Sir Roger Moore was 'the most charming man'
A restaurant owner fondly remembers Sir Roger Moore as a most “charming” man, and recalls how he almost missed out on meeting his childhood idol.
The 89-year-old who was best known for playing James Bond, died today at his home in Switzerland following a short battle with cancer.
Moore was the longest serving James Bond actor, spending 12 years in the role and featuring in seven Bond films from 1973 to 1985.
In 2014 he performed at a sell-out show at Venue Cymru in Llandudno with his one man show-An Evening with Sir Roger Moore. Whilst staying in the seaside town he raved about a little French restaurant in Deganwy called La Paysanne.
He dined there in 2013 and 2014, once bringing his wife Kristina ‘Kiki’ Tholstrup, and assistant Gareth.
Twitter reacts to the death of Sir Roger Moore
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Bond fan Cai Ross, who owns the restaurant, said when he first received the call asking for a table of three, he explained the restaurant wasn’t open for lunch on Tuesday’s.
Cai said: “I heard a voice reply, ‘Oh, that’s a pity, it was Roger Moore who wanted to come’.”
“And I swiftly replied and what time would you like to arrive, sir?”
“He could not have been more charming; his trademark self-deprecation clearly a genuine trait and not something he pulled out for the talk shows,” said Cai.
“He was quick to call out our head chef, David to shower him with compliments. It was all I could do to remain professional and not burst into hysterics and thank him for all the countless hours of pleasure he had given me as a child.
(Photo: AP)
“He was my generation’s Bond in an age when a James Bond movie on TV was a national event, so I idolised the man and spent most of my childhood impersonating him.
“He dined with us again the following year, the same day as his sell-out One Man Show at Venue Cymru and the day before his birthday. “We bought him a copy of the cook book, which my young daughter, Caitlin, gave to him as a birthday present.
“He shot the breeze with her for a while before telling her that she looked like ‘a young Ingrid Bergman,’ which would have been a sweet thing to say from anyone but especially so from someone who actually knew Ingrid Bergman! “Never meet your heroes, goes the cliché. Couldn’t agree less.”
Sir Roger who lived in Monaco and Gstaad, in Switzerland, told the Daily Post, in 2014, that he did some of his National Service in Snowdonia.
“I did a few weeks of battle training around Bangor for my national service in 1945, which involved some running up and down in Snowdonia,” he said.
