Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown
Page 18
‘Are these photos recent ones?’ he asked as I handed them over.
‘Yes, I had them taken a week ago,’ I replied. ‘In Switzerland.’
‘What?’
‘A week ago ...’ I repeated.
‘You said Switzerland?’ he asked, as he dropped them back on the desk. ‘I’m afraid we can’t accept these, as they are not on approved UK photographic paper.’
I was somewhat taken aback, but my interrogator was not someone I felt I could be in any way glib with, so, looking forlorn, I asked what I could do.
‘Down that corridor,’ he pointed. ‘Turn left and follow it to the end and you’ll see a photo machine there. It costs £5 and will print you four. When you have them, come back.’
After what seemed like a three-mile hike, I managed to obtain the photos, though obviously by then I wasn’t in a terribly good mood as I look most perturbed in them. I dropped them back to my friend. He read through the form again, looked at the photos … ‘I’m sorry, but this is a different person.’
‘Pardon?’ I asked.
‘On your current passport you are named as Mr Roger Moore, but now you want it to be in the name of Sir Roger Moore – it’s different.’
‘Yes, I’ve been knighted in the meantime.’
‘Ah,’ he replied. ‘Do you have any proof of that?’
‘Proof?! What would you like?’ I seethed through clenched teeth. ‘A letter from the Queen?’
With that, he finished off the paperwork and matter-of-factly told me to report back to the office around the corner in three hours.
Following lunch and a much-needed glass of wine, I reported to what I can only really describe as a hatch in a wall, where I rang the bell and waited for said hatch to open.
‘Name?’ the little man said.
‘Roger Moore.’
‘Date of birth?’
‘14 October 1927.’
‘Got any ID on you?’
It’s at times like this I’m incredibly tempted to say ‘Do you know who I am?’ (Or as in the case of when I was in New York for an interview promoting my first book, and the door security man [who had my name on his list] said, ‘I can’t let you in without photo ID’, I slapped my book down in front of him and said, ‘There! That’s me and that’s my name,’ and walked through past him.) On this occasion, though, I think I produced either my driving licence or credit card.
He studied my ID very carefully and held it up against my passport. ‘Ah, yes, that’s fine.’
I took my passport and just as I was about to turn and exit, the little man called out, ‘Excuse me!’
I returned to his hatch, and he smiled widely, ‘I’ve always been a big fan, Sir Roger. Any chance of an autograph?’
I tell you this small anecdote to highlight the fact that whatever one’s fame, whatever one has ‘accomplished’, whoever one has met and mingled with, wherever one has travelled, there are always times in life that one is brought back to earth with a bump. It’s true what they say: ‘You can take the boy out of south London, but you can’t take south London out of the boy. This particular south London boy has always been very lucky. I’ve worked with the best and travelled the world, made friends with the great and the good and continue to live life to the full – but it’s incidents like the one above that (eventually) make me smile and remember my roots.
Kristina and I visit some of the Kosovar refugees in FYR Macedonia in 1999.
On our first visit to Kazakhstan, Kristina and I met children with disabilities and were continually inspired.
In Closing ...
ACTING INTERESTS (AND ATTEMPTS) ASIDE, I AM, OF COURSE, still primarily kept busy as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and I’m always delighted when my passion for UNICEF rubs off on those around me. One of my more recent fundraising projects is Giving Tales, which came about when my son Christian and his business partner Klaus Lovgreen discussed the idea of producing an interactive, animated version of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. Giving Tales is an app available on iPhones, iPads etc (although other tablet devices are available, of course …), and the plan is for a celebrity to read a Hans Christian Andersen story and, as an ever-continuing project, every year the catalogue is set to grow, generating an on-going royalty for UNICEF. I thought it sounded like a terrific project.
I called on a few friends to see if they might lend their tonsils, and the first to jump on board was the lovely Ewan McGregor. Soon afterwards, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Joan Collins and Michael Caine all joined me in recording tales. I’ll keep you posted!
At UNICEF HQ with Namibian youth representative Livey Van Wyk and fellow Goodwill Ambassador Whoopi Goldberg, unveiling the winning poster of an international advertising competition to promote the Global Campaign on Children and AIDS.
Kristina and I still travel for UNICEF too, and not long ago we were in Germany for the committee’s sixtieth anniversary, with various activities, interviews and recordings to tackle. I’m also now deploying my Twitter account to spread UNICEF news, appeals and share success stories – social media is certainly becoming all-important.
10 August 2004 in Beijing, China, I greet a girl, as other children and members of the press look on, during the launch of a UNICEF-supported summer camp for children orphaned by AIDS.
But thinking back to my early days as an Ambassador, having been recruited by Audrey Hepburn, I often wondered what drove Audrey’s total and tireless devotion to the charity. I only discovered the answer at her funeral, when her son Sean read a poem that Audrey had herself read to her family from her sickbed only a few weeks earlier, on Christmas Eve 1992; it was written by American humorist and writer Sam Levenson for his granddaughter.
I found the words so very poignant that I wrapped up each of my recent theatre appearances with it, and indeed with an announcement that UNICEF collection buckets would be in the foyer on the way out – I’ve no shame in asking for help to save children’s lives, and everyone gave so very generously.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Acknowledgements
I would hereby like to acknowledge the invaluable help of:
Gareth Owen for again sprinkling a little literacy on my work; Michael and Lesley O’Mara; Louise Dixon, my editor; Ron Callow, Claire Cater, Judy Palmer and Katy Parker; Lesley Pollinger and all at Pollinger Ltd; Iris Harwood; the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu; the BBC Written Archive, Caversham, Berkshire; Cinema Retro magazine www.cinemaretro.com; Andy Boyle; Doris Spriggs; EON Productions Ltd; Alan Davidson of www.sirrogermoore.com
And for supplying many of the photographs:
Jaz Wiseman, UNICEF and EON Productions; Jenny Hanley; Geraldine Winner.
Picture Credits
Anthony Osmond-Evans
© United Archives/TopFoto
© Alpha Press
© Mirrorpix
REX/George Harris/Associated Newspapers
© Mirrorpix
REX/ITV
REX/ITV
REX/David Magnus
© Mirrorpix
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
REX
REX/Moviestore Collection
Alllied Artists/Getty Images
REX/ITV
© Alpha Press
Ron Galella Ltd/WireImage/Getty Images
Terry O’Neill/Getty Images
&
nbsp; REX/Moviestore Collection
20th Century Fox/Golden Harvest/The Kobal Collection
NBC via Getty Images
Jack Garofalo/Paris Match via Getty Images
© UNICEF / Mark Thomas
© UNICEF
© UNICEF/Susan Markisz
© UNICEF/Wang Yongji
James Bond images are © All Rights Reserved Danjaq LLC and United Artists Corporation
Index
A Matter of Time ref1
A Night to Remember ref1, ref2
A View to a Kill ref1
ABC TV ref1
ABPC Studios ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7
Abrams, J. J. ref1, ref2
Ackland-Snow, Terry ref1
ACTT ref1
Aladdin ref1
Albert of Monaco, Prince ref1
Alexandra Palace ‘Ally Pally’, London ref1, ref2
Alias ref1
Allen, Dave ref1
Allen, Irving ref1, ref2, ref3
Allen, Nat ref1
Anderson, Jean ref1
Andrews, Julie ref1, ref2
Anna Karenina ref1
Anniversary, The ref1
Arabian Adventure ref1
Armstrong, Neil ref1
Army Film Unit, British ref1
Arthur ref1
Assignment Foreign Legion ref1
Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) roles, RM’s ref1, ref2
Attenborough, Lord ref1
Audience, The ref1
Automobile Association (AA) training films ref1
Bacall, Lauren ref1
Bad Sister ref1
Baker, Bob ref1, ref2, ref3
Baker, Roy Ward ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Bal Creole ref1
Baldwin, James ref1
Bankhead, Tallulah ref1
Barker, Lex ref1
Barnard, Dr Christiaan ref1
Barrymore, John ref1
Barth, Louis ref1
Batman ref1
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) ref1, ref2
Beaconsfield Studios ref1
Beaumont, Binkie ref1
Behind the Green Door ref1
Belafonte, Harry ref1
Bergman, Ingrid ref1, ref2
Berman, Monty ref1
Bertil of Sweden, Prince ref1
Birdman of Alcatraz, The ref1
Bishop, Joey ref1, ref2
Black Knight, The ref1, ref2
Black Lion Films ref1
Black Narcissus ref1
Black Park Studios ref1
Black Shield of Falworth, The ref1
Blackman, Honor ref1
Blair, Cherie ref1
Blue Lagoon, The ref1
Bogarde, Dirk ref1, ref2, ref3
Bogart, Humphrey ref1, ref2, ref3
Bond, Gordon ref1
Bond on Bond (RM’s book) ref1
Boston Strangler, The ref1
Box, Betty ref1, ref2
Box, Sydney ref1
Boys from Brazil, The ref1, ref2
Brando, Marlon ref1, ref2
Bray Studios ref1
Bricusse, Leslie ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9
Brides of Fu Manchu, The ref1
Bridge on the River Kwai, The ref1
British Lion Studios ref1, ref2
Broccoli, Albert R. ‘Cubby’ ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10, ref11, ref12, ref13
Broccoli, Dana ref1
Bryan, Dora ref1
Bryner, Yul ref1
Bullet to Beijing ref1
Bullseye ref1, ref2
Burton, Richard ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10
Caan, James ref1
Cagney, James ref1
Caine, Michael ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8, ref9, ref10
Call Me Bwana ref1
Call of the Wild, The ref1
Candida ref1
Candy, John ref1
Cannes Film Festival ref1
Cannonball Run, The ref1
Capron, Robert ref1
Carry on Cleo ref1
Carry On film series ref1, ref2, ref3
Carry on Spying ref1
Carry on up the Khyber ref1
Castle of Fu Manchu, The ref1
CBS ref1
Chandler, Jeff ref1
Changi Prison, Singapore ref1, ref2
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ref1
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ref1
Christian Anderson, Hans ref1
Christian, Linda ref1
Chung Ling Soo ref1
Cilento, Diane ref1
Clark, Petula ref1
Clayton, Harold ref1
Cleopatra ref1, ref2
Cobb, Lee J. ref1
Cohn, Harry ref1
Colbert, Claudette ref1
Collins, Elsa ref1
Collins, Jackie ref1, ref2
Collins, Joan ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5
Collins, Joe ref1
Colman, Ronald ref1
Columbia Studios ref1, ref2, ref3
Comancheros, The ref1
Combined Services Entertainment Unit, Hamburg ref1, ref2
Connery, Sean ref1
Connor, Kevin ref1
Connor, William ‘Cassandra’ ref1
Conrad, Jess ref1, ref2, ref3
Cooper, Gary ref1
Cooper, Tommy ref1
Coronation Street ref1
Cossins, James ref1
Cote d’Azur, France ref1
Coward, Noel ref1, ref2, ref3
Cowell, Elizabeth ref1
Cracknell, Derek ref1
Craig, Daniel ref1
Craig, Ivan ref1
Crawford, Joan ref1, ref2
Crossplot ref1
Crown Film Units ref1
Crust, Arnold (Michael Winner pseudonym) ref1
Curtis, Leslie ref1, ref2
Curtis, Tony ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5
Curtiz, Michael ref1
Cushing, Peter ref1
Daily Mirror ref1
Dallas, Robert ref1
Dangerous ref1
Dark, John ref1
Dark of the Moon, The ref1
Davies, Betty Ann ref1
Davies, Jack ref1
Davis, Bette ref1, ref2, ref3
Davis, John ref1, ref2, ref3
Davis Jr., Sammy ref1, ref2, ref3
Davis Sr., Sammy ref1
de Cicco, Pat ref1
Death on the Nile ref1
Deep Throat ref1
Deighton, Len ref1
Delfont, Lord ‘Bernie’ ref1
Dench, Dame Judi ref1
Denham Studios ref1, ref2
Dial M for Murder ref1
Diamonds are Forever ref1
Diane ref1
Dickens, Monica ref1
Disney ref1
Disney, Walt ref1
Doctor Dolittle ref1
Doctor film series ref1
Don’t Bother to Knock ref1
Dors, Diana ref1, ref2, ref3
Dorsey, Tommy ref1
Douglas, Angela ref1
Douglas, Anne ref1
Douglas, Kirk ref1, ref2
Dr No ref1, ref2
Drawing Room Detective, The ref1, ref2
Dresser, The ref1
Duke, Doris ref1
Eady Levy ref1
Ealing Studios ref1
Eden, Mark ref1
Educating Archie ref1
Edwards, Blake ref1, ref2, ref3
Ekland, Britt ref1, ref2
Elizabeth II, Queen ref1
Ellis, Brian ref1
Elstree Studios ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6, ref7, ref8
EMI Films ref1
Engelen, Paul ref1
Entertainer, The ref1
EON Productions ref1, ref2, ref3
Equity ref1, ref2
Face of Fu Manchu, The ref1
Fallen Idol, The ref1, ref2
Farrow, Mia ref1, ref2
Feldman, Charles ref1
Fiddler on the Roof ref1
Finch, Peter ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Finney, Albert ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Fleming, Ian ref1, ref2, ref3
Flynn, Errol ref1
Foenander, Allan ref1
For Your Eyes Only ref1
Forbes, Bryan ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Ford, Glenn ref1
Foster, Norman ref1
Four Weddings and a Funeral ref1
Francis of Assisi ref1
Franco, Jess ref1
Frankenheimer, John ref1
Frederick, Lynne ref1, ref2
Friedman, Dore ref1
From Here to Eternity ref1
From Russia with Love ref1, ref2
Frost, David ref1, ref2
Fry, Stephen ref1, ref2
Fu Manchu film series ref1
Gabel, Scilla ref1
Gable, Clark ref1, ref2
Gabor, Eva ref1
Gabor, Zsa Zsa ref1
Gainsborough Studios ref1
Gallant Hours, The ref1
Gardner, Ava ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Gayson, Eunice ref1
Genevieve ref1
Gibson, Percy ref1
Gielgud, Sir John ref1, ref2
Gielgud Theatre, London ref1
Gilliat, Sidney ref1
Gingold, Hermione ref1
Giving Tales fundraising project ref1
Gladiator ref1
Glen, Archie ref1
Gobbi, Tito ref1
Gold ref1, ref2
Gold, Jan ref1
Gold, Johnny ref1, ref2
Goldfinger ref1, ref2
Gone with the Wind ref1
Goodman, Johnny ref1, ref2, ref3
Gordon, Dorothy ref1
Governess, The ref1
Grace, Martin ref1, ref2
Grace of Monaco, Princess
see Kelly, Grace
Grade, Lady ref1
Grade, Lew ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5, ref6
Grade, Michael ref1
Granger, Stewart ref1, ref2
Grant, Cary ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4
Gray, Willoughby ref1
Great Expectations ref1
Great Gingalee, The ref1
Green Fire ref1
Guilaroff, Sydney ref1
Guns at Batasi ref1
Guns of Navarone, The ref1
Gustav, Carl ref1
H. M.Tennent ref1
Hackman, Gene ref1
Hackney Empire, London ref1
Hall, Bill ref1, ref2
Hall, Sir Peter ref1
Hamilton, Guy ref1, ref2, ref3
Hamilton, Patrick ref1
Hamlet ref1, ref2