Pierce Brosnan Pays Tribute To Late James Bond Star Roger Moore

Veteran Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan penned a heartwarming article for Variety on Tuesday, following the death of Roger Moore last week. He opened up about the 89-year-old actor’s impact on his own life and career, calling the star as his “first real her.”

“Only on reflection do I see how much of an influence Roger Moore had on me as a young Irish immigrant lad from the banks of the River Boyne,” Brosnan wrote. “I guess the combination of Bond and The Saint ignited a flame for fame in my heart of innocent wonder. I wanted to be up there. Roger as the Saint made me believe in his world. And before I knew it, the man who was the Saint transformed into James Bond, an even greater hero to me as a boy.”

Moore starred in the renowned UK TV series The Saint from 1962 to 1969 as anti-hero Simon Templar. The actor would go on to star as 007 in the 1973 film, Live and Let Die, replacing George Lazenby’s role.

Brosnan has a similar career path. The Irish actor starred in the popular TV series Remington Steele from 1982 to 1987 before taking over the role of Bond from actor Timothy Dalton in 1995’s critically acclaimed GoldenEye.

“Having by now fully immersed myself in the magic of movies, and with my appetite for more informed and character-driven work in films, I guess I slowly dreamt of being an actor as I watched their work, which never really seemed like work to me,” Brosnan added. “Of course, I was only 12 years old. Only now after 40 years as an actor do I know the hard road it takes to be one. It’s only now, after all these years, that I know he was a hero.”

Brosnan also commended Moore’s tenure as the iconic spy, writing, “He reigned over seven movies as James Bond with exceptional skill and comic timing laced with a stiletto vengeance. He knew his comedy, he knew who he was and he played onstage and off with an easy grace and charm.”

The 64-year-old star said Moore is the only actor he’s ever asked for an autograph, back when he was 12 years old.

“My mom and dad had taken me to Battersea Park. I lined up by the Ferris wheel and waited my turn to get his autograph. I wanted to be somebody like him. Maybe that’s why I waited,” he recalled. “Little did I know my time would come to someday enter onto the stage as 007.”

Brosnan’s and his late wife, Cassandra Harris, were struggling as working actors in 1980, trying to make money to raise their kids and have a shelter for the family, which is when “Roger and his Bond came to save the day,” he recounted.

Harris was cast as Bond girl Lisl von Schlaf for the film For Your Eyes Only, which forever changed the course of Brosnan’s life.

“By the time I came to stand on the stage as Bond, the performances of Sean Connery and Roger Moore were difficult to shake from my DNA. Roger came down to set one day on GoldenEye and wished me well. I was still in awe of the man,” Brosnan explained. “Last time I saw him was at the Albert Hall for a tribute to [producer] Cubby Broccoli. What more can one ask for? I am so proud to have known the kindness and humanity of Sir Roger Moore.”

Moore died at the age of 89 in Switzerland on May 23, after a brief battle with cancer. He starred in seven Bond films, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View to a Kill.