Roger Moore, the actor famous for portraying James Bond in seven "007" films between 1973 and 1985, has died after a battle with cancer, according to his family. He was 89.
"We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, 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," his children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian, said in a statement posted to Moore's official Twitter account on Tuesday.
The family will hold a private funeral in Monaco, per his wishes, the statement said.
Moore is best known as the man who replaced Sean Connery in the James Bond franchise, but his career was much more than playing the debonair spy.
Born in London and the son of a police officer and a housewife, Moore dropped out of high school and went to work as an animation apprentice with a British film company.
His good looks helped get him in front of the camera, however, and he landed a small, uncredited role in the 1945 film "Vacation from Marriage."
That led to a series of uncredited parts before Moore headed to the states in 1953 for a role in Hallmark Hall of Fame's TV production of "Julius Caesar."
He would go on to star as Simon Templar in the popular British television series "The Saint" from 1962 to 1969.
But major success came later in life when at the age of 46 he took on the role of James Bond.
The dapper actor had the longest run as 007. In a 2014, he interview told NPR he thought his version of the spy who never met a foe he couldn't conquer or a woman he couldn't seduce, was the most humorous.
"I look like a comedic lover, and Sean [Connery] in particular, and Daniel Craig now, they are killers," Moore said. "They look like killers. I wouldn't like to meet Daniel Craig on a dark night if I'd said anything bad about him."
