Roger Moore is best known as the third James Bond in the 007 franchise, but he was considered a handful of times before his debut in Live and Let Die. Moore played the British secret agent in seven films from 1973 to 1985, creating a very different Bond than was portrayed in Ian Fleming’s novels. The cold-blooded killer was reimagined as a debonair playboy and served more of the contemporary taste of the 1970s.
Prior to Bond, and with an extensive resume built by films produced through MGM and Warner Bros., Moore landed the role of Simon Templar in The Saint. The British mystery spy thriller was created by novelist Leslie Charteris and followed Templar as he helped those whom conventional agencies were powerless or unwilling to protect, often using methods that bent the rules of law. This role opened many doors for Moore, including the prospect of playing the famous James Bond. But his road to 007 was extensive, and although considered for quite a few Bond films, it would take nearly ten years for him to hit the screen as Bond. Here are the times Roger Moore almost played James Bond before Live and Let Die.
Dr. No
In Albert Broccoli’s autobiography When The Snow Melts, he claims that Moore was considered for Dr. No and that he was Ian Fleming’s favorite choice after Fleming saw Moore as Simon Templar in the The Saint. However, the series only aired the day before Dr. No's release, so this claim may be false, although it's possible Fleming saw it elsewhere beforehand. Another claim is that Moore was passed on for someone much older, but Moore was almost 3-years older older than the eventual choice in Sean Connery, so this notion doesn’t carry much clout either. For Moore's part, he used his autobiography to deny that he was up for James Bond in Dr. No, but that doesn't mean Broccoli wasn't interested, just that it didn't become official (at least to Moore).
The Man With The Golden Gun
Roger Moore next almost landed the role of Bond in The Man With The Golden Gun, which was going to be the next James Bond film after You Only Live Twice. However, filming on the movie was cancelled because of the the Samlaut Uprising in Cambodia, where it was going to shoot, a revolutionary movement to overthrow the Sangkum regime. As a result, George Lazenby landed the role of Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and The Man With The Golden Gun wouldn’t be produced for another five years, pushing Moore off the Bond list yet again.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever
Roger Moore was heavily involved with the The Saint which took up much of his time. After things went south with The Man With The Golden Gun, Moore was unable to replace Sean Connery as 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service due to overlap with The Saint. Connery was then enticed back to reprise his role as Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, although Moore had continued to be linked to the role throughout this time. When Connery stepped down again, Moore accepted Broccoli’s offer for the role and, despite having to make some changes to his own appearance, he eventually donned the famous tuxedo as 007 in the first of his seven Bond appearances in Live and Let Die.