Page 68 - July18LivingSCCLmagazine

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--JAMES-BONDS--
"Shaken, Not Stirred"
By Lonnie Knabel
Part II
This two-part article examines the seven actors who starred in the role of James Bond. This month, the roles of four more actors are discussed: Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig
The first, reviewed last month, were Sean Connery, David Niven, and George Lazenby.
When the newly bearded George Lazenby turned down a starring role in the next James Bond movie, the producers turned to Roger Moore, who was a top choice to play James Bond but was unavailable for
Timothy Dalton was next out of
the gate. His take was more serious, depicting Bond as a dark, cold, killing machine devoid of humor and steering clear of promiscuity. This may have been more in line with Ian Fleming’s vision, but the public did not embrace his Bond, and Dalton’s only two
Roger Moore and Barbara Bach
outings as Bond were The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).
Pierce Brosnan seemed to perfectly fit the bill as Bond. He had been considered earlier but was unavailable because of his commitments
with Remington Steele, a role
The Persuaders. In both those roles, he played a suave, debonair international playboy,
the perfect setup to play Bond.
Moore’s interpretation was a
breezy, tongue-in-cheek, and
light-hearted Bond, which was
supported by the writers. His
seven films as Bond were Live
and Let Die (1973), The Man with
the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy
Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker
(1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981),
Octopussy (1983), and A View to a
Kill (1985). Finally, at the age of 57, it was time to hang up the holster.
James and Jaws
that certainly helped prepare him to play Bond. He had an athletic, slim frame and was amazingly good looking. He insisted Bond did not smoke, so he did not. He could
blast the bad guys with great athletic prowess and then zing off the one-liners with appropriate aplomb.
His tenure as Bond included GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough ( 1999), and Die Another Day ( 2002), for which he received a salary of $16.5 million.
Brosnan was still in negotiations to play his fifth and final Bond when... enter Daniel Craig. Let
Pierce Brosnan
the last film.
Moore was best known for his roles as Simon Templar in
The Saint and as Lord Brett Sinclair in
Timothy Dalton
68 LIVING @ SCCL, July 2018