Sir Roger Moore, James Bond Actor, Dies of Cancer At 89 Tuesday May 23,2017

Former James Bond star Roger Moore, known for his swashbuckling looks and piercing gaze, has died after a short but brave battle with cancer, his family said. He was 89.

Roger Moore died on Tuesday May 23,2017 in Switzerland, it was announced by his family

"With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," the message shared on the actor's official Twitter account read.

Roger Moore enjoyed worldwide popularity not just for his acting filmography, but also philanthropic work.

His family said: "We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for Unicef, which he considered to be his greatest achievement.

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall.

"The capacity crowd cheered him on and off stage, shaking the very foundations of the building just a short distance from where he was born."

There will be a private funeral in Monaco as per Moore's wish, the statement revealed

The statement was signed by his children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.

Roger Roger Moore was the third actor to play British secret agent James Bond, in 7 feature films released between 1973 and 1985 -

1.  Live and Let Die
2. The Man with the Golden Gun
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
4. Moonraker
5. For Your Eyes Only
6. Octopussy and 
7. A View to a Kill.

Born in London, the only child of a policeman, Roger Moore had studied painting before enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He played a few small roles in theater and films before his mandatory army duty, then moved to Hollywood in the 1950s. He appeared opposite Elizabeth Taylor in 1954's The Last Time I Saw Paris and with Eleanor Parker in "Interrupted Melody" the following year.

In 1970, he became managing director for European production for Faberge's Brut Productions. With the company, he co-starred with Tony Curtis in The Persuaders! for British television and helped produce "A Touch of Class," which won a best-actress Oscar for Glenda Jackson.

Three years later, he made his first Bond film, "Live and Let Die." He would make six more, The Man With the Golden Gun,The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and A View to a Kill over the next 12 years. And while the Bond of the Ian Fleming novels that the films were based on was generally described as being in his 30s, Moore would stay with the role until he was 57.

He continued to work regularly in films after handing over Bond to Timothy Dalton, but never with the same success. His post-Bond films included such forgettable efforts as The Quest with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Spice World with the Spice Girls.

Moore was divorced three times, from skater Doorn Van Steyn in 1953, English singer Dorothy Squires in 1969 and Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, the mother of his children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian, in 2000.

Roger Moore and his wife, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, on their honeymoon in Cannes, France, April 17, 1969.

He married Swedish socialite Kristina Tholstrup in 2002

Sir Roger with his fourth wife, Swedish-born socialite Kristina 'Kiki' Tholstrup

In 2003, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, not for his acting, but for his humanitarian work. Moore received the Dag Hammarskjold Inspiration Award for his contributions to UNICEF and was named a commander in France's National Order of Arts and Letters in 2008, an award he said was worth "more than an Oscar."

In this Sunday, November 17, 1996 file photo, three of the actors who played James Bond, Timothy Dalton left, Roger Moore, center, and Pierce Brosnan, at a London cinema to celebrate the life of Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli, the American film producer behind seventeen Bond movies