The Name is Moore. Roger Moore.
Ten years ago, I was involved in the relaunch of a Turkish business. The owner wanted a celebrity to appear on stage to endorse the project. I was able to secure Roger Moore, who is best known for his role as James Bond in the 007 theatricals (1973-1985), and TV’s The Saint (1961-1969). Moore’s agent agreed to the deal. There were a few conditions. Moore and his entourage only flew First Class or by Private jet. Since there is no First Class service within Europe (only Business & Economy), the company I consulted offered their personal jet, a Gulfstream. He also wanted fresh croissants and champagne. My kind of guy.
So, my wife and I flew with the crew of four from Istanbul to St. Petersburg, Russia, as Roger was wrapping up production in a theatrical feature. We stayed overnight and left early in the morning for Istanbul.
The return was uneventful. We reviewed the evening’s activities and script. We drank some champagne and ate some croissants. After all, it was a requirement in the deal.
Once we cleared VIP customs at Ataturk Istanbul Airport, the limos took us into the city. Roger, his then-fiance, Kiki, (now his wife), and an agent and I sat in one car. My wife, with other members of the entourage were in the second limo.
As we drove in, there was a minor accident. A driver in another car ‘rear-ended’ us as he was in a rush. Turks are notoriously bad drivers. They’re called ‘road monsters.’
Our limo stopped as did the other driver’s car. The second limo stopped, as well.
The driver that hit us became enraged and was yelling (in Turkish, of course). This ensued for several minutes.
At some point, Roger looked at his watch (an Omega), and asked me what time we needed to be at rehearsals. We realized we had little time to check into the hotel, have a light snack and go onto the theatre.
So Roger, rolled down the window in the rear of the limo and began to ask in his very own and unique style, “Excuse me, is there a problem?” One can envision James Bond, polite and proper, asking the question.
Suddenly there was silence. The other driver looked at us and mouthed the name, “James Bond.” At that point, Roger rolled up the window and said, “works every time.” He then called his son to tell him the story.
In a few moments, we were on our way to the hotel.
We had a delightful weekend. After the successful relaunch of the business that night, Roger and Kiki departed to be on their own.
On Saturday, we gave them a tour of Istanbul. He was stopped dozens of times at some of Istanbul’s great historical sites. He had never been to Istanbul before.
That afternoon, we stopped at the Habana cigar shop to purchase some cigars for the evening. The CEO of the Turkish company hosted a lovely dinner at a rooftop restaurant in the hotel. We enjoyed the excellent Turkish cuisine, French wine, cognac and Fidel’s finest cigars.
He and Kiki left Sunday back to their home in Monte Carlo, Monaco. They were in such a rush to the airport, we learned after they departed on the private jet that they left much of their clothes.
The hotel kindly packed everything up and sent it onto Roger on Monday.
We had a grand time. He was such a delight to host. A real charming man with worldly interests.[ad#celebrity-post-ad
Subscribe: