Rant #1,910: Secret Agent Man

Shaken but not stirred ...

Sir Roger Moore, who played James Bond in some of the most popular films of the all-time movie franchise, has passed on.

He was 89 years old.

He was the "Moore" comedic Bond than any other, and the Bond films that he starred in grossed millions, if not billions, of dollars.

In past interviews, Moore said that there was no way he could play Bond straight, because he wasn't a real secret agent. He said something to the effect of, "If everyone in the world knows his name, how can he be a secret agent?," and thus, he took a comedic turn with the character.

It made sense, because there was no way he was going to even come near Sean Connery's James Bond portrayal, so he had to handle the role a bit differently.

And Moore was a bit different, or at least his career was, leading up to the Bond role.

Unlike Connery--who starred in a few films prior to his Bond role, but was not that well known an actor--Moore was very well known, in particular in the U.S.

Moore was first on the popular TV series "Maverick" as the long-lost British relative of the title character.

Later, he was the star of the very popular "The Saint" TV show, which ran for several years.

He seemed to be perfect for American TV, the affable, stereotypical British roke, good looking, smart, and conniving, all at the same time.

So when he got the Bond role, it was not like anyone could say "Who?" like they first did with Connery and later with George Lazenby.

He kind of set the bar for someone like Pierce Brosnan to assume the role years later.

He portrayed Bond in seven films over 12 years, beginning with "Live and Let Die' in 1973 and ending with "A View to Kill" in 1985.

He was also the oldest Bond, being 45 years of age in "Live and Let Die."

And with his passing, he becomes the first big screen Bond to leave us, as Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Brosnan and the current Bond, Daniel Craig, are all still alive.

(As an aside, Davie Niven played Bond in the original, comedic "Casino Royale," but as not an official portrayal of the character, this screen legend doesn't count in the previous Bond roll call.)

Moore did not hide from public view after his Bond years, appearing in some movies and TV shows, but he kind of faded off the map during the past few years, which, after the high-profile Bond years, was probably what he wanted to do, anyway.

Although no Connery, I personally thought Moore was probably the best Bond after him. He gave a different look to the character, but he handled the role with a lot of aplomb, making it his own for the dozen years he was in the role.

I mean, like I said, he couldn't be Connery, so why try to be?

Moore will be missed. R.I.P.