Da Roger Moore for sidste gang var trukket i James Bond habitten og havde bestilt sin sidste martini – shaken not stirred, kastede den britiske skuespiller sig over arbejdet som UNICEF-ambassadør for at være med til at forbedre tilværelsen for verdens udsatte børn.
Det var gennem dette arbejde, den elegante skuespiller lærte den danske dav. prinsesse Alexandra at kende. Dengang var hun gift med prins Joachim og var blevet protektor for UNICEF i Danmark.
Men forholdet mellem Roger Moore og det danske prinsepar blev hurtigt så tæt, at den britiske skuespiller og hans hustru, Kiki Tholstrup, var blandt gæsterne til prins Felix barnedøb i Møgeltønder Kirke i 2002.
Til BT skriver grevinde Alexandra fredag i en mail om sit forhold til den nu afdøde skuespiller og UNICEF-ambassadør:
"Han var et fantastisk, vidunderligt menneske, som i alle sine sociale sammenhænge samlede folk omkring sig med sin smittende humor. Særligt skal hans arbejde og dedikation for udsatte børn igennem UNICEF fremhæves, og det har været et stort privilegium for mig at arbejde sammen med ham i alle årene".
Grevinde Alexandra trak sig sidste år som protektor for UNICEF Danmark.
Den seneste Bond, Daniel Craig, har involveret sig i kampen mod landminer – læs mere i denne artikel
UNICEFs eksekutivdirektør i hovedsædet i New York, Anthony Lake, har disse mindeord om Roger Moore:
"With his passing, the world has lost one of its great champions for children – and the entire UNICEF family has lost a great friend".
"In his most famous roles as an actor, Sir Roger was the epitome of (indbegrebet af) cool sophistication; but in his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he was a passionate – and highly persuasive – advocate for children. He once said that it was up to all of us to give children a more peaceful future. Together with Lady Kristina, he worked very hard to do so".
“All of us at UNICEF extend our deepest sympathies to the Moore family, and join his many friends and admirers from around the world in paying tribute to his life and mourning his loss. He will be deeply missed.” Mere på http://roger-moore.com
Videre på UNICEFs website:
Sir Roger Moore, was one of UNICEF’s longest serving Goodwill Ambassadors.
A popular British film, television and stage actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Simon Templar in The Saint and as secret agent James Bond, was introduced to UNICEF by the late Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
“My curiosity got the better of me after Audrey Hepburn introduced me to UNICEF," he said. "I wanted to find out more than just the facts and figures." He was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on 9 August 1991.
Sir Roger’s first mission for UNICEF was to Central America, where he visited projects for children in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Over the years, his work with UNICEF also took him to Brazil, Ghana, Jamaica, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Macedonia, Philippines and Mexico.
He brought attention to the desperate conditions facing some of the world’s most vulnerable children and was a compelling voice on issues such as children’s rights, HIV/AIDS, landmine injuries, child labour and iodine deficiency (jodmangel).
As the honorary chair of Kiwanis International’s Worldwide Service Project – a key UNICEF partner – he has helped raise 91 million US dollar for the elimination of iodine deficiency.
An eloquent speaker and fund-raiser, Sir Roger has helped introduce a number of major UNICEF initiatives. In 1995, for example, he launched the “Check out for Children” programme, a partnership with Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, which has raised more than 16 million dollar to support life-saving immunization programmes for children throughout the world.
Den rolle, der betød mest for ham
In November 2012 Sir Roger was presented with the first-ever UNICEF UK Lifetime Achievement Award which then became the Roger Moore Lifetime Achievement Award in celebration of his dedication to UNICEF, both as a generous fundraiser and a global advocate for children’s rights.
On receiving the award, Sir Roger said “I am perhaps best known for my role as Bond, but my role as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF is the one I am certainly most passionate about. It is beyond doubt that it’s the children and dedicated staff on the ground who deserve medals, but I am absolutely honored and would like to thank UNICEF for this truly humbling award.”
In recognition for his humanitarian achievements on behalf of UNICEF, Sir Roger was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in January 1999, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in June 2003.
Sir Roger also received the World Service Medal from Kiwanis International in 2001 and the German Federal Service Cross “for his work battling child trafficking as special representative to UNICEF” in 2003.
Sir Roger was awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Inspiration Award at the 46th Annual Luncheon of the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists in October 2007. In 2008 he received the Commander of the National Order of Arts and Letters (France).
Sir Roger Moore was devoted to serving the world’s children for over 25 years and remained dedicated to UNICEF right up until his death. Se også Activity highlights
Agent 007 i syv Bond-film
Sir Roger Moore was born and raised in south London. He received a certificate from the Royal Society of Arts and worked briefly in cartoon animation. While working as a film extra he was offered a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He subsequently joined the Cambridge Arts Theatre, which led to roles in London’s West End.
After some success in film and television productions, he became more widely recognized with his role as Simon Templar in the British television series The Saint.
In 1973 he first played special agent 007 in the film Live and Let Die. He went on to star in another six hugely successful Bond films: The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View to a Kill.
Roger Moore blev født 14. oktober 1927 i London og døde 23 maj 2017 i Schweiz. Han stedes til hvile ved en privat ceremoni i Monaco.
Han var gift fire gange, senest med danske Christina (Kiki) Tholstrup siden 2002.
