studio contract prevented him from accepting the earlier Bond roles, but the role of James Bond was offered to him seven times thereafter in films including “Live and Let Die” (1973), “The Man With The Golden Gun” (1974), “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), “For Your Eyes Only” (1981) and “A View To Kill” (1985). The following year the role of James Bond went to actor Timothy Dalton.
Moore acted sporadically from 1987 and in 1993 he replaced Audrey Hepburn as Special Representative for the Film Arts for UNICEF.
He left his first wife, Luisa, for Danish socialite Christina Tholstrup after 20 years of marriage, giving up three kids, (Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian), $13 million dollars and a two million dollar mansion as a settlement. He and his third wife made their home in Gstaad, Switzerland, as well as London, Beverly Hills and South France.
The British actor was knighted on 14 June 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II in London. On 7 May 2003, Moore collapsed during a Broadway performance and was fitted with a pacemaker the following day.
Moore died from cancer on 23 May 2017 in Switzerland at the age of 89.
Link to Wikipedia biography