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Sir Roger Moore, James Bond actor, dead at 89

Roger Moore dead
James Bond star Roger Moore dead at 89 01:03

Sir Roger Moore, the actor who played James Bond in seven 007 films, has died at 89.

His children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian, released a statement on Twitter saying that Moore passed away Tuesday in Switzerland after a "short but brave battle with cancer."

Moore's children tweeted the statement saying, "We are all devastated."

"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," they said in the statement. "We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for Unicef, which he considered to be his greatest achievement." Moore was a UNICEF ambassador.

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Roger Moore as James Bond in "Octopussy" MGM

Moore started his Bond career in 1973's "Live and Let Die," and he starred in some of the franchise's most famous films, like "Octopussy" and "The Spy Who Loved Me." Moore's last movie as the intelligence agent was "A View to Kill" in 1985. Before his Bond roles, Moore starred in TV shows "The Persuaders!" and "The Saint."

Moore's career was still active; he voiced several upcoming projects like children's movie "Troll Hunters."

Moore became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 after his good friend Audrey Hepburn introduced him to the organization. He launched several UNICEF initiatives to aid children and helped raise $91 million for the elimination of iodine deficiency as the honorary chair of Kiwanis International's Worldwide Service Project.

In recognition for his work with UNICEF, Sir Roger was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in January 1999, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in June 2003.

The actor is survived by his children and his wife Kristina Tholstrup.

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