James Bond actor, Roger Moore passes away

British actor Roger Moore, best known for his role as James Bond in films, passed away today in Switzerland after a brief battle with cancer. He was 89.

The family said that they will hold a private funeral in Monaco, where the actor lived.

With seven Bond films, Moore played the role more often than any of the other Bonds such as Sean Connery and Daniel Craig. He acted in films such as Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me.

In their statement, the family said Moore considered his work for UNICEF as his "greatest achievement".

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked onto a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year... in accordance with our father's wishes there will be a private funeral in Monaco."

Born in Stockwell, south London, Moore studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). He became a contender for the role of 007 after Scottish actor Connery announced in 1966 that he would no longer be appearing as Bond.

Besides his outings as Bond, Moore had an extensive and productive career as an actor in cinema and television.

His other prominent performance were in films such as Bullseye!, Bed & Breakfast, Curse of the Pink Panther and The Quest.

On small screen, Moore was popular for doing Ivanhoe, The Saint and The Persuaders.

Moore penned two books about his time as Bond as well as two autobiographies, including "My Word is My Bond: The Autobiography", which was peppered with anecdotes about his encounters with other stars and his memories of his time in Hollywood.

An active philanthropist, he became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1991.

His children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian shared a post on Twitter informing about his death.

'With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated,' they tweeted along with a picture:

 In the picture: Sir Roger Moore. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images