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Roger Moore is remembered for succeeding Sean Connery as James Bond — which he did and didn’t do.

As Bond buffs well know, it was George Lazenby who briefly followed Connery as Bond in 1969’s ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE. Lazenby, who hadn’t meshed well with Eon Productions’ partners Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman, thought Bond’s popularity would fade in the ’70s from the rise of youth appeal hits like THE GRADUATE & EASY RIDER. Telling his agent he was now uncertain about continuing in the role led to his quick demise — despite Eon having previously offered him a deal to play Bond in seven episodes.

Connery was per$uaded to return as 007 for the sixth time in 1971’s DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER — after which Moore did take over for Connery, starting with 1973’s LIVE AND LET DIE. Moore couldn’t have done so any sooner having been fully committed to British TV mogul Lew Grade’s (later Lord Grade) hit series THE SAINT.

Moore played Simon Templar, a Robin Hood type crime fighter created in the 1920s by British novelist Leslie Charteris, and also was a producer and director of the series. THE SAINT, which aired 118 episodes from 1962-69, made Moore the perfect solution to recasting Bond.

Moore, who died May 23, 2017 at 90, has said he didn’t want to think about playing Bond until it was settled that Connery had definitely decided to give it up. When Moore came on board, he was no Connery carbon copy. Where Connery, a famously proud Scotsman, was a departure from the English gentleman in Ian Fleming’s Bond novels, Moore fit the role splendidly well.

Moore’s Bond was a custom tailored playboy type who always seemed to have a gadget on hand to save the day. Moreover, Moore’s 007 became known for his witty one-liners since, as Moore explained, he played the role “mostly for laughs” and not as a “cold-blooded killer type.”

To take over as Bond, Eon required Moore to lose weight and cut his hair, about which he made no secret of being unhappy. But in return, he got to star in another six Bond films — 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).

When Moore revealed Dec. 3, 1985 he was retiring as Bond, he’d had the role for over a dozen years. Moore’s seven times as Bond is the record for Eon’s franchise. However, technically Moore is tied with Connery because Connery played Bond one last time in 1983’s non-Eon production NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, which counts as Connery’s seventh time as Bond.