That was his screen name. He writes better than Bond- Roger Moore, that is. I read Moore's autobiography earlier, but found it mildly interesting or soporific depending on the time of the day. This one is better-written; the humour is good. Sample this- he quotes a joke from a stand-up comedian- "I slept like a log. I woke up in the fireplace." And a couple of lines from an Austin Powers movie that he starred in-
1. explaining why he had a stiff neck- "I took a Viagra and it got stuck in my throat" (not Michael Caine's line, but the hero's), and
2. another line, his own-"There are only two things I hate in the world: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch."
His own fondness for humour comes through in the book. Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels was a comedy he starred in and rates highly- it stars in my top ten Hollywood films too. Another favourite he and I share is the actor Humphrey Bogart, and two of his films- The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.
He grew up poor, acted on stage, and struggled long years. Sean Connery was a co-struggler. But he got some lucky breaks, and finally made it to Hollywood, his dream. The Ipcress File and Alfie were the films that got him into the limelight (why is it called that?), and Shirley Maclaine adopted him and introduced him to most Hollywood biggies.
His wife Shakira is of Indian origin. He saw her in a Maxwell House coffee ad on TV and was besotted. He found she lived in London, sought her out and dated her, and married her. And stayed married across
continents and decades.
There's also a section on how the name"Hollywood" came to be. Many anecdotes are interesting, like the kneeling rehearsal for being knighted. Most stars known to me feature in these. His take on social issues like racism, class prejudice, is also well-thought out.
Worth a read. Warning- this is the second of his two autobiographies. Title- The Elephant (a locality in England) to Hollywood.
1. explaining why he had a stiff neck- "I took a Viagra and it got stuck in my throat" (not Michael Caine's line, but the hero's), and
2. another line, his own-"There are only two things I hate in the world: people who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch."
His own fondness for humour comes through in the book. Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels was a comedy he starred in and rates highly- it stars in my top ten Hollywood films too. Another favourite he and I share is the actor Humphrey Bogart, and two of his films- The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.
He grew up poor, acted on stage, and struggled long years. Sean Connery was a co-struggler. But he got some lucky breaks, and finally made it to Hollywood, his dream. The Ipcress File and Alfie were the films that got him into the limelight (why is it called that?), and Shirley Maclaine adopted him and introduced him to most Hollywood biggies.
His wife Shakira is of Indian origin. He saw her in a Maxwell House coffee ad on TV and was besotted. He found she lived in London, sought her out and dated her, and married her. And stayed married across
continents and decades.
There's also a section on how the name"Hollywood" came to be. Many anecdotes are interesting, like the kneeling rehearsal for being knighted. Most stars known to me feature in these. His take on social issues like racism, class prejudice, is also well-thought out.
Worth a read. Warning- this is the second of his two autobiographies. Title- The Elephant (a locality in England) to Hollywood.
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