Book info

• Title My Word is My Bond
• Author Roger Moore
• Year 2008
• Genre Memoir

The quintessential suave hero, Roger Moore has had an extraordinary career that has spanned seven decades, from early television to the golden age of Hollywood and on to international superstardom. Dashing, handsome and every inch the archetypal English gentleman, he is unforgettable as The Saint, as Lord Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders! and, of course, as James Bond, making seven blockbusting films as arguably the most debonair of the 007s. For the first time, Roger shares his recollections of playing some of the world's most famous roles alongside a host of legendary stars. With myriad stories from his personal life - from his childhood in London and experiences during the Second World War, to the happy and turbulent times in his later life. Along with anecdotes about his encounters with the stars and his wonderful memories from the heyday of Hollywood, My Word is My Bond is as frank, funny and disarmingly charming as the legend himself.

Thoughts

On a whim, I started watching the entire series of Bond movies starting from the beginning and working through each iteration. Somewhere along the way, I realised I had the Roger Moore autobiography, but I didn’t want to read it until I’d finished watching his 007 outings. With that achieved, I dived in.

It’s quite a nice, gentle memoir - a trip down memory lane from the (frankly too early) childhood memories, to the more recent UNICEF adventures. There’s plenty of detail about each of the films Moore has made, and more interestingly how he came about making them. I hadn’t heard of a lot of the people or the films discussed but it was still interesting to read how Hollywood went about its business in those days.

There’s just enough personal information to keep the book interesting whilst equally not really being rude about anyone either. I was surprised at what a practical joker Roger is, he certainly sounds like a nightmare to work with. But equally, it was nice to read his feelings about his good friends - Cubby Broccoli and David Niven in particular. Navigating the history of his many wives was also sensitively handled.

It probably didn’t mean as much to me as someone who has seen more of Roger’s work or knows more about Hollywood at that time, but I’d still recommend it as an interesting read.

Rating: 3 / 5