Legendary actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for his James Bond 007 role, has died at the age of 89, his family announced.

Sir Roger Moore was much more than just a grand actor and, according to many, the best James Bond 007 of all times.

At 18, shortly after the end of the Second World War, Moore was conscripted for national service. On 21 September 1946, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps as a second lieutenant. He was given the service number 372394. He eventually became a captain, commanding a small depot in West Germany. He later looked after entertainers for the armed forces passing through Hamburg.

In 1999, Moore was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE),  and advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 14 June 2003. The citation on the knighthood was for Moore’s charity work, which dominated his public life for more than a decade. Moore said that the citation “meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting… I was proud because I received it on behalf of UNICEF as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years”.

He became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991.

On 11 October 2008, three days before he turned 81, Moore was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and in film.

His family announced his death in Switzerland from cancer on 23 May 2017

Fun fact – the original role of James Bond was intended for Sir Roger Moore, but he couldn’t fit the movie in his schedule being too busy filming The Saint. The director then handed the role to Sean Connery. After Connery retired as the 007 agent for being too old for the role, Roger Moore got his role ‘back’ – even though he was older than Sean Connery at the time.

Thank you for gracing us with your greatness. Rest in peace.

Source: Wiki