Roger Moore is the first one to admit that he was good looks - and not talent - that propelled him to the screen fame. In fact, 35 years after he first embarked on an acting career - at the suggestion of a director who was attracted by his appearance - Moore still doesn't take himself seriously as an actor. he is the only actor I know who will quote with approval not his good notices, but his bad ones.

It's quite an amazing outlook considering that Roger is now riding the crest of the phenomenal success of the newest James Bond adventure, Moonraker. Not only do fans flock to the film but even the critics had some good things to say. Why, even Roger, himself, got good notices - though he casually shrugs them away.

From salesman to screen star

Though today Roger George Moore is part of the film aristocracy, he hasn't exactly traveled a royal road to star. Son of a London policeman, Roger is one of that very small handful of movie extras to earn star billing. Although he studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic art, Roger didn't exactly make waves as a novice actor. After Army service for England, he sold glass novelties, modeled for magazine covers (a fewe opposite Audrey Hepburn), and slowly gained small acting parts. But it was not until his move to the United States that his luck changed: he won an MGM contract and a role in The Last Time I Saw Paris, with Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson.

An April Fool's Joke

Roger well remembers those early days as a contract player. He says with his characteristic brand of self-putdown: "I arrived in Hollywood for my first day's work and it was April 1 - april Fool's Day. I fooled them - I showed up. They were worried about what the censor would say about Elizabeth Taylor's cleavage more than they were worried about me. Van Johnson shot me, and since I had few lines it didn't matter. They expected me to look pretty - which I thought was Elizabeth's job, anyway."

In his eraly days as an actor, Roger was often told that he had the physical makings of a star in an era when Hollywood relied more on appeal than talent. "An eminent English critic saw me in a performance I gave at the Royal Academy", Roger says with a half-smile, "and afterwards I was introduced to him. He tapped my knee and said to me: 'You'll be very successful - but you'll never be an actor'. Well", Roger now says with a feeling of pleasure, " I have got my Equity card to show that I am an actor and I know my lines and can move around ! But I am not Laurence Olivier, and I don't need to play Shakespeare to show that I can't".

Second-hand roles

After making some very unmemorable pictures under his contract, Roger next found himself in television, as the central cog in the now familiar "replacement syndrome". He replaced James Garner after that star heatedly exited the Maverick TV series. (It was a role which Roger said was punishment for telling off Jack Warner). Later on, he replaced George Sanders as simon Templar, the smooth-talking do-gooder in The Saint, the serie that propelled him to worldwide fame.

Today, of course, Roger is the new James Bond, having replaced Sean Connery to mixed reviews and feelings. "I replace everybody", he jokes. "At this rate I'll be replacing Mickey Mouse in three years time". Roger also starred in The Persuaders TV series with Tony Curtis, but he wasn't replacing anybody in that. He is not particularly serious about any of the television parts he played, especially those from the early days. "In Ivanhoe", he explains, "I was a boy scout in armor. In The Alaskans, I was a biy scout in a parka".

The Bond Bonanza

When asked if he had any reservations about accepting the James Bond role that Sean Connery spurned, Roger answers: "Anyone who didn't want to play Bond is daft. It is a marvelous part, and you hardly need to exert yourself leraning the lines". It is also a part that pays quite well - close to a million - although Roger insists that "it is terrible taste to discuss on'es own money". Not only does the role take Roger and his family, also, to some of the world's most exotic places like Venice, Rio, Paris and Tokyo, but it has enabled the Moore family to live in luxury in a Mediterranean villa in the South of France complete with swimming pool, gardens, and a spectacular view of the blue sea.

These little luxuries help Roger forget the hazards of the Bond job. "Half the time they're trying to get me killed - especially at the beginning of the film when they can collect the insurance and replace me with another actor. Then as the film goes on they have spent so much money - $30 million on Moonraker - that they're stuck with me and they try to make me look good because they can't any longer replace me".

A feud with Sean ?

Once one knows Roger Moore, it is apparent that he is not the type to hold a grudge or wage all-out warfare. He is an easygoing, extremely charming man who is leading a very happy life. While it is often rumored that Connery and Moore stand each other, that's simply not the truth. "At one time it was suggested that Sean and I should appear in a non-Bond film together. I didn't mind - but he did. He turned it down because he thought it would be billed as the two Bonds".

Characteristically, Roger understands perfectly well as he explains the difference between the two actor's outlook: "Sean had to shed Bond. I'm not worried because I am typecast anyway - as me. I don't mind being associated with something successful like Bond. After all, you don't shoot your racehorse when it is winning the Kentucky Derby.

"But Sean is haunted by Bond's success. Maybe I lack his mabitious drive. I am not competitive like Sean. He has to win; I don't. Sean is dour; he takes it all so seriously. I work hard, but I can joke about it, too".

Article by David Lewin - Second part will be posted next month.

 

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