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Roger Moore's Island visit showed different side to actor

He might have been best-known as Bond, but the late Sir Roger Moore was also a tireless advocate for children, and it was that role that brought him to P.E.I. in 1996.

Late Bond hero came to P.E.I. in 1996, as UNICEF ambassador

CBC News ·
Sir Roger Moore visited P.E.I. in 1996 as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. (CBC)

People today, especially James Bond fans, are remembering the British actor Sir Roger Moore, who has passed away at 89.

Moore played the British agent in seven films from 1973 to 1985, including Live And Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me and A View To A Kill.

Moore also had a connection to Prince Edward Island, visiting in 1996 in a much different role.

He had a long-standing job as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the UN agency for the protection of children.

During the visit, Moore explained to CBC's Matt Rainnie how he got involved with the organization.

Moore worked tirelessly for UNICEF, a role that eventually dominated his time as he pulled back from film and television. (CBC)
"About seven or eight years ago, Audrey Hepburn asked me to co-host The Danny Kaye International Children's Awards Show with her from The Hague, I was very happy to do it," he said. "Then listening to Audrey talk, and seeing some of the footage that was used during that show, I felt that I had to learn a little more."

Commitment to UNICEF

That little more led to a commitment he kept for decades, not just as an ambassador but as a witness who would share important stories with the world.

Sir Roger Moore's knighthood was to recognize his charity work, which he said pleased him more than if it had been for his acting fame. (CBC)
"I was in northern Brazil, where amongst their many problems, amongst the many young people's problems, is the problem of the street children," Moore said.

"And a nun came to see me, and she brought two children with her, a 12-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. And this girl was a prostitute. She had been raped the first time when she was eight by a policeman. That's just another example of what one sees, and why you become part of UNICEF."

'We have to educate the world'

Moore was in the middle of speaking tour that took him across continents, appearing at a gala dinner in Charlottetown, and then he would head to Winnipeg, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Copenhagen.

"You see how beastly the world can be to children, we have to educate the world, we have to make an awareness," he said. "We are the voice of children, they are entitled to be heard. But their voices aren't strong enough, and so somebody has to get up and do it."

For his charity work, Moore was knighted in 2003, which he said meant more to him than being honoured for his acting.

He died in Switzerland Monday from cancer.

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