In the world of James Bond, Sir Roger Moore holds the record for romancing the most Bond girls – a whopping 19 in his seven movies as the iconic secret agent.
However, the bedroom scenes that Moore shared with these leading ladies were far from sizzling.
According to the 88-year-old actor, the love scenes were usually shot in freezing studios.
As a result, he often asked the actresses to keep their socks on, not exactly the epitome of romance.
Adding to the lack of intimacy was the presence of the film crew and electricians above them, making suggestive comments during the shoots.
Moore's portrayal of Agent 007 was quite different from Daniel Craig's gritty interpretation in “Spectre,” which is set to premiere in London.
Unlike Craig's intense and brooding Bond, Moore's character seemed less focused on spying and more inclined towards other pursuits.
During his first mission in “Live and Let Die” (1973), Moore used a magnetic gadget watch to unzip the dress of his first Bond girl, Miss Caruso, played by Madeline Smith.
This cheesy special effect was achieved by a stagehand pulling on a wire attached to the fastener from inside the actress's clothes.
However, Moore revealed that they had to reshoot the scene because it didn't look right to him.
In the next film, “The Man With the Golden Gun” (1974), Moore shared the screen with Britt Ekland.
However, French actor Hervé Villechaize, who played the role of henchman Nick Nack, tried to steal the spotlight off set.
According to Moore, Villechaize was a “s** maniac” who frequented girly clubs in Bangkok and Hong Kong.
He would line up the girls and use a flashlight to make his selection, pointing out the ones he liked and rejecting others.
Villechaize claimed to have slept with 45 girls during his two-month stay in Thailand, but Moore dismissed it, saying that it didn't count because he paid for them.
Despite Villechaize's antics, the cast never took him seriously as a lothario.
In fact, when Villechaize made inappropriate comments to co-star Maud Adams, she simply threatened him, saying that she would be very cross if he ever followed through on his threats.
Villechaize died at the age of 50, and his death was believed to be a suicide.
Another legendary Bond villain who has since passed away is Richard Kiel, who played steel-toothed Jaws.
Moore referred to Kiel as a lovely man and recounted an amusing anecdote about him.
Kiel hated being asked how big he was when he was little and also despised his metal teeth, which he couldn't wait to remove after filming.
In “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), Moore narrowly escaped injury during a scene where a stunt went wrong.
His character was supposed to jump out of a chair just before charges in the seat exploded, but they went off too soon, blowing Moore out of the chair and leaving him with three holes in his backside.
By the time Moore starred in “Moonraker” (1979), the one-liners were coming fast and furious.
During a space shuttle scene with Dr Holly Goodhead, played by Lois Chiles, mission control could be heard sniggering, “I think he's attempting re-entry, sir,” referring to Bond's s**ual escapades.
Moore's last Bond film, “A View to a Kill” (1985), introduced him to Grace Jones, with whom he did not get along.
Although he refrained from sharing any specific details, Moore admitted that Jones was the only actor he worked with who was not pleasant in real life.
When Moore handed over the role of Bond to Timothy Dalton, it marked the end of his cheeky era as the iconic spy.
His record of 19 love scenes with 15 conquests remains unmatched by any other Bond actor.
Sean Connery comes in second place with 15 love scenes, and Pierce Brosnan is third with nine.
Before his Bond days, Moore was known as a heartthrob for his role as Simon Templar in “The Saint” on TV from 1962 to 1969, followed by “The Persuaders”.
However, his rise to fame was not an easy one.
Born in London during the war to a policeman father, showbiz seemed like an impossible dream for Moore.
He attended RADA drama school at 17 but left after six months to pursue acting on his own.
However, he was conscripted into National Service at 18 and served in the military before returning to acting.
Despite his success as Bond, Moore has faced his fair share of health problems, including prostate and heart surgery, as well as Type 2 diabetes.
Nevertheless, he continues to be a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and received a knighthood in 2003 for his charitable work.
Currently on a theatre tour, Moore will miss the premiere of “Spectre” as he entertains audiences around the country.
Although he admires Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond and believes he looks like a killer, Moore still worries about being overshadowed by his predecessor, Sean Connery.
He jokes that when the announcer introduces him on stage, they might say, “So?
big deal – bring on Sean Connery!”
