Irish movie legend Pierce Brosnan has written a moving tribute to a fellow James Bond star Roger Moore.
The English actor died earlier this month, aged 89, following a short battle with cancer.
Moore spent 12 years playing the role of the iconic British agent 007, between 1973 and 1985. During that time, a young Pierce Brosnan moved to London from Ireland.
Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan (Picture: Keith Hamshere/Getty)
He said that Moore was his first real acting hero, and now Brosnan has written a piece for Variety in which he pays tribute to the legendary actor.
Brosnan wrote: “As a boy of 11, I left Ireland for London on August 12, 1964 — the same day Ian Fleming died.
“That weekend I saw Goldfinger with Sean Connery at the ABC Cinema on Putney High Street with my mother, May, and my stepfather, Bill.
“How could I know then that my life would be entwined by the great alchemy of a cinematic hero such as James Bond?
“There I sat, that first weekend in my new life in London, motionless and spellbound by the beauty of CinemaScope. I had discovered the movies and Bond, James Bond.
“However, it cost money to go to the pictures. And that’s when I discovered my first real hero, Roger Moore.”
Brosnan revealed that Moore was the only actor he ever asked for an autograph, and would only later realise what an impact he had had on him.
He continued: “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.
“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.
“He reigned over seven movies as James Bond with exceptional skill and comic timing laced with a stiletto vengeance… we fell in love with a magnificent actor.”
A decade after Moore’s last Bond movie, Brosnan took on the role for his first – Goldeneye in 1995. He said that Moore was there for him as he felt the weight of the role on his shoulders.
Brosnan said: “Roger came down to set one day on GoldenEye and wished me well. I was still in awe of the man.
“Last time I saw him was at the Albert Hall for a tribute to Cubby Broccoli. What more can one ask for?
“I am so proud to have known the kindness and humanity of Sir Roger Moore.”
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling
