美国国家公共电台 NPR The Saint Before The Spy: Actor Roger Moore Dies At 89

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The British actor Roger Moore has died after a short battle with cancer. He was 89 years old. Moore was the dapper star of TV's "The Saint." He went on to become the longest serving of the many actors who have played James Bond. By some measures, Moore was the most popular 007 and the most laid back. NPR's Bob Mondello has this remembrance.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE¹: He was the saint before he was the spy.

(SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE MARTIN'S "JAMES BOND THEME")

MONDELLO: In fact, it was his contract for the television series that kept him from trying out for the role of James Bond initially². Sean Connery got the part of 007 in "Dr. No," and Moore had to settle that same year for a runaway³ success on TV as a charming, debonair⁴ Robin⁵ Hood⁶ of sorts, Simon Templar.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SAINT")

ROGER MOORE: (As Simon Templar) People in restaurants always look terribly shocked when somebody shouts or yells. I kind of enjoy it. It adds a zest⁷ to living.

MONDELLO: Templar was a dashing master criminal who stole from rich villains⁸ every week often while solving crimes that flummoxed the police. He did this in exotic locales surrounded by beautiful women for the better part of a decade. And when Sean Connery let it be known that he'd grown tired of doing something remarkably⁹ similar as 007, Moore shifted to the big screen in "Live and Let Die."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LIVE AND LET DIE")

MOORE: (As James Bond) Black queen on the red king, Miss...

JANE SEYMOUR: (As Solitaire) Solitaire.

MOORE: (As James Bond) My name name's Bond, James Bond.

MONDELLO: No one's ever likely to wear a tux in this role quite as naturally as Roger Moore.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LIVE AND LET DIE")

MOORE: (As James Bond) Rather a sweeping¹⁰ statement considering we've never met.

MONDELLO: He was more than movie star handsome when he took the part in his mid-40s. He was male model handsome. He had in fact been a model early in his career. And what he brought to the role of Bond, along with perfect hair and ramrod-straight posture¹¹, was a been-there, seen-that quality. He was bemused where Connery had had an edge. Moore's Bond was more relaxed with a sardonic¹² sense of humor even when planning an urgent mission.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "MOONRAKER")

MOORE: (As James Bond) I'd like to pay it a discreet¹³ visit tonight.

EMILY BOLTON: (As Manuela) Tonight (laughter) - I think you may find that a little difficult.

MOORE: (As James Bond) Difficult or not, it's something we have to do. And meanwhile, how do you kill five hours in Rio if you don't Samba?

MONDELLO: He had such an easy way with a quip that Bond's scriptwriters couldn't resist giving him lots of them, whether he was underwater in the "Spy Who Loved Me" or in outer space in "Moonraker."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "MOONRAKER")

MOORE: (As James Bond) Take a giant step for mankind.

MICHAEL LONSDALE: (As Hugo Drax, screaming).

MONDELLO: On Moore's watch, the Bond films became more jokey and gadget¹⁴ oriented, also more broadly popular. His Bond was, many noted¹⁵, quite different from the character novelist Ian Fleming had created. But it seemed in sync with 1970s audiences. And most of all, it suited laid-back Roger Moore.

When he departed the role at the age of 58, he took half a decade off from acting¹⁶. And if his return to the screen was hardly to the same acclaim¹⁷, he seemed bemused by that, too, so much so that he took to spoofing his iconic image in appearances on "The Simpsons" and "The Muppet Show."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE MUPPET SHOW")

MOORE: Please, you really must look.

FRANK OZ: (As Miss Piggy) Oh, Roger, I know what you're thinking.

MOORE: I doubt that.

(LAUGHTER)

OZ: (As Miss Piggy) Yes, you're thinking that you are a man, and I am pig.

MOORE: Why would I think that?

(LAUGHTER)

OZ: (As Miss Piggy) Roger, sweet, dear, dear Roger, it can work. Roger, we can make it work, yes.

MOORE: But I don't want to make it work.

MONDELLO: Moore was also knighted, became a goodwill¹⁸ ambassador for UNICEF and wrote memoirs¹⁹ with the titles "My Word Is My Bond" and "One Lucky Bastard²⁰." That last is an epithet²¹ he often applied²² to himself in interviews suggesting that he was lucky indeed. I'm Bob Mondello.

(SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE MARTIN'S "JAMES BOND THEME")

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

4 debonair   

adj.殷勤的，快乐的

参考例句：

• He strolled about,look very debonair in his elegant new suit.他穿了一身讲究的新衣服逛来逛去，显得颇为惬意。
• He was a handsome,debonair,death-defying racing-driver.他是一位英俊潇洒、风流倜傥、敢于挑战死神的赛车手。

5 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

6 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

7 zest   

n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣

参考例句：

• He dived into his new job with great zest.他充满热情地投入了新的工作。
• He wrote his novel about his trip to Asia with zest.他兴趣浓厚的写了一本关于他亚洲之行的小说。

8 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

12 sardonic   

adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的

参考例句：

• She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
• There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

13 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

14 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

17 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

18 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

19 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

21 epithet   

n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语

参考例句：

• In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。
• It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。

22 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。