Roger Moore Trivia Quiz

Answer: London

Roger was born 14th October 1927 in Stockwell, London. Shame upon you if you opted for his being Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish as he is one of the most quintessential Englishmen to hit our screens and does an appalling Scottish accent.

Answer: He worked on animations.

"P.P.P." was an animation studio. His title was that of Junior Office Clerk and he was paid the princely sum of £3.10s a week ($6.92 US). His duties involved tracing and filling in animation cells with words.
He recalls "I was probably the lowliest in the entire building."
He was fired after serving cold tea to a manager and making a mistake on a cell he was working on.

Answer: My spear was longer and my toga shorter than the others'.

Roger was officially cast as "Spear Shaker No. 99". He still insists that the only reason Hurst supplied him with bit parts in two subsequent movies, "Perfect Strangers" (1945} and "Gaiety George" (1946) was because his spear was slightly longer than the rest and his toga that bit shorter.
Caesar and Cleopatra featured Vivienne Leigh and Stewart Grainger.

Answer: R.A.D.A.

R.A.D.A. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art has had a steady outpouring of talent since being founded in 1904. Almost every British star from any era has their roots back at this very prestigious school on Gower Street in London.
With the war still raging in Europe the school was naturally dominated by female students at the time at a ratio of 4:1. One young lady in his class was Canadian born Lois Maxwell, nee Hooker, who went on to be Miss Moneypenny in the 'Bond' films.
D.S.F.S. is my acronym for "Drama School for Future Saints". I hope that didn't catch you out.

Answer: C.S.E.U.

"Combined Services Entertainment Unit" (C.S.E.U.) was a hotch potch of old drama school chums and 'wannabe' entertainers of all forms.
For a little while after his National Service, Roger would wear his Captain's uniform to interviews and auditions with markedly little success.
E.N.S.A. "Entertainments National Service Association" was the fore-runner of C.S.E.U.
N.A.A.F.I. "Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes" is an organisation essentially supplying catering and stores to British servicemen and women.
R.A.C.P. "Royal Artillery Concert party" has no other existence other than for the squad assembled in the British wartime sitcom "It Ain't Half Hot Mum".

Answer: He was a male model for a knitwear company.

Michael Caine would relentlessly make fun of his good friend Roger Moore for his knitwear modelling. He would refer to him as "The Big Knit".
My father in law was among the photographers to shoot Roger in his less than flattering attire.
In 1987, aged 60, Roger appeared on Dame Edna Everidge's TV show. She took great delight in trying to embarrass him by showing viewers photographs of his knitwear modelling. Roger smiled beautifully and put her right in her place by saying, "We all have to start somewhere dear".

Answer: Ivanhoe

Roger starred alongside Andrew Keir and Robert Brown in "Ivanhoe" between 1957 and 1958. Andrew Keir would later appear with Roger in both "The Saint" and "The Persuaders".
Roger claimed "Charging about in all that armour on a horse, I felt like a member of the medieval fire brigade."
Filming the series was a painful experience for Roger. His nail was cut off during a sword fight; he cracked three ribs and was kicked by a horse. Finally he was knocked unconscious by a battleaxe.

Answer: Leslie Charteris

Leslie Charteris wrote over 100 "Saint" novels and short stories between 1928 and 1983. As the TV episodes drifted by Mr. Charteris grew more and more angry with the way his original plots were being altered. The production team politely listened to him but was not contractually obliged to accept any suggestions he made for improvement.
Roger himself directed some of the later episodes.

Answer: The Persuaders

"The Persuaders" ran for 24 episodes between 1971 and 1973. Roger was reluctant to take the part as having been short listed as the first 'Bond' in 1962 and missed out, he was hopeful of taking the part following the singleton appearance of George Lazenby as 'Bond' in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

The result was that Roger declined to sign to "The Persuaders" for a five year term but did sign a shorter term which later proved to be a shrewd move on his part. The show proved to be an international success and Roger remained free to finally take the 'Bond' role afterwards.

Answer: Live and Let Die

Others short listed for the role were Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Steve Mc'Queen. United Artists were keen to push an American into the role but Cubby Broccoli stood firm and insisted that the role be played by a British actor.

Answer: The Eagle Has Landed (1976)

It was Roger's friend Michael Caine who starred in "The Eagle Has Landed". It was a second world war action film about a troop of Germans landing in England with an audacious plot to kidnap Winston Churchill.

Answer: Richard Burton and Richard Harris

The production team was very worried about alcohol affecting tight filming schedules. In actual fact neither Burton or Harris touched a drop throughout the schedule. On the contrary it was Roger who handled large quantities especially when his 50th birthday occurred in the dense confines of a jungle. Harris didn't drink because he was recently diagnosed with hypoglycaemia and was told his life was in danger. Further to that, it was written into his contract that any delay due to his drinking would lead to forfeiture of his entire fee. Burton stopped drinking at the behest of his then new wife Susan.

Answer: U.N.I.C.E.F.

U.N.I.C.E.F. is the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. They help poor and suffering children across the world, campaigning for their rights, administering medicines and delivering education. Roger was inspired to enlist as an Ambassador by Audrey Hepburn who was herself a recipient of U.N.I.C.E.F. aid as a child.
Roger explained, "At the time I joined the organisation the 'Rights of the Child' was being ratified. U.N.I.C.E.F. is now in over 160 countries and 191 countries throughout the world are signatories to 'Rights of the Child' convention. And so you have to remind governments of that, and I make a nuisance myself in that respect."
Visit U.N.I.C.E.F. at www.unicef.org

Answer: He was the voice of a radio announcer at the end of the film.

Robert S. Baker, the former producer of the original 'Saint' TV series, said of the film; "As a film it was reasonable but it wasn't 'The Saint'. They paid an awful lot of money for the rights, had to pay all sorts of percentages to make it work and even had to pay Roger because they'd promised him a major part. They paid him a lot of money for not appearing in it in the end."

Answer: Aspects Of Love

It had been 34 years since Roger had appeared on the West End stages. As serious doubts grew within him, despite his every effort to fulfill rehearsals to an adequate standard, he requested a meeting with Andrew Lloyd Weber and announced he was leaving the show. "I had this nightmare of going to the theatre on the opening night and I had not rehearsed and nobody would let me have the script. The curtain went up and I didn't know the words".
Many pre-sold tickets were refunded proving that Roger himself had been a massive box office draw.