I was saddened to learn on Tuesday May 23 that Sir Roger Moore has passed away in Switzerland after losing a battle with cancer at the age of 89. He’s the first 007 actor who’s left us 😦

I hadn’t heard much about him in the past few years, though I remember reading last year that he was open to doing a cameo in a Bond movie and I thought, how brilliant that would be! He’s got such an effortless charm and elegance about him, and this cheeky wit that would make anyone smile even if his (and Sean Connery’s) Bond is the quintessential ‘sexist, misogynist dinosaur‘ that Dame Judi’s M perfectly described in Goldeneye.

I grew up watching Roger Moore Bond movies which I admittedly enjoyed more than Connery versions when I saw them back in high school with my twin brothers. It was practically the only movie franchise my whole family enjoyed together. Moore isn’t my favorite Bond (that would be Timothy Dalton), but his Bond movies are a ton of fun so he will always have a special place in my heart. I mean, nobody could deliver such cheeky lines the way Sir Roger did, he might not have been a convincing killer spy like Daniel Craig but he sure had a killer smile!

Now, a lot of my fave Moore’s Bond scenes seem to involve vehicle chases. And really why not? Bond is all about gadgets, ladies and cool rides and crazy chases right?

So here are five of my favorite Roger Moore Bond moments where he’s never out-shone by even his craziest rides…

I hated the idiotic invisible car in Die Another Day but this Submarine car in The Spy Who Loved Me was brilliant! The thing with Moore’s Bond action movies is I never felt like there’s ever any real danger to him or his Bond girl, so it was really in the spirit of fun. I love his cheeky expression as he dropped the fish out of the window when the car went up shore, ha!

Who doesn’t love the Gondola scene!! It’s the most absurd, ridiculous scene ever but never fails to make me laugh. Again, Moore’s smug expression as he rode that Gondola through San Marco, as everyone’s jaws dropped to the floor, is the most brilliant part about it.

For Your Eyes Only is perhaps my fave Moore’s Bond flicks. I must’ve watched it over a dozen times growing up and THIS Citroen scene is undoubtedly one of my all time fave Bond car chases. My mom and two brothers actually rented a Citroen in Bali once and that thing is really a piece of sh*t, ahah. The idea of Bond riding this yellow rinky dink of a car when his Lotus blew up, riding down a Greek country side with a stunningly beautiful Bond girl as henchmen in Peugeots are hot on their tail… it’s an absolute classic! “Love a drive in the country, don’t you?” Only Sir Roger could deliver it so perfectly!

There have been quite a few ski chases in Bond movies but this one in an Italian Alps is such a joy to watch!! Moore’s cheeky charm is perfectly on display in the Bobsled scene. Man it must’ve been quite a stunt to film this entire sequence, and you could tell in many long shots it’s definitely NOT Roger Moore on the skis, ahah.

Another fun chase involving an exotic ride… this time it’s Tuk Tuk, the famous auto rickshaw in India (we call it Bajaj in Indonesia and they’re mostly dark orange instead of black).

Oh man, my brothers and I had such a blast watching this!! Only Bond would make Bajaj looks cool, ahah. I also love Bond’s Indian ally Vijay (played by professional tennis player Vijay Amritraj, hence he hit one of the henchmen with a tennis racket!) who could match Moore’s charm. That’s another stunt that must’ve taken months to prepare, but the result is another classic Bond scene that fans can appreciate for years to come.

You will be sorely missed Sir Roger. 

So what’s YOUR favorite Roger Moore Bond moments?

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