My Word is My Bond: The Autobiography - Roger Moore

Published by Michael O'Mara Books Limited: London, 2009 (2008).

You find the randomest books when you have a book-swap library outside your house!

I probably wouldn't have picked this book up from a library or a cafe, but finding it downstairs on the pile of books mum 'curates' from her book-swap library was easy enough to become appealing (yes, we are still living at my parents' house while we house-hunt).

Roger Moore was most famous for playing James Bond in seven films - still the most that any actor has played in the official series (Sean Connery played Bond in seven films as well, but the last one was the unofficial Never Say Never Again). He tells his life story, starting with growing up in England, being one of the children sent away during the Second World War for safety, and moving gradually into his life as an actor.

Usually the biographies I read are of Christians; I am a Christian and enjoy reading the stories of how people came to faith, and what they did for God during their lives. Roger Moore was not a Christian, and was living in a world that - as his biography shows - was very definitely not a 'Christian world.' I knew that the world of acting, particularly in the 60s and 70s, was quite 'worldly', but Moore's biography opened my eyes to just how worldly it was. On numerous occasions, as a young actor, Moore had to reject the advances of older male actors trying to proposition him; he also went through four wives himself, and was surrounded by friends who had their own tales of infidelity, drunkeness and otherwise immoral behaviour. Moore tells these stories 'politely' enough that reading his book wasn't stomach-turning, but there was certainly a lot more language that anticipated - only used in the context of quotes, however.

It's actually all mostly interesting. Stories about actors such as David Niven, Michael Caine, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and more abound, as Moore was himself part of that circle. But the overall impression I came away with was how empty it all seems without the hope of Christ.

The final part of the book has a major shift; around the time that Moore has decided to leave his third wife (because he is 'in love' and doesn't see the point in delaying his decision any longer) he has also been introduced to the charity UNICEF by Audrey Hepburn. He and his fourth wife begin volunteering for the charity, and their travels and conversations about this work become the main focus. It's a big change from the scandalous lives of celebrities - so much so that it almost feels like another book! And yet, being part of Moore's later life, it is appropriate to include.

Overall, this was an interesting book, but not one I'll revisit. An interesting glimpse into an interesting world, from the perspective of an interesting man. 

I just hope he met Jesus before the end.

Completed 19 May 2026.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Top 5 Books of 2025

Image
This is the first time I have done a 'yearly' top 5 (although I did a ' Top 5 Top 5s ' previously, after my 5th book list), but it seems to fit with the year ending in a 5. Anyway, this is entirely subjective, and is an indication of where I currently sit in regards to these books. The list might even be different if I was asked on a different day. The following are not reviews of these books per se, but each one has been reviewed, and that review can be found by clicking on the title of the book in question. Also, these are ranked in the order that I read them, rather than specifically 1-5 or 5-1. That would take a while longer to sort out! The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I will give this one the award for 'Best Audiobook of the Year' and 'Best Whodunnit of the Year'. I listened to this over the Summer holidays last year, and enjoyed it enough that I listened to the rest of the series in the same year. Twisty, humorous, a bit unpredictable (a...
Read more

The Pōrangi Boy - Shilo Kino

Image
Published by Huia Publishers: Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021 (2020). Niko Te Kainga-mataa lives in the small town of Pohe Bay, a predominantly Māori community where the New Zealand government is planning to build a prison. Niko's grandfather, Tangaroa, is opposed to the prison, saying that it is going to be built on Māori land that is being watched over by the taniwha Taukere. Unfortunately, Tangaroa is known as the "pōrangi man" (crazy man), and throughout the book we see that he has lost some of his mental faculties - even to the point of urinating on people. As his grandson, and as someone who also wants to stand up against the prison being built, Niko too is labelled as pōrangi. Through the book, Niko has to wrestle with his own beliefs regarding Taukere, as well as learning to take a stronger leadership role in the community, particularly in the area of protesting the prison. Being written by a Māori author, Shilo Kino,  The Pōrangi Boy has a very authentic M...
Read more

The Fellowship of The Ring - JRR Tolkien

Image
Published by Collins Modern Classics: Hammersmith, London: 2001. First published 1954. Sequel to The Hobbit . Followed by The Two Towers ; The Return of The King . The first part of possibly the most famous work of fantasy fiction in existence, The Fellowship of the Ring tells the story of Frodo Baggins, nephew of the famous Bilbo Baggins, and the beginning of his quest to destroy the One Ring. The story unfolds at a far slower pace than fans of the movie may be anticipating, but in doing so it highlights Tolkien's skills as a writer, and gives more depth to the world of Middle-earth than is possible even in a near-three hour film. Some of the differences in the novel include a detour through the Old Woods and encounter with the strange character of Tom Bombadil, an encounter with barrow-wights, and the inclusion of other hobbits who help the main protagonists on their journey. Saruman's role is increased in the film to make him a greater antagonist, and many other plo...
Read more