British actor Roger Moore, who played the suave secret agent James Bond seven times, was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters, one of France's highest honours, at a ceremony in Paris Tuesday.

Culture Minister Christine Albanel, who presented the honour to Moore, said he was a true legend of both cinema and television.

"France is happy and proud to honour a legendary actor with an immense heart," said Albanel.

Moore first became famous in the 1960s television series The Saint. He also teamed up with US actor Tony Curtis in the 1970 series The Persuaders, in which they played a couple of rich playboys with a sideline in investigating crimes.

He played his first Bond film, "Live and Let Die", in 1973, taking over from Sean Connery. He played his last one, "A View to a Kill", in 1985.


The 81-year-old actor was in Paris to promote his memoirs, which have just been published.

As well as his acting career, Moore has worked as a goodwill ambassador for the UN children's organisation UNICEF and received awards for his many years of charity work.

In England, he received a CBE from the Queen in 1999 and he was knighted in 2003.

Source: AFP