Shout at the Devil: Roger Moore stars in 1976 film trailer
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The star, who appeared in six James Bond films during the period of 1973 to 1985 passed away after a short battle with cancer, but this was not the only medical condition he battled in his 89 years. Even in his book My Word is My Bond Moore reportedly wrote: “Illness played a great – and unwelcome – role in my early life,” which referred to the mumps and severe sore throat he suffered all before he had reached adulthood. From there Moore was told by medical professionals that he could “die at any time” after suffering from kidney stones, warts, shingles, skin cancer and heart problems.
In a candid interview close to his 81st birthday, Moore thanked 18 doctors who were “just half of the number who kept [him] going” throughout the years.
Being open about his numerous ailments, the star also stated that it was hard to distinguish whether the hypochondria that “flows through my veins” started before the string near-death experiences that have punctuated his life.
“I believe it is better to be prepared for illness than to wait for a cure,” he declared during the interview. “And you certainly save on hospital beds that way.”
The star’s first scrape with death was at the tender age of five, when he contracted pneumonia, an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs causing a cough with phlegm.
Then there was a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, yellow jaundice and the time he split his jaw open in a Jeep accident as an 18-year-old doing National Service in the Army. “Oh, and then they whipped out my appendix in Hamburg,” the actor casually added.
Growing up as one of Hollywood’s leading men in the 1950s also put pressure on Moore to look physically fit and maintain a healthy weight, something he always seemed to struggle with.
“I was considered chubby as a teen,” he confessed, before going on to add that he was warned by Bond producer Cubby Broccoli that he needed to “lose a little weight and get into shape” before shooting began for Live and Let Die.
“It’s very tempting to over-eat all the bad things when you’re on a film set”, Moore is reported to have commented “Bacon rolls for breakfast, steak-and-kidney pie for lunch, tea and buns and so forth. I’ve always loved food and I realised at one point that I needed to lose a little weight, so I asked a doctor for something to help. He prescribed appetite suppressants; stimulants. They gave me enormous energy and I didn’t need to sleep – I was drugged up to the eyeballs.”
Teetering on the edge of becoming addicted to diet pills Moore was able to wean himself off, instead using a strict exercise and diet regime to stay in shape for his upcoming roles.
However, despite sticking to an extremely healthy diet comprising of “a lot of fish” smoking remained a habit he enjoyed for many years, right up until 1971 when he was advised by fellow actor Tony Curtis to give up the tobacco as it was causing incurable damage to his lungs.
Having managed to maintain a healthy diet and quit smoking, Moore’s health problems were far from over. While shooting the 1961 cowboy film Gold Of The Seven Saints he endured an attack of kidney stones. Something he would endure twice more during his lifetime.
“It was excruciating, diabolical agony; I had my knees under my chin,” he said in the past, still bearing the scars of his surgery to remove the stones. At the time the actor was told to drink plenty of water and avoid strawberries, spinach and chocolate, all of which contain high amounts of oxalate.
Despite having gone through enough pain, what Moore described as his “most painful encounter” was in fact the removal of a wart which had been growing inside of his nose, which the actor described as “sheer torture”.
Throughout the years most of Moore’s ailments were kept private and off of the silver-screen. But beady-eyed fans may notice that during the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, Moore’s face is still slightly swollen due to shingles.
When asked about his experience with the infection, Moore recalled: “I was feeling very rough. I awoke with a very swollen face and slits for eyes. Unfortunately I had scenes scheduled and they said they’d shoot over my shoulder. If you look closely you’ll see, over my shoulder, my swollen face. I really wasn’t well and after seeing the doctor I was told to have bed rest.”
Unfortunately for the star, shingles was not the only skin-related condition he was going to have to face. As a result of a tanning machine he was given to by a cosmetic surgeon, the star had to have numerous skin cancers surgically removed from his face and the rest of his sun-exposed body.
From skin cancer to prostate cancer. Aged 65 the star was diagnosed with the condition that affects around 52,000 men each year in the UK. Describing the condition as a “pain in the arse,” Moore was fortunate in the fact that his cancer had not spread to any other tissue or bones.
After having radical prostate surgery, which removes the entire prostate, Moore recalled having to wear a hose attached to a plastic bag because he lost all control of his bladder.
Despite having overcome cancer, during an appearance on Broadway back in 2003, aged 78 Moore collapsed which he later found out was due to an abnormally low heart rate. Something which he would later have to have a pacemaker fitted to fix.
“If you suffer a blackout it is probably due to a sudden shortness of blood to the brain, caused by a problem with the heart,” he said, giving critical advice to others. “This is exactly what happened to me. There are many ways to treat this condition –reflex anoxic seizure – including, as in my case, having a pacemaker fitted.”
Throughout all of his health battles, Moore remained relatively positive. His death was announced by his family via Twitter, who at the time said he had passed away after a “short but brave battle with cancer”.
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