21 replies to this topic

[thecasinoroyale]

Sir Roger Moore kicks of the new series of in-depth autobiographical chat show 'Piers Morgans Life Stories' on UK TV this week on Friday 14th September on the eve of 007's big 50th Anniversary celebrations.

As the show has already been filmed, a few snippets have come out about what we can expect - I will no doubt post what I can from the event on Friday and see what stories and revelations Sir Roger has for us about his life, on and off screen, and of course, his James Bond saga!

This preview from The Telegraph newspaper...


In a candid television interview, the 84 year-old claimed his first wife, Doorn Van Steyn, whom he married in 1946 aged 19, repeatedly punched and scratched him and also threw a teapot at him. The ice skater, real name was Lucy Woodard who died in 2010, also left him with scars and also punched his doctor as he treated him for a slashed hand, he said. The 007 legend also claimed that his second wife, Dorothy Squires - whom he married shortly after divorcing Van Steyn in 1953 – was also violent and attacked him after learning he had been unfaithful.


He told Piers Morgan's ITV1 show Life Stories that during his marriage to Squires, whom he divorced in 1968, he also claimed she hit him over the head with a guitar. In remarks released to newspapers ahead of its screening on Friday, he told the former newspaper editor about his first wife's altercation with the doctor.

"It made a change because normally she punched me." When asked if she physically abused him, he said: ''She would scratch me. She threw a pot of tea at me. I'd been sunbathing in the garden, I came up and I'd taken off my pants and I gave her some smart Alec answer and this teapot came hurtling at me. I said, 'right, that's it, I'm leaving'. She storms off out of the room and I hear the bath running. I thought, 'What a cow, I'm leaving her and she's having a bath'.”


Sir Roger, the longest running Bond, added: ''So I smashed the bathroom door open and she had all my clothes in the bath and said, 'now leave me'. I waited for them to dry. The marriage was doomed.''

Speaking about Squires, who died in 1998 aged 83, he described one particular “confrontation”.


He said: “I remember, to avoid confrontation, I used to strum the guitar and one day I was sitting on the edge of the table strumming and she was ranting on about something and I wasn't taking any notice. 'Next thing I know, it was like slow motion, I could feel the guitar coming out of my hands and I could see it up above my head and... bash, it came down. She ruined the guitar. She had a great temper.”

But the Welsh vocalist also attacked him after learning he was having an affair with Luisa Mattioli, a young Italian actress who he would marry in 1969. He added: “Dorothy was not happy. She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it. The police came and they said, 'Madam, you're bleeding' and she said, 'It's my heart that's bleeding'."

He divorced Mattioli, who he has three children with, in 1996 and is now happily married to Christina Tholstrup, a 71 year-old Danish-Swedish socialite he married in 2002. He said: ''It's a tranquil relationship, there are no arguments.''

He once described his three former wives as "lovely ladies with bad taste in men". Roger also praised Daniel Craig, 42, as a “brilliant” Bond.

[img]http://www.radiotimes.com/rt-service/image/render/Piers_Morgan_s_Life_Stories__Roger_Moore.jpg?imageUrl=http://static.radiotimes.com.edgesuite.net/pa/58/27/webANXpiersrogermoore.jpg&width=580&height=327&quality=85&specıalısation=tv&mode=crop[/img]

[PPK_19]

Thanks for this TCR, a great insight into his marriages. I had no idea that he was married to such mentalists. Can't wait to catch this on TV.

Edited by PPK_19, 12 September 2012 - 11:37 AM.

[hilly]

Hmmm..much as I loathe Piers Morgan, I may have to tune in, seeing as it's Roger.

Whilst you can never condone violence in a relationship, Roger is clearly not great husband material either, given that he left each of his first 3 wives for their successor...

[thecasinoroyale]

It will be a very interesting hour, and I look forward to his stories and views on the Bond films! 9pm, ITV1.

[Simon]

Agreed hilly - Piers Morgan does come across in interview as spectacularly slimy and smarmy. An interview with Ulrika Johnson did it for me. Smug and utterly detestable, he comes across as the worst of bottom feeding red top journos.

I do wonder why anyone submits themself to his particular brand of interview...

[DamnCoffee]

I can't stand Piers Morgan, but I'm watching this now, and I'm loving it so far. Lovely anecdotes that I didn't know about. Anyone catch Rogers response to the woman claiming to be his illegitimate daughter? Priceless!

[Royal Dalton]

I do wonder why anyone submits themself to his particular brand of interview...

He's got a book to plug.

[marktmurphy]

What a terrible interviewer: he's just reading a list of questions out.

Sir Roger is a rather fascinating subject though- there's a great interview to be had with him, but I fear you need an actual skilled interviewer to do it. He hasn't opened Roger up- it's just: question, smart answer, question, smart answer etc.

[hilly]

It is fairly excruciating. Roger is simply trotting out most of the anecdotes from his book and trying to get a decent answer out of him is like pulling teeth. Morgan is an appalling interviewer and Roger seems to be bored rigid.

[marktmurphy]

Bring back Parky. I never liked him either, but he could at least string an interview together.
How arrogant to ask what he'd thought he'd learnt from the interview.

[FredJB007]

Being here in the states, I actually like Piers....he took over for Larry King on CNN and he is a wonderful interviewer.

[Simon]

Bring back Parky. I never liked him either, but he could at least string an interview together.
How arrogant to ask what he'd thought he'd learnt from the interview.

Yes, and yes. Morgan really is a self serving prick.

Thing is, as much as I admire Moore for the supreme way he has handled his career and the press, I had no expectations from this interview, or interviewer, other than another chance to see Roger do what he does so consumately well - the art of self deprecation.

Yes, he's probably trotted these lines out enough times for the likes of this audience (us, the site), but for an audience that isn't so acutely aware, as I tried to be myself when watching, he is a pretty consumate presence and performance.

I think the true Roger will surface, unfortunately, once a milestone has passed when interviews can be done of all the co-stars and crew of his many past productions, at which point his antics and uniquely special humour are rendered into recorded history. His character is never one to dish the dirt and I think enormous credit due.

For me, his LALD diary, on-set snippets from a Saint on Sceen book by Simper, his evident enjoyment of pork pies are what we will see for now. The rest is probably too rude for us to know right now - especially in terms of his telling of his jokes, and how today's audience's impression of his polite charm may react to some of his more bawdy antics.

Not sure I have all this sorted in my mind - suffice to say, cracking to see him around and amazing that of all the Bonds, he is the only past actor to be a true ambassador for the series in its present form. (Which is to say, Craig Has to be an ambassador. The true colours of previous actors being shown once they are not obligated)

Well done Sir Roger.

[marktmurphy]

Oddly the greatest insight into what he's actually like and his talent came in the pre-recorded interviews with his friends, family and co-stars (presumably not conducted by Morgan!).

I'd like someone to simply ask him what sort of films and things he likes. Because I've never really got the impression that he'd actually watch films with men running around with guns if he wasn't in them!

And of course I'd love to know about his lady killing exploits.

[DamnCoffee]

I completely agree that Piers Morgan is an awful interviewer. I do have to say though, that I did almost cry at the anecdote of David Niven (Not being able to watch anymore of his films after this death), and the story about his cancer battle. Mainly because I love Moore so much! What a guy.

[Simon]

Hmm yes - the David Niven bit.

I choked at that too...

[PPK_19]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The David Niven part was particularly touching, as many of you have said.

[Stainless Steel Teeth INC]

The simple fact I've yet to hear any truly negative things about Roger Moore says so much more about the man than any inane questions Morgan cared to throw into the mix. As an interviewer he only seems to revel in any potential salacious gossip and completely fails to naturally bring out the subtleties of his subject.

What I would really relish seeing though is a candid chat between Moore & Michael Caine. Only then I think we'd get to see a less defensive and fascinating insight into the lives of two British iconic actors who also happen to be good friends.

[marktmurphy]

There was that lovely programme a couple of years ago about British tailoring, a segment of which followed Sir Roger and Sir Michael as they visited their tailor together. It's a joy.

Roger's got a little bit frailer in the few years since that was on.

[Stainless Steel Teeth INC]

What a great clip and thanks for posting!

These two really do have great chemistry and to not get them both on screen together recounting their memories would be a real missed opportunity.

[Skudor]

I saw the interview by chance, and quite enjoyed it - says a lot about Roger Moore that he made the appalling Pierce Morgan look good (why is that man on TV? Whom has he blackmailed?). I did take away from the chat that Moore is far more insecure about his acting than I ever thought; and he's very proud of his children.

And I would love to see a Moore/Cain chat - that would be truly interesting.

[Simon]

1. The simple fact I've yet to hear any truly negative things about Roger Moore says so much more about the man than any inane questions Morgan cared to throw into the mix. As an interviewer he only seems to revel in any potential salacious gossip and completely fails to naturally bring out the subtleties of his subject.

2. What I would really relish seeing though is a candid chat between Moore & Michael Caine. Only then I think we'd get to see a less defensive and fascinating insight into the lives of two British iconic actors who also happen to be good friends.

1. Agreed.

2. Good idea.

And Skudor, I am not sure he is that insecure about his acting, more he knows his range and he's happy with that. The rest his is self depracation - imo. Any massive insecurity would not have offered such a breezy entrance in to the Bond canon where everyone But Mooe was concerned about following Connery.

[marktmurphy]

When Morgan asked him about wanting an Oscar and preferring character parts to pretty boy parts it very nearly got interesting: Roger seemed a bit passionate then, which you don't often see.