My Word Is My Bond: The Autobiography - Roger Moore

...of this book is called My Word is My Bond, and I think that the title is spot on for the person we are reading about. When it was announced the book was to be written I was extremely curious as to how Moore would approach the telling of his life. So you can imagine I was absolutely ecstatic to receive this book at Christmas; to give him his full name. Roger George Moore is one of my favourite actors and to have a published an official biography was ...
...occasions bought a tear to my eye with what I was reading about on others I was laughing out loud due to the nature of events. Personally it is rare to see a biography with this amount of detail, whether it is positive or negative in nature, the standard film star biography tends to steer towards the fact that "aren't I great" or "look what I am" and in this one that approach hasn't even been suggested at all, which is refreshing ... more

The title of this book is called My Word is My Bond, and I think that the title is spot on for the person we are reading about. When it was announced the book was to be written I was extremely curious as to how Moore would approach the telling of his life. So you can imagine I was absolutely ecstatic to receive this book at Christmas; to give him his full name. Roger George Moore is one of my favourite actors and to have a published an official biography was a rare treat as the actor prefers to keep his private life to himself.

The style of writing is consistent with the manner that Moore would speak to people in normal life, basically as if he was telling a story, and throughout you tend to pick up on the unique way in which the renowned actor has embraced life whether it is a knock back from not receiving a part or the realisation what a double edged sword taking the role of James Bond could actually be, all are described in great detail, to which by the end of the book you realise what the man has actually been through. From the accommodation in an inner city slum in London to living in Monaco, it is all discussed in glorious detail and opens up some truly fascinating stories about the actor himself.

The book is split up in to each stage of his life. It is described in granular detail allowing the reader to paint a mental picture of what it must have been like to live in London in the mid-forties. Personally for me the antics of the young Roger Moore getting up to mischief in London as a child are absolutely gold. Through the descriptions given this gives the reader a strong idea of a time well before Playstations and mobile phones where children had to something which usually meant having to be outside the house. I was also surprised to learn that Moore was a wartime child evacuee and was sent away to the safety of the country at a time when thousands of other children were in the same situation. Throughout you find a number of nuggets of information that really makes you realise what a tough upbringing Moore actually had and also what an unhealthy time Moore it was for him with regards to being admitted to Hospital on a regular basis.

As you imagine Moore has had a number of encounters with a lot of actors and even though the book is littered with names such as David Niven, Telly Savalas and so on, all are used within context and never in an over the top fashion that portrays them as a "look who I know" manner that can act as a parasite. In places Moore gives a lot of credit to certain people as well which considerably raises the quality of the issue being discussed.

I have read other celebrity/ film star biographies and found them to be a type of release for the person whose story it is to attempt to win or settle arguments. Here it is totally different, at the beginning of the book Moore states that he will not say anything bad about anyone he has worked with and will not dish dirt, he also states that everything he has described is true and that this is how it happened. Which I think is fair enough as the ground rules are being laid out to start with.

You also get a glimpse of Moore's personal life, which in interviews has been something that is always off the radar. The joy that he experienced at the birth of his children was a passionate piece to read. Understanding that he had to provide for them as well and what he did with regards to taking roles and how he had to prepare for them. One nugget is his first meeting with Michael Caine while walking down Piccadilly as you have a mental picture painted of two actors who meet by chance and become strong lifetime friends. Ironically you have the man who went on to be James Bond and the man who went on to become Harry Palmer! As with all the other stories, this is told in a very detailed manner that after reading makes you actually think that you were there.

I think this is fair as the stories that are told in the book only play a small part in a persons life and absorb to become a much bigger picture altogether. For example I knew that Roger Moore was a partner in Tribune Productions but was totally unaware that Moore produced a clothing line based on what he wore playing Brett Sinclair in The Persuaders. One thing I will say is that the stories Moore tells about Tony Curtis are priceless, and from a reader's point of view are something that you just couldn't make up. In fact Curtis played a vital part in Moore's life as he made Roger, by means of shock treatment, realise what smoking could actually do to a person, this story alone makes good reading and is definitely something that applies today.

The actor has always taken a fair amount of flak over his acting abilities, but the good thing is that in this book he takes them... and agrees with them totally! You get the impression that the man knows his limits and he knows what he cannot do. Obviously the stand out points are when Moore took the roles of Simon Templar and then 007, however it is also his role within Unicef that now plays an important part of his life and something that has meant that if Moore is offered a role then a part comes his way and that's that.

If you step back and look at the bigger picture you will see a man who has had a very good life in what has been achieved, yes I am a little jealous in a number of ways as his job has taken around the world on location and he has kissed a number of the worlds most beautiful women for a role, for me this showed me how much the person has grown and evolved to be the person he is today.

There are also a number of photos in the book as well, and these are printed on glossy paper and cover all of Moore's life from Moore's parents to his Unicef work. By the end of the book, you get the picture that Moore always looks on the bright side of life whenever and whatever the situation and this is captured in the storytelling, a good example - Jimmy the Monkey when he lived at Stockwell.

Overall the book is written in such a beautiful and honest manner that you can't help but be aware of the transition and hard work the man has put in to become who he is. The stories of his childhood are moving to say the least and on some occasions bought a tear to my eye with what I was reading about on others I was laughing out loud due to the nature of events. Personally it is rare to see a biography with this amount of detail, whether it is positive or negative in nature, the standard film star biography tends to steer towards the fact that "aren't I great" or "look what I am" and in this one that approach hasn't even been suggested at all, which is refreshing and original.

This is the first time that Roger Moore has ever done anything like this, and at the age of 80 I think he has left the timing to when he has the opportunity to say I have lived and I want to tell people about me and who I am in a manner that is honest, extremely entertaining and in places quite emotional. Bottom line is that this is essential reading! 

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