Longest-serving James Bond star Roger Moore dies at 89

Sir Roger Moore, James Bond actor, dies aged 89

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Obituary: Sir Roger Moore

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Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery Pay Tribute to ‘Magnificent Bond’ Roger Moore

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Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond, has died aged 89, his family has announced.

He played the famous spy in seven Bond films including Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill.

Sir Roger's family confirmed the news on Twitter, saying he had died after "a short but brave battle with cancer".

The statement, from his children, read: "Thank you Pops for being you, and being so very special to so many people."

"With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated," they said in a Twitter post.

Sir Roger's Bond was calm and suave - a smooth operator who could seemingly get himself out of a tricky situation with ease.

The veteran star, who died in Switzerland, will have a private funeral in Monaco in accordance with his wishes, his children said.

"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," read the statement from Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.

"Our thoughts must now turn to supporting Kristina [Tholstrup, his wife] at this difficult time."

The statement added: "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.

Along with his famous Bond role, Moore was also known for TV series The Persuaders and The Saint.

Sir Roger was also well known for his humanitarian work - he was introduced to Unicef by the late Audrey Hepburn and was appointed as a goodwill ambassador in 1991.

Stars pay tribute

Russell Crowe led the tributes to the actor on Twitter, writing simply: "Roger Moore, loved him."

Michael Ball said: "My dearest uncle Roger has passed on. What a sad, sad day this is. Loved the bones of him. Generous, funny, beautiful and kind."

Mia Farrow wrote: "Few are as kind & giving as was Roger Moore. Loving thoughts with his family & friends," while Boy George added: "RIP Sir Roger Moore. He was the king of cool."

Duran Duran, who sang the Bond theme song for A View To A Kill, simply tweeted: RIP Roger.

In a statement, fellow Unicef ambassador and actor Ewan McGregor said: "Thank you, Roger, for having championed so tirelessly the rights of all children for the last 26 years.

"You've shown that we all have the power to make a change to the lives of the most vulnerable children."

Moore's Bond movies

Live and Let Die (1973)

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Moonraker (1979)

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Octopussy (1983)

A View to a Kill (1985)

Louis Jourdan, French actor and star of Gigi, dies aged 93

Louis Jourdan, French actor and star of Gigi, dies aged 93

The French actor Louis Jourdan, best known for his role in the multi-Oscar winning 1958 musical Gigi, has died in California aged 93.

Born in Marseilles, he began his career acting in French films before being lured to the US.

Often seen in roles that capitalised on his Gallic charm, he described himself as Hollywood's "French cliche".

His later years saw him play evil villains, including in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy.

Jourdan died at his home in Los Angeles, his official biographer Olivier Minne said.

"He embodied French elegance and Hollywood offered him the parts to go with that," he told the AFP news agency.

Among those paying tribute on Twitter was Indian film star Kabir Bedi, who played Jourdan's bodyguard Gobinda in Octopussy.

Deeply saddened to hear, from @twitter friends, of the passing of Louis Jordan," he wrote.
Cassian Elwes, producer of films including Monster's Ball and Dallas Buyers Club, wrote: "Louis Jourdan was an absolutely charming man who was always elegant in everything he did it was no wonder he was friends w [sic] everyone he met."

American actress Rose McGowan, whose films include The Black Dahlia, wrote: "Louis Jourdan, thank you for the entertainment. Your elegant beauty and wit were a joy to behold."
French resistance
Born Louis Gendre in 1921, he changed his name to Pierre Jourdan, then Louis Jourdan when he became an actor.

According to a biography by the late Hollywood correspondent Bob Thomas, Jourdan's father owned a seaside hotel in Cannes, where he met artists, actors and directors who encouraged him to study drama in Paris.

His early career in France was interrupted by World War Two. He refused to star in Nazi propaganda films and escaped to join the French resistance.

After the war, he resumed his film career, eventually becoming one of Hollywood's favourite French actors.

Jourdan played opposite leading ladies Joan Fontaine, Jennifer Jones, Grace Kelly and Shirley MacLaine in films during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s.

Gigi, a musical romantic comedy in which he played the suave Gaston Lachaille, was one of the most successful films of the 1950s. It won nine Oscars, including best picture.

Despite this, Jourdan did not consider Gigi his best achievement, reportedly saying: "It was a wonderful story for Leslie and Maurice Chevalier, but I played a colourless leading man.

"You'll note that none of the actors was nominated for Academy Awards."
'Perpetually cooing'
Other key roles included a part in Alfred Hitchcock's 1947 film The Paradine Case, and with Grace Kelly in The Swan.

He played concert pianist Stefan Brand opposite actress Joan Fontaine in the 1948 film Letter from an Unknown Woman.

He also showed that he could play a villain in the 1956 film Julie, in which he played Doris Day's husband, a psychopathic killer.

But despite his 15 years as a leading man, Jourdan felt he was often subject to Hollywood typecasting.

"Any actor who comes here with an accent is automatically put in roles as a lover," the Associated Press news agency reported him as once saying. "I didn't want to be perpetually cooing in a lady's ear."

Jourdan has two stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and in 2010 he was given France's highest honour, Legion D'Honneur.

His wife of more than 60 years, Berthe Frederique Jourdan, died last year.