title: Fernando Alonso

text: He remained with Renault for . Alonso had an improved season: he finished the season-opening in third position and took three more podium finishes that year. He took pole position for the and achieved no race victories en route to fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 59 points. Alonso stayed at Renault for . He duelled with McLaren driver Kimi Räikkönen for the World Championship in 2005 due to regulation changes mandating teams not to change tyres during a race and engines had to last for two races before they could be changed. Alonso's car was more reliable than Räikkönen's albeit lacking in speed. Alonso eclipsed Emerson Fittipaldi as the youngest World Drivers' Champion, having won seven victories, six pole positions and fourteen podium finishes for 133 points.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He signed a contract extension with Renault for in April 2005. Bookmakers installed Alonso as the favourite to retain the Drivers' Championship. His primary competition was Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher. Alonso won six of the first nine races and finished no lower than second to lead the championship with 84 out of a possible 90 points. An Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; F1's governing body)-imposed ban on Renault's tuned mass damper device to slow Alonso and an increase of development into Schumacher's Ferrari for competitiveness saw the two tied on points entering the season's penultimate round, the . Alonso won the race as Schumacher retired due to an engine failure whilst leading. He needed to score one point at the season-ending for a second title. Alonso won the championship by finishing second and was Formula 1's youngest double World Champion.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He and McLaren team owner Ron Dennis met secretly in Japan after Dennis talked to Alonso about driving for the team in the future and Alonso expressed interest in the idea. Both men agreed to a three-year contract for Alonso to drive for McLaren starting from . Alonso's contract with Renault expired on 31 December 2006, and he was not granted an early release for sponsorship reasons. Renault allowed Alonso to make his first appearance for McLaren in a test session at the Circuito de Jerez in November 2006. His main competitors in 2007 were his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Räikkönen at Ferrari. Alonso achieved four Grand Prix victories in Malaysia, Monaco, Europe and Italy and led the championship until Hamilton overtook him. Prior to the season's final round, the , he had 103 championship points to Räikkönen's 100 and Hamilton's 107, and needed to win the race and for his teammate to finish third or lower for his third title. Alonso finished the event third for third overall with 109 points. He had the same number of points as Hamilton; the tie was broken on count-back as Hamilton finished second more often than Alonso.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Throughout the season, Alonso and Hamilton were involved in a number of incidents, such as the espionage scandal and the flare-up during qualifying for the when Hamilton disobeyed a team instruction, thus disadvantaging Alonso, and Alonso responded by delaying Hamilton in the pit lane. The tensions culminated in Alonso and McLaren terminating their contract by mutual consent in November. Alonso was forbidden from joining a team whom McLaren considered their primary challengers for . After rejecting offers from several teams, he signed a two-year contract to rejoin Renault from 2008 because of the manufacturer's long-term commitment to F1 and on-track record. Alonso's car lacked power early on due to an imposed moratorium in development and he scored nine points in the first seven races. He was thereafter able to improve his performance later due to aerodynamic developments to the car's and won in Singapore and Japan; the former race saw Renault order his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately and trigger the deployment of the safety car in what became known as "crashgate". Alonso scored more points than any other driver in the final five races with 43. He scored 61 points for fifth in the Drivers' Championship.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso was due to become a free agent for if Renault were lower than third in the Constructors' Championship. After offers from Red Bull Racing and Honda, he re-signed to Renault on a two-year contract. His car proved to be noncompetitive because it lacked a dual diffuser system and outright speed. Alonso eschewed an aerodynamic front wing mandated in an attempt to make overtaking more possible since he did not believe it would help him. He scored points in eight races and achieved one podium finish: a third-place at the . Alonso won pole position for the and led the first 12 laps before he retired following an incorrectly fitted right-front wheel. Alonso was ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 26 points, his lowest placing since he came sixth in 2003; he maintained his reputation as one of F1's best drivers.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He agreed with Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to drive for Ferrari in 2009, but team principal Jean Todt extended the contracts of both Felipe Massa and Räikkönen to . Alonso obtained a mid-2009 agreement to drive for Ferrari from on but it was moved to 2010 after Renault were investigated for race fixing in Singapore and Räikkönen was released from the team. McLaren's Hamilton and Button and Red Bull's of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were Alonso's main championship competition. He won five races that season and entered the season-ending leading by eight points after being 47 behind mid-season following errors. Alonso finished runner-up to Vettel after finishing seventh thereby losing 19 points to Vettel who won the race.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: His 2011 season was mixed: his car was built conservatively and lacked aerodynamic grip and tyre handling in qualifying. He extracted additional pace from his car to claim ten podium finishes and win the after a strategy error from Red Bull. His best qualification of the year was a second at the and he out-qualified his teammate Massa fifteen times over the course of the season. Alonso was fourth overall with 257 points; he was in contention to finish second to eventual champion Vettel following a series of strong finishes until Webber won the season-ending .


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Ahead of , Alonso extended his contract with Ferrari until . His main competition for the title in 2012 was Vettel. Wins in Malaysia, Valencia and Germany and consistent points-scoring finishes allowed him to build a 40-point lead in the Drivers' Championship. Thereafter start-line collisions, a mechanical failure and an improved performance for Vettel eliminated Alonso's points lead. Alonso entered the season-ending 13 points behind Vettel and needed to finish third and for Vettel not to score points for a third championship. He was second and Vettel finished fourth, despite spinning on the opening lap, resigning Alonso to be runner-up for the second time in his career on 278 points.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: To begin , Alonso drove an aggressively designed car allowing him to win in China and Spain and consistently scored points. He was slower than Vettel after a change of tyre compound at the and front and rear bodywork components intended to improve his car's performance were ineffective. With 242 points, Alonso was second for the third time in his career. His relationship with Ferrari cooled due to his perception the team could not construct a title-winning car.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso's 2014 season saw him achieve no race wins because his car was less powerful than the championship-winning Mercedes but took third in the and second in the . Alonso fell to sixth in the Drivers' Championship with 161 points. He qualified faster than his teammate Räikkönen 16 times by an average of more than second per lap in 2014.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso had severe disagreements with team principal Marco Mattiacci in 2014 and left Ferrari after contract negotiations to remain at the team fell through. He rejoined McLaren on a three-year contract from to with no opt-out clauses. An accident during a pre-season test session at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in February 2015 saw Alonso sustain a concussion and he was replaced by reserve driver Kevin Magnussen for the season-opening . He endured a difficult season: his car's Honda engine was under-powered and overall speed leaving him vulnerable to being passed. Alonso scored points twice in 2015: a tenth in the and a fifth in the for 17th in the Drivers' Championship with 11 points. He was dissatisfied with a slow pace, which became evident after multiple radio complaints that year.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Despite the unreliable and noncompetitive car, Alonso remained with McLaren for . Injuries from a heavy crash with Esteban Gutiérrez at the season-opening caused him to miss the on medical grounds and was replaced by reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne. He qualified better than teammate Button fifteen times and scored points nine times, which included two fifth-place finishes in the and the . He was tenth in the Drivers' Championship with 54 points.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso stayed at McLaren in , but poor reliability affected his season, particularly during the early rounds, and his best finish was a sixth place in the . After three consecutive top-ten finishes, Alonso finished 15th in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Following contract negotiations with the McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Alonso signed a multi-year extension with McLaren on 19 October 2017. He finished fifth at the season-opening 2018 and took nine top-ten finishes. Alonso out-qualified his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne at every race and drove quickly and aggressively. He became increasingly annoyed with certain drivers and his commitment to F1 waned after McLaren stopped developing their car to focus on . Alonso was 11th in the Drivers' Championship with 50 points, and left the sport as a driver at the end of the 2018 season, citing a perceived lack of on-track racing, the predictability of results and felt discussions away from racing about the broadcast of radio transmissions and polemics harmed the series.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He remained at McLaren as a brand ambassador to aid and advise drivers and drove in select test sessions to develop their cars. Alonso drove the MCL34 during a two-day in-season post-race Bahrain test in April 2019 to develop tyres for Pirelli. No further runs were planned for him and McLaren focused on their current drivers. Alonso's ambassador contract with McLaren expired at the end of 2019, and was not renewed for 2020.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso was signed to drive for Alpine F1 Team for the season, alongside Esteban Ocon, with Renault having rebranded the team under its new name. In preparation for his F1 return, Alonso performed four testing days driving the Renault R.S.18 and was quickest in the post-2020 season young driver's test driving the Renault R.S.20 for Renault. In his first race with Alpine at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso was forced to retire after plastic debris entered his brake duct. At the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix he finished in 11th after qualifying 15th, with teammate Ocon finishing ahead in tenth, but both were upgraded one position after Kimi Räikkönen was penalised, giving Alonso his first points of the season.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: In Hungary, Alonso temporarily led the race before he made a pit stop and fell to fourth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Teammate Ocon credited Alonso's defence against Hamilton with enabling him to achieve his first race victory. In August 2021, Alonso invoked an option to extend his contract for the season. Alonso scored points in multiple races following the summer break, finishing sixth in the Netherlands, eighth in Italy, sixth in Russia, having run in third in Russia before being forced to pit under wet conditions, and third in Qatar. His third-place finish at Qatar was his first podium finish since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso is due to join Aston Martin on a multi-year deal in . Alonso joined the team because he wanted a multi-year contract extension, and Alpine was only willing to give him one more year in F1.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso made his endurance racing debut at the 1999 24 Hours of Barcelona, finishing tenth overall in a Hyundai Accent he shared with Antonio García, Salvi Delmuns and the journalist Pedro Fermín Flores. He won the 2001 Race of Champions Nations Cup with the rally driver Jesús Puras and the motorcyclist Rubén Xaus for Team Spain, and was eliminated by Jeff Gordon of the United States in his group race a year later.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: In 2018, Alonso raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time. He shared the 22 United Autosports Ligier JS P2 with Lando Norris and Philip Hanson, which finished 38th overall after mechanical issues affected his race. He later raced the full 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima at Toyota Gazoo Racing. Sharing the No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, the trio won the World Drivers' Championship after a season-long duel with their teammates Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López with five race victories, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both and . Alonso returned to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019, winning the rain-shortened race in a Wayne Taylor Racing-entered Cadillac DPi-V.R with Kobayashi, Renger van der Zande and Jordan Taylor.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He first drove the Indianapolis 500 in 2017. Alonso drove for McLaren Honda Andretti, qualifying in fifth position for the race and leading four times for a total of 24 laps before retiring with engine failure with 21 laps remaining while running in seventh place. He was classified 24th. He returned to the Indianapolis 500 for a second time with McLaren in 2019. An error converting inches to the metric system causing his car to scrape the tarmac surface on his first lap on track and incorrect gear ratios meant Alonso failed to qualify for the race. He entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2020 for his third attempt at winning the race, this time with Arrow McLaren SP after an agreement with Andretti Autosport fell through. Alonso finished the race in 21st after clutch issues slowed pit stops.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso entered the Dakar Rally with Toyota in 2020 following a five-month testing programme in Africa, Europe and the Middle East and driving a series of races to better himself. With co-driver Marc Coma, he finished the event in 13th position with a best stage finish of second place. A stop for repairs on the second stage and a roll on the tenth lost him several hours in the general classification.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso is often regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers in the history of the sport. Journalists and fellow drivers regarded Alonso as a fast and consistent driver who can extract additional pace from a car in all weathers and on all tracks. Fisichella said Alonso understands when to go faster and when to preserve his tyres in a race. Former racing driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle described Alonso as "Senna-like in his intimate feel for where the grip is" and cited the driver's knowledge on how much grip to use for the entry to a turn. He drives aggressively and uses a braking area to put a car into a corner without losing speed exiting it. This allows Alonso to keep it "on the edge of adhesion" and it has been observed during a qualifying session and the first laps of a race. 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter has criticised Alonso for causing problems in teams. This opinion is shared by Christian Horner, who ruled out signing Alonso for Red Bull, as he caused chaos in previous teams.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso's experience increased his awareness of events around him and competitors in a race and adjusted his situation to focus on the drivers' championship. Alonso is an all-round driver who can mount an apex and correct a sliding car to go faster. He is careful in finding the ideal feeling with his brakes and can apply the maximum amount of force with a fast response time. Alonso's physical strength contrasts his braking skill and regularly exceeded that limit without overdoing it on multiple conditions. According to Jonathan Noble of Motorsport.com, this allows Alonso to "create a kind of natural ABS – fully exploiting tyre grip to achieve greater speeds while turning without locking the wheels."


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Bell (2017–) sports the yellow and red colours of the flag of Spain with shades of blue from the Asturias flag coupled with two silver thunderbolt arrows derived from a remote control car he received as a present in his childhood on top. He changed its mainbase colour design when switching teams during his F1 career; in 2008 Alonso attached two pictures of a spade, ace and heart symbol to show he was a two-time world champion.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: For three successive Monaco Grand Prix from 2011 to 2013 and at the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, he wore a gold and white coloured helmet to replace the blue and yellow. At the following 2013 Indian Grand Prix, Alonso sported a white helmet to celebrate his total number of career points scored up to the preceding Japanese Grand Prix of 1571 and with the words "F1 points World Record" accompanied with a thank you message in English, French and Italian.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: His final event for Ferrari at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw him wear a helmet with a picture depicting a pit stop in that year in the colour red, signature of various team members and the flag of Italy in the centre. At the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and the 2017 United States Grand Prix, Alonso sported a black helmet with red, yellow and blue stripes around it and his race number. He revised the livery for the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona to white instead of black and had no stripes around the front. The back had the layout of the Daytona International Speedway and continued to have his usual blue, red and yellow colours.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: In 2018 Alonso changed its front livery to be predominantly blue with the back top lighter blue and the rear red and yellow. His helmet for the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was divided equally between the flag of Spain on the right with a blue-checkered pattern around its side. The yellow on that area was replaced by gold between two horizontal stripes in red and a thick vertical strip was added with a list of Alonso's 32 F1 race victories.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: For the 2014 season, the FIA created a new regulation allowing drivers to select specific car numbers for use throughout their F1 career. Alonso requested the number 14 for it has been his lucky number since his world karting championship victory in a kart with number 14, at the age of 14, on 14 July 1996.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Nate Saunders of ESPN writes that Alonso "is one of the most eloquent speakers in F1 and one of the best at interacting with the media". He occasionally uses press conferences with the press to cultivate particular narratives of a story, convey himself as controlling the F1 driver market or as the one with knowledge of facts of a situation. Alonso dislikes fame and prefers a private life, with Chris Jenkins of "USA Today" describing him as shy. He has been noted for refraining from expensive habits and possessions.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso's public persona has been noted as being different from his private personality. Fellow Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. claimed "there are two Fernandos", alluding to Alonso's defensive nature when criticised because of his shyness, compared to his sense of humour, generosity and kind-nature when not racing. According to the "Autosport" journalist Ben Anderson, Alonso's success in F1 required him to behave egotistically and selfishly and to have a self-confidence, in order to cope with the consequences of "burst[ing] egotistical bubbles" to improve himself. Alonso acknowledged the façade and told Anderson "I know who I am outside of F1, but that remains a question mark for everybody because I like to separate my personal life from my professional life" and his different personality traits in public and private. Alonso made a voice cameo appearance as himself as a car in the Spanish-dubbed version of "Cars 2" (2011).


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Journalist Nigel Roebuck calls Alonso "the first world-class racing driver to come out of Spain", and is credited for popularising F1 in the country, where it was once considered a fringe sport and a lesser known form of motorsport than motorcycling and rallying. He was Personality Media's favourite male athlete with a 99 per cent recognition rating amongst the Spanish public in 2015; in the latter part of his F1 career, Alonso was within the top two most popular drivers in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association fan surveys of 2010, 2015 and 2017.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: The Fernando Alonso Sports Complex in Oviedo was opened in June 2015 and features a CIK-FIA compliant karting track featuring 29 layouts. A museum dedicated to his racing career, the 'Museo y Circuito Fernando Alonso', opened in the same year, featuring Alonso's race cars, helmets, overalls, and memorabilia.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso has done business with Banco Santander, Cajastur, TAG Heuer, Europcar, Silestone, Liberbank, ING, Chandon, Adidas, and Bang & Olufsen. He is the founder and brand ambassador of the fashion retailer Kimoa, and intended to establish the Fernando Alonso Cycling Team to compete in UCI events in 2015 before the project failed to materialise. As a result of Alonso's endorsement money and F1 salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by "Forbes" every year from 2012 to 2018. The magazine named him motorsport's top-earning driver from June 2012 to June 2013, one of 2016's top earning international stars, and one of 2017's highest-paid international and European celebrities. Alonso also featured on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2008 and 2017. In 2020, Alonso was sponsored by Roff Mortgage for his Indianapolis 500 attempt.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: In November 2017 Alonso established the FA Racing G2 Logitech G eSports racing team of which he is the team principal and competes in virtual online racing championships on multiple platforms. The team dissolved in 2018 and launched another in partnership with FA Racing and Veloce Esports in March 2019. Alonso's team has also competed in the F4 Spanish Championship, Formula Renault Eurocup and karting. He is an investor and board member of the eSports multi-racing platform Motorsport Games.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: The UNICEF Spanish Committee named Alonso a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in February 2005 to promote and defend children's rights and awareness of UNICEF. Alonso promoted India's efforts to eradicate polio in 2011 and handwashing with soap to school children in 2012, whilst he also supported UNICEF's anti-cyberbullying campaign in November 2017. Alonso founded the Fundación Fernando Alonso () in 2007 to promote motor racing and road safety education.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: Alonso received the 2003 "Autosport" Gregor Grant Award for winning the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. He also won the Princess Cristina National Sports Award for sporting newcomer in that year. Alonso was named the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy's recipient in April 2005. From October 2005 to May 2006 he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, the Premios Nacionales del Deporte Sportsman of the Year Award and the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit for winning the 2005 F1 World Championship.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He was named the 2006 Autosport International Racing Driver of the Year. Alonso was voted the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year for his performance in the 2017 Indianapolis 500. He was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame in 2017 for being a F1 World Champion and again as a FIA World Endurance Champion in 2019. This made Alonso the first driver to have been inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame twice.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: From November 2006 to December 2011, Alonso was married to Raquel del Rosario, the lead singer of the Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo. Since 2022, Alonso has been in a relationship with Austrian television presenter Andrea Schlager. Alonso supports the Real Madrid and Real Oviedo football teams, and is a cycling enthusiast. He is 174 cm (5'9") tall, and speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish.


title: Fernando Alonso

text: He broke the record for the longest distance covered in F1 with a total of 92,643 Kilometers driven after his fifth-place finish in the 2022 British Grand Prix.


title: Akshay Kumar filmography

text: Akshay Kumar is an Indian naturalised Canadian actor, television presenter and film producer who works in Hindi-language films. He appeared as unnoticed minor role in the 1987 Indian film "Aaj". Although He debuted in a leading role with "Saugandh" (1991) before breakthrough with the suspense thriller "Khiladi" (1992), first film of the "Khiladi" series. He established himself as an action hero with "Deedar" (1992), "Mohra" (1994), "Main Khiladi Tu Anari" (1994), "Suhaag" (1994), "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi" (1996) and earned his first Filmfare Awards nominations for the romantic films "Yeh Dillagi" (1994) and "Dil To Pagal Hai" (1997). However, several other of his 90s releases performed poorly at the box office leading to a brief setback in his film career.


title: Akshay Kumar filmography

text: The hit crime drama "Jaanwar" (1999) met with critical acclaim and marked his comeback. In 2000, Kumar worked in Priyadarshan's comedy "Hera Pheri" and the love triangle "Dhadkan". He played a negative role in "Ajnabee" (2001) to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award and appeared in "Andaaz" (2003), "Aitraaz" (2004), "Khakee" (2004) and


title: Akshay Kumar filmography

text: "Bhagam Bhag" (2006), "Phir Hera Pheri" (2006), "Welcome" (2007), "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" (2007), "Singh Is Kinng" (2008), "Housefull" (2010) and "Tees Maar Khan" (2010) made him a popular comedian and he won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award for "Garam Masala". In 2004, he also presented the television series "Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar".


title: Akshay Kumar filmography

text: In 2007, Kumar ruled the box office with his all four comedy films "Welcome", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", "Heyy Babyy" and "Namastey London". In 2008, he founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company, and hosted the of the reality game show "". Next year he was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, for his services to the Indian film industry. Kumar hosted the first season of "MasterChef India" in 2010. In 2011 he founded another production company Grazing Goat Pictures, and produced the Indo-Canadian hockey-based film "Breakaway", which became the highest grossing cross-cultural film at the Canadian box office. He again conquered at the domestic box office in 2012 with financial hits like the masala film "Rowdy Rathore", the comedies "Housefull 2" and "Khiladi 786", and the satire "OMG – Oh My God!" with the former two being his first films to enter 100 Crore Club.


title: Akshay Kumar filmography

text: Shortly thereafter, Kumar established a great box office pull with multiple critically or commercially successful projects like heist film "Special 26" (2013), the action thrillers "" (2014) and "Airlift" (2016), the spy drama "Baby" (2015), the masala film "Gabbar Is Back" (2015), the comedies "Singh Is Bliing" (2015) and "Housefull 3" (2016), the crime thriller "Rustom" (2016), the dramas "Jolly LLB 2" (2017), "" (2017) and "Padman" (2018), the sports film "Gold" (2018) and the war film "Kesari" (2019); for "Rustom", he won National Film Award for Best Actor. He hosted "Dare 2 Dance" in 2014 and debuted in Tamil cinema with a negative role in India's most expensive film budgeted at 550 crore, the sci-fi extravaganza "2.0" (2018) which is the the fifth highest-grossing Indian film. In 2019 he made a big record by delivering three consecutive 200 Crore Club films with "Mission Mangal", "Housefull 4" and "Good Newwz" in additional to the 150 Crore Club grosser "Kesari". This was followed by his titular role as an ATS chief in Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe film "Sooryavanshi" (2021), the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2021.


title: Roger Moore

text: Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985. Moore's seven appearances as Bond, from "Live and Let Die" to "A View to a Kill", are the most of any actor in the Eon-produced entries.


title: Roger Moore

text: On television, Moore played the lead role of Simon Templar, the title character in the British mystery thriller series "The Saint" (1962–1969). He also had roles in American series, including Beau Maverick on the Western "Maverick" (1960–1961), in which he replaced James Garner as the lead, and a co-lead, with Tony Curtis, in the action-comedy "The Persuaders!" (1971–1972). Continuing to act on screen in the decades after his retirement from the Bond franchise, Moore's final appearance was in a pilot for a new "Saint" series that became a 2017 television film.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for services to charity. In 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry. He was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2008.


title: Roger Moore

text: Roger Moore was born on 14 October 1927 in Stockwell, London. He was the only child of George Alfred Moore (1904–1997), a policeman based in Bow Street, London, and Lillian "Lily" Pope (1904–1986). His mother was born in Calcutta, India, to an English family. He attended Battersea Grammar School, but was evacuated to Holsworthy in Devon during the Second World War, and attended Launceston College in Cornwall. He was further educated at Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was apprenticed to an animation studio, but was fired after he made a mistake with some animation cels. When his father investigated a robbery at the home of film director Brian Desmond Hurst, Moore was introduced to the director and hired as an extra for the 1945 film "Caesar and Cleopatra". While there, Moore attracted an off-camera female fan following, and Hurst decided to pay Moore's fees at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Moore spent three terms at RADA, where he was a classmate of his future Bond co-star Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny. During his time there, he developed the Mid-Atlantic accent and relaxed demeanour that became his screen persona.


title: Roger Moore

text: At 18, shortly after the end of the Second World War, Moore was conscripted for national service. On 21 September 1946, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps as a second lieutenant. He was an officer in the Combined Services Entertainment section, eventually becoming a captain commanding a small depot in West Germany. There he looked after entertainers for the armed forces passing through Hamburg.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore made his professional debut in Alexander Korda's "Perfect Strangers" (1945) alongside actors Robert Donat, Deborah Kerr, and Glynis Johns. Other early uncredited appearances include "Caesar and Cleopatra" (1945), "Gaiety George", "Piccadilly Incident" (both 1946), and "Trottie True" (1949), in which he appeared alongside an uncredited Christopher Lee (both actors being cast by Brian Desmond Hurst as stage-door Johnnies).


title: Roger Moore

text: In his book "Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown", Moore states that his first television appearance was on 27 March 1949 in "The Governess" by Patrick Hamilton, a live broadcast (as usual in that era), in which he played the minor part of Bob Drew. Other actors in the show included Clive Morton and Betty Ann Davies. He had uncredited parts in films including "Paper Orchid" and "The Interrupted Journey" (both 1949). He was in "Drawing-Room Detective" on TV and appeared in the films "One Wild Oat" and "Honeymoon Deferred" (both 1951).


title: Roger Moore

text: In the early 1950s Moore worked as a model, appearing in print advertisements in the UK for knitwear (earning him the nickname "The Big Knit") and a wide range of other products such as toothpaste.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore travelled to the United States and began to work in television. He appeared in adaptations of "Julius Caesar" and "Black Chiffon", and in two episodes of "Robert Montgomery Presents", as well as the TV movie "The Clay of Kings" (all 1953).


title: Roger Moore

text: In March 1954, MGM signed Moore to a seven-year contract. He started his MGM contract with a small role in "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (1954), flirting with Elizabeth Taylor. He appeared in "Interrupted Melody", a biographical movie about opera singer Marjorie Lawrence's recovery from polio, in which he was billed third under Glenn Ford and Eleanor Parker as Lawrence's brother Cyril. That same year, he played a supporting role in the swashbuckler "The King's Thief" starring Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven and George Sanders.


title: Roger Moore

text: In the 1956 film "Diane", Moore was billed third again, this time under Lana Turner and Pedro Armendariz, in a 16th-century period piece set in France with Moore playing Prince Henri, the future king. Moore was released from his MGM contract after two years following the film's critical and commercial failure. In his own words, "At MGM, RGM [Roger George Moore] was NBG [no bloody good]."


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore then freelanced for a time, appearing in episodes of "Ford Star Jubilee" (1956), "Lux Video Theatre" (1957) and "Matinee Theatre" (1957).


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's first success was playing the eponymous hero, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in the 1958–59 series "Ivanhoe", a loose adaptation of the 1819 romantic novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the 12th century during the era of Richard the Lionheart, delving into Ivanhoe's conflict with Prince John. Shot mainly in England at Elstree Studios and Buckinghamshire, some of the show was also filmed in California owing to a partnership with Columbia Studios' Screen Gems. Aimed at younger audiences, the pilot was filmed in colour, a reflection of its comparatively high budget for a British children's adventure series of the period, but subsequent episodes were shot in black and white. Christopher Lee and John Schlesinger were among the show's guest stars, and series regulars included Robert Brown (who in the 1980s played M in several James Bond films) as the squire Gurth, Peter Gilmore as Waldo Ivanhoe, Andrew Keir as villainous Prince John, and Bruce Seton as noble King Richard. Moore suffered broken ribs and a battle-axe blow to his helmet while performing some of his own stunts filming a season of 39 half-hour episodes, and later reminisced, "I felt a complete Charlie riding around in all that armour and damned stupid plumed helmet. I felt like a medieval fireman."


title: Roger Moore

text: After that, he spent a few years mainly doing one-shot parts in television series, including an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in 1959 titled "The Avon Emeralds". He signed another long-term contract to a studio, this time to Warner Bros.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 1959, he took the lead role in "The Miracle", a version of the play "Das Mirakel" for Warner Bros. showcasing Carroll Baker as a nun. The part had been turned down by Dirk Bogarde. That same year, Moore was directed by Arthur Hiller in "The Angry Young Man", an episode of the television series "The Third Man" starring Michael Rennie as criminal mastermind Harry Lime, the role portrayed by Orson Welles in the film version.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's next television series involved playing the lead as "Silky" Harris for the ABC/Warner Bros. 1959–60 Western "The Alaskans", with co-stars Dorothy Provine as Rocky, Jeff York as Reno, and Ray Danton as Nifty. The show ran for a single season of 37 hour-long episodes on Sunday nights. Though set in Skagway, Alaska, with a focus on the Klondike Gold Rush around 1896, the series was filmed in the hot studio lot at Warner Bros. in Hollywood with the cast costumed in fur coats and hats. Moore found the work highly taxing and his off-camera affair with Provine complicated matters even more. Moore later referred to the experience as his "most appalling television series."


title: Roger Moore

text: He subsequently appeared as the questionable character "14 Karat John" in the two-part episode "Right Off the Boat" of the ABC/WB crime drama "The Roaring 20s", with Rex Reason, John Dehner, Gary Vinson, and Dorothy Provine, appearing in a similar role, but with a different character name.


title: Roger Moore

text: In the wake of "The Alaskans", Moore was cast as Beau Maverick, an English-accented cousin of frontier gamblers Bret Maverick (James Garner), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly), and Brent Maverick (Robert Colbert) in the much more successful ABC/WB Western series "Maverick".


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore appeared as the character in 14 episodes after Garner had left the series at the end of the previous season, wearing some of Garner's costumes; while filming "The Alaskans", he had already recited much of Garner's dialogue, for the Alaskan series frequently recycled "Maverick" scripts, changing only the names and locales. He had also filmed a "Maverick" episode with Garner two seasons earlier, in which Moore played a different character, in a retooling of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 comedy of manners play "The Rivals". In the course of the story, Moore and Garner's characters switched names on a bet, with Moore consequently identifying himself as "Bret Maverick" through most of the episode.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's debut as Beau Maverick occurred in the first episode of the 1960–61 fourth season, "The Bundle from Britain", one of four episodes in which he shared screen time with cousin Bart (Jack Kelly). Robert Altman wrote and directed "Bolt from the Blue", an episode featuring Will Hutchins as a frontier lawyer similar to his character in the series "Sugarfoot", and "Red Dog" found Beau mixed up with vicious bank robbers Lee Van Cleef and John Carradine. Kathleen Crowley was Moore's leading lady in two episodes ("Bullet for the Teacher" and "Kiz"), and others included Mala Powers, Roxane Berard, Fay Spain, Merry Anders, Andra Martin, and Jeanne Cooper. Upon leaving the series, Moore cited a decline in script quality since the Garner era as the key factor in his decision to depart; ratings for the show were also down. Moore was originally slated to appear with both Jack Kelly and Robert Colbert in the series but by the time Colbert starred in his first episode, Moore had already left the series. Numerous early publicity stills of Kelly, Moore and Colbert posing together exist, however.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was still under contract with Warners, who cast him in "The Sins of Rachel Cade" (1961), making love to a nun played by Angie Dickinson, and "Gold of the Seven Saints" (1961), supporting Clint Walker. He also went to Italy to make the adventure comedy "Romulus and the Sabines" (1961).


title: Roger Moore

text: Lew Grade cast Moore as Simon Templar in a new adaptation of "The Saint", based on the novels by Leslie Charteris. Moore said in an interview in 1963 that he wanted to buy the rights to Leslie Charteris's character and the trademarks. The television series was broadcast by ITV in the UK between 1962 and 1969, and its overseas success made Moore a household name. After the strong performance in the US of the first two series in first-run syndication, NBC picked up the show in 1966. By early 1967, Moore had achieved international stardom. The series established his suave, quipping style which he carried forward to James Bond, and also saw him exhibit his trademark raised eyebrow. Francis Blagburn in "The Telegraph" writes,


title: Roger Moore

text: "The Saint" ran from 1962 for six series and 118 episodes. Moore went on to direct nine episodes of the later series, which moved into colour in 1967. Several episodes were edited together to form the films, "The Saint and the Fiction Makers" (1968) and "Vendetta for the Saint" (1969).


title: Roger Moore

text: He made two films immediately after the series ended: "Crossplot" (1969), a lightweight 'spy caper' movie, and the more challenging "The Man Who Haunted Himself" (1970). Directed by Basil Dearden, it gave Moore the opportunity to demonstrate greater versatility than the role of Simon Templar had allowed. In 2004, Moore said of "The Man Who Haunted Himself": "It was one of the few times I was allowed to act... Many say my best role was in "The Man Who Haunted Himself". Being a modest actor, I won't disagree."


title: Roger Moore

text: Lew Grade lured Moore to star alongside Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders!". The show featured the adventures of two millionaire playboys across Europe. Moore was paid the then-unheard-of sum of £1 million for a single series, making him the highest-paid television actor in the world. Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography "Still Dancing", that Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well". Curtis refused to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while Moore was always willing to work overtime. According to the DVD commentary, neither Roger Moore, an uncredited co-producer, nor Robert S. Baker, the credited producer, ever had a contract other than a handshake with Lew Grade.


title: Roger Moore

text: Despite its focus on the UK and US markets, "The Persuaders!" became more successful in other international markets. On its premiere on the ITV network, it was beaten in the ratings by repeats of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC One. It did however place in the Top 20 most-viewed television series in the UK throughout 1971. The lack of success in the US, where it had been sold to ABC, Curtis put down to its showing at the Saturday 10pm slot, but it was successful in continental Europe and Australia. In Germany, where the series was aired under the name "Die Zwei" ("The Two"), it became a hit through especially amusing dubbing which only barely used translations of the original dialogue.


title: Roger Moore

text: Due to his commitment to several television shows, in particular "The Saint", Roger Moore was unavailable for the James Bond films for a considerable time. His participation in "The Saint" was as actor, producer, and director, and he also became involved in developing the series "The Persuaders!". In 1964, he made a guest appearance as James Bond in the comedy series "Mainly Millicent". Moore stated in his autobiography "My Word Is My Bond" (2008) that he had neither been approached to play the character in "Dr. No", nor did he feel that he had ever been considered. Only after Sean Connery had declared in 1966 that he would not play Bond any longer did Moore become aware that he might be a contender for the role. After George Lazenby was cast in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and Connery was enticed back to the role of Bond again for "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), Moore did not consider the possibility until it seemed clear that Connery had stepped down as Bond for good. At that point, Moore was approached, and he accepted producer Albert Broccoli's offer in August 1972. In his autobiography, Moore writes that he had to cut his hair and lose weight for the role. Although he resented having to make those changes, he was finally cast as James Bond in "Live and Let Die" (1973).


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore then made "Gold" (1974), based on a novel by Wilbur Smith for producer Michael Klinger and director Peter R. Hunt. He was paid US$200,000 plus a percentage of the profits.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore made his second Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974), which was a hit, though less successful than "Live and Let Die". It featured Christopher Lee as the main antagonist. Also appearing are Britt Ekland, Herve Villechaize, and Maud Adams. He then made a comedy "That Lucky Touch" (1975) which was a box office disaster. Moore made an Italian-shot action film "Street People" (1976), then went back to South Africa for another Klinger-Hunt movie from a Wilbur Smith novel, "Shout at the Devil" (1976), which was successful in Britain, though less so in the US. Lee Marvin was a main cast member. Ian Holm was also featured, as well as Barbara Parkins.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore returned for a third outing as Bond in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977), which was a massive box-office success. It also starred Barbara Bach, and Richard Kiel in his first appearance as the villain, Jaws. He returned to South Africa for a third action movie shot there, "The Wild Geese" (1978), produced by Euan Lloyd and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. It was a sizeable hit in Britain and Europe but, like "Shout at the Devil", less so in the US. The cast featured Richard Burton, who had top billing, and Richard Harris.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore played the lead in "Escape to Athena" (1979) partly financed by Lew Grade. It was a heist adventure set in war-time Greece, and stars Telly Savalas and David Niven, and features mostly American character actors, including Elliott Gould, Stefanie Powers, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono, and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale. Roger Moore (with top billing) plays a charming former Austrian antiquities dealer turned crooked camp commandant, asked to guard Greek antiquities desired by the Third Reich, and also guard the collection of archaeologists who are being forced to work to find and recover these objects, but he has other plans for the treasure he guards and for the people under his watch.


title: Roger Moore

text: With the success of his fourth outing as Bond, "Moonraker" (1979), Moore followed it with an action film "North Sea Hijack" (1980) where Moore played a very un-Bond-like hero, opposite Anthony Perkins. The film was a box-office disappointment.


title: Roger Moore

text: Better received was "The Sea Wolves" (1980), another World War Two adventure which reunited many of the crew from "The Wild Geese" including Euan Lloyd and McLaglen. It was based on the true story of a March 1943 event in British India and Portuguese Goa, in which a group of retired members of the Calcutta Light Horse, colonelled by David Niven's character, assist regular British Army operatives, played by Moore and Gregory Peck, in destroying German ships in neutral Mormugao harbour, all the time surrounded by German spies and Indian nationalist intrigue. Trevor Howard, Patrick Macnee, and Barbara Kellerman also co-star, with a who's-who lineup of British character actors.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was in two all-star comedies: "Sunday Lovers" (1980), which flopped at the box office, and "The Cannonball Run" (1981), which was a hit. The latter featured an ensemble cast, including Jackie Chan, Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Dom DeLuise, Sammy Davis Jr, and Farrah Fawcett.


title: Roger Moore

text: Following the film, "For Your Eyes Only", Moore expressed a desire to leave the role, and other actors were screen tested including James Brolin, but Moore was eventually enticed back for "Octopussy" (1983).


title: Roger Moore

text: The circumstances around "Octopussy"'s release were highly unusual in that another James Bond film was being released in the same year. The Non-Eon production "Never Say Never Again" which featured his predecessor Sean Connery returning to the role of Bond, although not canon to his previous Eon Bond films. This led to the media dubbing the one-time situation the "Battle of the Bonds".


title: Roger Moore

text: He made a cameo as Chief Inspector Clouseau, posing as a famous movie star, in "Curse of the Pink Panther" (1983) (for which he was credited as "Turk Thrust II"). Then he tried a thriller "The Naked Face" (1984), written and directed by Bryan Forbes.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore starred in his final Bond film, "A View to a Kill" (1985). He was the oldest actor to have played Bond – he was 45 in "Live and Let Die", and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985, having played the part for over 12 years. With 7 films Moore holds the record for playing Bond the most times in the Eon series but is tied with Sean Connery in number of times playing Bond when counting Connery's non-Eon appearance in "Never Say Never Again" (1983).


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's Bond was very different from the version created by Ian Fleming. Screenwriters such as George MacDonald Fraser provided scenarios in which Moore was cast as a seasoned, debonair playboy who would always have a trick or gadget in stock when he needed it. This was designed to serve the contemporary taste of the 1970s. Moore's version of Bond was also known for his sense of humour and witty one liners as Moore himself said, "My personality is different from previous Bonds. I'm not that cold-blooded-killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs."


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore did not act on screen for five years after he stopped playing Bond; in 1990, he appeared in several films and in the writer-director Michael Feeney Callan's television series "My Riviera" and starred in the film "Bed & Breakfast" which was shot in 1989; and also had a large role in the 1996 film "The Quest"; in 1997, he starred as the Chief in "Spice World". At the age of 73, he played a flamboyant homosexual man in "Boat Trip" (2002) with Cuba Gooding Jr.


title: Roger Moore

text: The British satirical puppet show "Spitting Image" had a sketch in which their latex likeness of Moore, when asked to display emotions by an offscreen director, did nothing but raise an eyebrow; Moore himself stated that he thought the sketch was funny and took it in good humour. Indeed, he had always embraced the "eyebrows" gag wholeheartedly, and quipped that he "only had three expressions as Bond: right eyebrow raised, left eyebrow raised, and eyebrows crossed when grabbed by Jaws". "Spitting Image" continued the joke, featuring a Bond film spoof, "The Man with the Wooden Delivery", with Moore's puppet receiving orders from Margaret Thatcher to kill Mikhail Gorbachev. Other comedy shows at that time ridiculed Moore's acting, with Rory Bremner once claiming to have had a death threat from one of his irate fans following one such routine.


title: Roger Moore

text: In a nod to his 1960s TV show, Moore had a vocal cameo in "The Saint" (1997) as a radio newsreader as Simon Templar drives away at the end of the film. In the year 2000, he played the role of a secret agent in the Christmas special "Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings", shown on BBC One on Christmas Day. Filming all his scenes in the London Eye, his mission was to eliminate another agent whose file photo looks like Pierce Brosnan. In 2002 he had a small cameo role in the German police procedural series "Tatort" (episode 506: "Schatten" – "Shadow", 28 July 2002) as himself signing an autograph on a Unicef card.


title: Roger Moore

text: In the 1981 film "Cannonball Run", Moore played a parody of both himself and James Bond named Seymour Goldfarb, driving an Aston Martin DB5.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 2009, Moore appeared in an advertisements for the Post Office. In 2010, he provided the voice of a talking cat called Lazenby in the film "" which contained several references to, and parodies of, Bond films. In 2011, he co-starred in the film "A Princess for Christmas" with Katie McGrath and Sam Heughan, and in 2012, he took to the stage for a series of seven 'Evenings with' in UK theatres and, in November, guest-hosted "Have I Got News for You". A slightly thinner-faced Moore contributed to a charity song in 2017. His last on-screen performance was in 2017, a brief appearance near the end of the remake of "The Saint".


title: Roger Moore

text: In 2015, Moore was named one of "GQ"'s 50 best-dressed British men. In 2015, he read Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" for the children's fairy tales app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF with other British celebrities, including Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor, Joan Collins, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, David Walliams, Charlotte Rampling, Paul McKenna, and Michael Ball.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's friend Audrey Hepburn had impressed him with her work for UNICEF, and consequently he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in August 1991. His character, Simon Templar, made a pitch for UNICEF near the end of "The Revolution Racket", airing 5 November 1964. He was the voice of Father Christmas or 'Santa' in the 2004 UNICEF cartoon "The Fly Who Loved Me".


title: Roger Moore

text: In 1946, aged 18, Moore married a fellow RADA student, the actress and ice skater Doorn Van Steyn (born Lucy Woodard), who was six years his senior; Moore and Van Steyn lived in Streatham with her family, but tension over money matters and her lack of confidence in his acting ability took their toll on the relationship, during which he allegedly suffered domestic abuse.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 1952, Moore met the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, who was 12 years his senior, and Van Steyn and Moore divorced the following year. Squires and Moore were married in New York. They lived in Bexley, Kent, after their wedding.


title: Roger Moore

text: They moved to the United States in 1954 to develop their careers, but tension developed in their marriage due to their age difference and Moore's infatuation with starlet Dorothy Provine, and they moved back to the United Kingdom in 1961, where they resided in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham. Squires suffered a series of miscarriages during their marriage, and Moore later said the outcome of their marriage might have been different if they had been able to have children.


title: Roger Moore

text: In their tempestuous relationship, Squires smashed a guitar over his head, and after learning of his affair with the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, who became Moore's third wife, Moore said, "She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it...The police came and they said, 'Madam, you're bleeding' and she said, 'It's my heart that's bleeding'." Squires intercepted letters from Mattioli to Moore and planned to include them in her autobiography, but the couple won injunctions against the publication in 1977, which led Squires to unsuccessfully sue them for loss of earnings. The numerous legal cases launched by Squires led her to be declared a vexatious litigant in 1987. Moore paid Squires's hospital bills after her cancer treatment in 1996; she died in 1998.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 1961, while filming "The Rape of the Sabine Women" in Italy, Moore left Squires for the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli. Squires refused to accept their separation, and sued Moore for loss of conjugal rights, but Moore refused the court's order to return to Squires in 28 days. Squires also smashed windows at a house in France where Moore and Mattioli were living, and unsuccessfully sued actor Kenneth More for libel, as Kenneth More had introduced Moore and Mattioli at a charity event as "Mr Roger Moore and his wife". Moore and Mattioli lived together until 1969, when Squires finally granted him a divorce, after they had been separated for seven years. At Moore's and Mattioli's marriage in April 1969 at the Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, a crowd of 600 people was outside, with women screaming his name.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore had three children with Mattioli: actress-daughter Deborah (born 1963) and two sons, Geoffrey and Christian. Geoffrey is also an actor, and appeared alongside his father in the films "Sherlock Holmes in New York" (1976) and "Fire, Ice and Dynamite" (1990). In later life, he co-founded Hush Restaurant in Mayfair, London, with Jamie Barber. Geoffrey and his wife Loulou have two daughters. Moore's younger son, Christian, is a film producer.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore and Mattioli separated in 1993 after Moore developed feelings for a Swedish-born Danish socialite, Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup. Moore later described his prostate cancer diagnosis in 1993 as "life-changing", which led him to reassess his life and marriage. Mattioli and Tholstrup had long been friends, but Mattioli was scathing of her in the book she subsequently wrote about her relationship with Moore, "Nothing Lasts Forever", describing how she felt betrayed by Tholstrup and discarded by Moore.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore remained silent on his divorce from Mattioli, later saying that he did not wish to hurt his children by "engaging in a war of words". Moore's children refused to speak to him for a period after the divorce, but they were later reconciled with their father. Mattioli refused to grant Moore a divorce until 2000, when a £10 million settlement was agreed. Moore subsequently married Tholstrup in 2002. Moore said that he loved Tholstrup as she was "organised", "serene", "loving", and "calm", saying, "I have a difficult life. I rely on Kristina totally. When we are travelling for my job, she is the one who packs. Kristina takes care of all that". Moore also said that his marriage to Tholstrup was "a tranquil relationship, there are no arguments". Tholstrup had a daughter, Christina Knudsen, from a previous relationship; Knudsen described her stepfather as a positive influence, saying, "I was in difficult relationships but that all changed" when her mother met Moore. Christina Knudsen died from cancer on 25 July 2016, at the age of 47; Moore posted on Twitter, "We are heartbroken" and "We were all with her, surrounding her with love, at the end".


title: Roger Moore

text: On politics, Moore stated he was a conservative and thought that conservatism is the way to run a country. Moore was described as a "lifelong" supporter of the Conservative Party and endorsed the party during the 2001 UK general election. However, Moore also expressed a reluctance to be seen as an overtly political figure and felt his work with UNICEF meant that he could not involve himself directly in politics.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 2011, Moore expressed his support to Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron regarding his policy on the European Union, stating: "I think he's doing absolutely wonderfully well, despite the opposition from many members of his own party. Traitors, I call them. I mean any hardliner within the Conservative Party who speaks out against their leader. You should support your leader."


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore also expressed support for Britain keeping the pound sterling as its national currency and was glad the British government had not joined the single EU currency, stating: "I would have been very upset if we'd had to take the Queen off our currency. They'd probably have to take her off the stamps and everything. I am British and I'm fiercely independent. And I think we should be independent, as Sean Connery is about Scotland."


title: Roger Moore

text: In 2015, Moore criticised what he regarded as excessive political correctness within the film industry and felt that rewriting James Bond's sexuality, gender or ethnicity would be a mistake, arguing "it is not about being homophobic or, for that matter, racist – it is simply about being true to the character." Despite his conservative politics, Moore retained membership of the entertainment and media trade union BECTU (now part of Prospect) until his death, having joined as an apprentice animation technician before his acting career took off. At his death, he was the union's longest-tenured member. In 2007, Moore also voiced his support to workers from the Cadbury chocolate factory at Keynsham who were protesting against the plant's closure.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore became a tax exile from the United Kingdom in 1978, originally to Switzerland, and divided his year between his four homes: an apartment in Monte Carlo, a holiday house in the coastal Tuscan town of Castiglione della Pescaia, a chalet in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and a home in the south of France. Moore became a resident of Monaco, having been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of Monaco by Prince Albert II for his efforts in internationally promoting and publicising the principality. Moore was scathing of the Russian population in Monaco, saying, "I'm afraid we're overstuffed with Russians. All the restaurant menus are in Russian now."


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was vocal in his defence of his tax exile status, saying that in the 1970s, with taxes levied on top earners under the Labour government of James Callaghan, he had been urged by his "accountants, agents, and lawyers" to move abroad because, "At that point we were taxed up to 98% on unearned income, so you would never be able to save enough to ensure that you had any sort of livelihood if you didn't work." Moore said in 2011 that his decision to live abroad was "not about tax. That's a serious part of it. I come back to England often enough not to miss it, to see the changes, to find some of the changes good...I paid my taxes at the time that I was earning a decent income, so I've paid my due".


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore had a series of diseases during his childhood, including chickenpox, measles, mumps, double pneumonia and jaundice, and had his appendix, tonsils, and adenoids removed.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was a long-term sufferer of kidney stones and as a result was briefly hospitalised during the making of "Live and Let Die" in 1973 and again whilst filming the 1979 film "Moonraker".


title: Roger Moore

text: In 1993, Moore was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent successful treatment for the disease.


title: Roger Moore

text: In 2003, Moore collapsed on stage while appearing on Broadway, and was fitted with a pacemaker to treat a potentially deadly slow heartbeat. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2013. Some years before his final cancer illness, a tumour spot was found in the liver. Then, in 2017, during his cancer treatment period, he had a fall which badly injured the collarbone.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's family announced his death in Switzerland, on 23 May 2017, from cancer of the lung and liver cancer. He died at his home in Crans-Montana, in the presence of his family. Former 007 actors Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, and then-current 007 Daniel Craig paid tribute to Moore. Moore is buried in Monaco Cemetery.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore had friendships with some of Denmark's royal family; Prince Joachim and his then-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg invited Moore and his wife Kiki to attend the christening of their youngest son, Prince Felix. In 2004 he attended the Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson. On 24 May 2008, Moore and his wife attended the wedding of Prince Joachim to his French fiancée Marie Cavallier.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore also had a long-standing friendship with Princess Lilian of Sweden, whom he first met on a visit to Stockholm for UNICEF. Moore's wife Kristina, who was born in Sweden, was already a friend of Princess Lilian's through mutual friends. In his autobiography, Moore recalled meeting the princess for tea and dinners whenever his wife and he visited Stockholm. He spoke of his recollections at the princess's memorial service at St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church in Stockholm, on 8 September 2013.


title: Roger Moore

text: On 1 and 2 July 2011, Moore and his wife attended the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours and was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2003 Birthday Honours for charitable services, especially UNICEF and latterly Kiwanis International, which had dominated his public life for more than a decade. On being knighted, Moore said that the citation "meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting... I was proud because I received it on behalf of UNICEF as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years".


title: Roger Moore

text: On 11 October 2007, three days before he turned 80, Moore was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and in film. Attending the ceremony were family, friends, and Richard Kiel, with whom he had acted in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker". Moore's star was the 2,350th star installed, and is appropriately located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard.


title: Roger Moore

text: On 28 October 2008, the French government appointed Moore a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. On 21 November 2012, Moore was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire for his outstanding contributions to the UK film and television industry for over 50 years, in particular film and television productions in Hertfordshire.


title: Roger Moore

text: After his death, the Roger Moore Stage was opened at Pinewood Studios at a ceremony held in October 2017 to celebrate his life and work. His wife and family were in attendance along with Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and guests at the event included Joan Collins, Michael Caine, Stephen Fry, Tim Rice and Stefanie Powers.


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's book about the filming of "Live and Let Die", based on his diaries, titled "Roger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming Live and Let Die", was published in London in 1973, by Pan Books. The book includes an acknowledgment to Sean Connery, with whom Moore was friends for many years: "I would also like to thank Sean Connery – "with" whom it would not have been possible."


title: Roger Moore

text: Moore's autobiography "My Word is My Bond" () was published by Collins in the US, in November 2008 and by Michael O'Mara Books Ltd in the UK, on 2 October 2008 ().


title: Roger Moore

text: On 16 October 2012, "Bond on Bond" was published to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films. The book, with many pictures, is based on Moore's own memories, thoughts, and anecdotes about all things 007, with some of the profits of the book going to UNICEF.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or town would be, nor are they legal administrative divisions like counties or separate entities such as states; because of this, the precise definition of any given metropolitan area can vary with the source. The statistical criteria for a standard metropolitan area were defined in 1949 and redefined as metropolitan statistical area in 1983.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: A typical metropolitan area is centered on a single large city that wields substantial influence over the region (e.g., New York City or Chicago). However, some metropolitan areas contain more than one large city with no single municipality holding a substantially dominant position (e.g., Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News (Hampton Roads), Riverside–San Bernardino (Inland Empire) or Minneapolis–Saint Paul (Twin Cities)). MSAs are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and used by the Census Bureau and other federal government agencies for statistical purposes.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines a set of core based statistical areas (CBSAs) throughout the country, which are composed of counties and county equivalents. CBSAs are delineated on the basis of a central contiguous area of relatively high population density, known as an urban area or urban cluster. The counties containing the core urban area are known as the "central counties" of the CBSA; these are defined as having at least 50% of their population living in urban areas of at least 10,000 in population. Additional surrounding counties, known as "outlying counties", can be included in the CBSA if these counties have strong social and economic ties to the central county or counties as measured by commuting and employment. Outlying counties are included in the CBSA if 25% of the workers living in the county work in the central county or counties, or if 25% of the employment in the county is held by workers who live in the central county or counties.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: Adjacent CBSAs are merged into a single CBSA when the central county or counties of one CBSA qualify as an outlying county or counties to the other CBSAs. One or more CBSAs may be grouped together or combined to form a larger statistical entity known as a combined statistical area (CSA) when the employment interchange measure (EIM) reaches 15% or more.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: CBSAs are subdivided into MSAs (formed around urban areas of at least 50,000 in population) and micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs), which are CBSAs built around an "urban cluster" of at least 10,000 in population but less than 50,000 in population. Some metropolitan areas may include multiple cities below 50,000 people, but combined have over 50,000 people. Previous terms that are no longer used include "standard metropolitan statistical area" (SMSA) and "primary metropolitan statistical area" (PMSA).


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: On January 19, 2021, OMB submitted a regulation for public comment that would increase the minimum population needed for an urban area population to be a metropolitan statistical area to be increased from 50,000 to 100,000. It ultimately decided to keep the minimum at 50,000 for the 2020 cycle.


title: Metropolitan statistical area

text: The 384 MSAs of the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) are ranked, including:


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn began his professional career with "Phool Aur Kaante" in 1991. He then rose to prominence as an action hero starring in successful films such as "Jigar" (1992), "Dilwale" (1994), "Diljale" (1996). He went on to give critically acclaimed performances in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (1999), "Company" (2002), "Deewangee" (2002), for "Zakhm" (1998) and "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" (2002), he won National Film Award for Best Actor. After the success of "" (2006), he went on to collaborate with Rohit Shetty on a number of action-comedies including "Golmaal Returns" (2008), "" (2009), "Golmaal 3" (2010), "Singham" (2011), "Bol Bachchan" (2012), "Singham Returns" (2014), and "Golmaal Again" (2017). His highest-grossing movies include "Total Dhamaal" (2019), "Tanhaji" (2020) and "Drishyam 2" (2022).


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In addition, Devgn owns a production company Ajay Devgn FFilms, which was established in 2000. In 2008, he debuted as a film director with "U Me Aur Hum". He has been married to film actress Kajol since 1999.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgan was born to a Punjabi Hindu Saraswath-Vishwakarma family originally from Amritsar, Punjab. The family has connections to the Hindi film industry in Mumbai. Devgn's father, Veeru Devgan, was a stunt choreographer and action-film director and his mother, Veena, is a film producer. His cousin, Anil Devgan, is a filmmaker and screenwriter. Devgn graduated from the Silver Beach High School in Juhu and then studied at Mithibai College.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn began a relationship with the actress Karisma Kapoor while filming "Jigar", however, the couple ended their relationship in 1995. That same year, Devgn's relationship with the actress, Kajol Mukherjee, began whilst they were co-starring in "Gundaraj". The media called them "an unlikely pair" due to their contrasting personalities. On 24 February 1999, the couple married in a traditional Maharashtrian Hindu ceremony at the Devgan home. The couple has two children. Their daughter, Nysa, was born in 2003 and their son, Yug, was born in 2010. Devgn and Kajol stored their newborn son's umbilical cord blood and tissues to act as a source of stem cells in case of serious ailment. In August 2009, Devgn changed the spelling of his surname Devgan to "Devgn", at the request of his family. He is a practicing Shaiva Hindu who prominently wears a Rudraksha which, along with other religious themes, features in his films. Devgn was the first Bollywood personality to own a private jet for transport to shooting locations, to promotions and for personal trips.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: As Devgn entered the film industry in 1991, he changed his stage name from his birth name, Vishal, to "Ajay" due to several other actors named Vishal being launched at the same time, including Manoj Kumar's son. He began his professional career in "Phool Aur Kaante" and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He co-starred with Madhoo. In his opening scene, Devgn performed a split while balancing between two motorcycles. His next film was "Jigar" (1992), a Bollywood martial arts film co-starring Karisma Kapoor. It was released on Diwali weekend and became the seventh-highest-grossing movie of that year, taking at the box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1993, Devgn starred in "Dil Hai Betaab", a movie about a love triangle and romantic themes such as revenge. He next featured in "Divya Shakti" and then "Sangram", a story of enmity between two fathers. Devgan then worked with Deepak Bahry, who directed the action film "Ek Hi Raasta", and with Deepak Pawar, who directed "Platform". Other releases that year were "Shaktiman", "Dhanwan" and "Bedardi".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1994, Devgn starred in Harry Baweja's romantic action film "Dilwale". He played the part of Arun Saxena, a man with intellectual impairment. The movie was the tenth-highest-grossing movie of the year. His next release was "Kanoon" and then Kuku Kohli's "Suhaag" with Akshay Kumar. The movie was about two friends. Devgn played Ajay Sharma/Malhotra. "Suhaag" was the seventh-highest-grossing movie of the year. His next film was "Vijaypath". Shooting dates for "Vijaypath" clashed with those of "Karan Arjun" which Devgn declined. "Vijaypath" was the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1995, Devgn appeared in Mahesh Bhatt's movie "Naajayaz" and then "Hulchul" directed by Milan Luthria. Kajol co-starred. Devgn and Kajol then appeared in "Gundaraj" which did not perform well at the box office. His next release was "Haqeeqat" costarring with Tabu. This film was the eleventh-highest-grossing movie of the year.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1996, Devgn starred in the action movie "Jung" with Mithun Chakraborty, Rambha and Aditya Pancholi. His next release was an action movie called "Jaan", with Twinkle Khanna. He then starred in Harry Baweja's film "Diljale", where he played a terrorist character called Shaka.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1997, Devgn starred in a poorly received movie, "Itihaas", with Twinkle Khanna. His next release was Indra Kumar's romantic comedy "Ishq" with Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla and Kajol. In this successful film, Devgn played Ajay, a rich boy in love with a poor girl, (Kajol). The film grossed . The film was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1998, Devgn gave a critically acclaimed performance in Mahesh Bhatt's drama, "Zakhm", and received his first National Film Award for Best Actor. In 1999, in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", Devgn played Vanraj, a man who tries to unite his wife with her lover. Devgn then starred in "Major Saab" with Amitabh Bachchan and Sonali Bendre where he played the character of an army officer. The movie was successful and was the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year. He next starred with Kajol in Anees Bazmee's second film, the romantic comedy "Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha", a remake of the 1995 American film "French Kiss". It grossed Indian rupees. Devgn's next release was Mahesh Bhatt's "Zakhm". The plot examines communal tension in Mumbai during riots. Devgn played a man who is fed up with religious conflict. Devgn won several awards for his performance, including the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Star Screen Award for Best Actor.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 1999, Devgn starred in the romantic drama "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", in which he played Vanraj, a man who tries to help his wife (Aishwarya Rai) reunite with her lover (Salman Khan). Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam marked a significant turning point in Devgan's career. The film, an adaptation of Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel "Na Hanyate", was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-starred Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. Devgn was highly praised for his performance. Rediff said: "Ajay's role reminds you of one he did in another film, "Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha". There he is searching for the boyfriend of the girl he secretly loves. But intense scenes are his forte and he does well here. He's particularly good in the scene where he gets exasperated with his wife's stubbornness and strives to keep his cool." The movie was successful and Devgan was nominated for the Filmfare best actor award. After that, he appeared in "Hindustan Ki Kasam" with Amitabh Bachchan and Sonali Bendre. He then worked with the director Milan Luthria in "Kachche Dhaage", with Saif Ali Khan and Manisha Koirala. The movie was a box-office hit. He then performed in the successful movie "Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet", a romantic comedy, and then in his home production movie with Kajol, and director, Prakash Jha. The film was titled "Dil Kya Kare". His other movies in 1999 were "Gair" and "Thakshak" in which he played a strong, silent man.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2000, Devgn performed in Harry Baweja's "Deewane". The film did not do well at the box office. In the same year, Devgn starred in his first home production; "Raju Chacha", with Kajol. The film was moderately successful.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2001, Devgn starred in another moderately successful film; "Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke" with Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta. His next release was "Lajja", with Manisha Koirala, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. However, the film was not popular with the public. Mahesh Manjrekar's "Tera Mera Saath Rahen" followed.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2002, Devgn performed in Ram Gopal Varma's fictional examination of the Mumbai underworld in the film "Company". Devgn played a gangster named Malik. Both "Company" and Devgn's performance received critical acclaim. As Taran Adarsh reviewed: "Ajay Devgn enacts his role to perfection. A controlled performance, the actor takes to this complex character like a fish takes to water. He underplays his part with admirable ease." Devgan was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Devgn's next release was David Dhawan's comedy "Hum Kisise Kum Nahin", with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai. The same year, he played the role of Bhagat Singh, in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic "The Legend of Bhagat Singh". His performance was well received by critics. Taran Adarsh said, "Ajay Devgn has lived the role. To state that he is excellent would be an understatement. His performance is bound to win admiration from cinegoers, besides fetching awards." The film was released on 7 June 2002 and went on to win two National Film Awards, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and three Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. Despite these awards, and Devgn winning his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance, the film was not popular with the public. Devgn went on to perform in Anees Bazmee's "Deewangee". The film was partially inspired by William Diehl's novel, "Primal Fear". The film earned Devgn several awards for his role including a Filmfare Best Villain Award, the Star Screen Award for Best Villain and the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role. The film was a success at the box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2003, Devgn starred in Ram Gopal Verma's horror film "Bhoot", opposite Urmila Matondkar. The film was appreciated critically and performed well at the box office. He then starred in the action thriller "" with the actress debutante, Neha Dhupia. The film was a commercial success. Devgn next performed in Milan Luthria's romantic film "Chori Chori", opposite Rani Mukherji and Sonali Bendre. This film did not succeed at the box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn's next release of the year was Prakash Jha's "Gangaajal". The film was set in the time of the blinding incident in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Rediff.com said, "Ajay Devgan pulls up an ace with a part tailormade to reinforce his seething-under-the-surface angry hero image. To his credit (and the director's), he brings style and grace to a largely stereotypical, righteous protagonist. To a great extent, his presence covers up the film's patchiness in the second half." Devgn was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for this performance. He then worked in Rohit Shetty's directional debut "Zameen" and J. P. Dutta's war film "LOC Kargil".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2004, Devgn was cast with Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar in Rajkumar Santoshi's action thriller "Khakee". The film was released on 23 January 2004. It received positive reviews and became one of the highest-grossing films of 2004. In "Khakee", Devgn once again played a villain. His performance as a police officer turned murderer was well received by critics. Taran Adarsh said: "Ajay Devgan adds yet another feather in his cap with a performance that could've been played only by a master performer. His confrontations with Amitabh Bachchan are exemplary." Later in 2004, Devgn appeared in Indra Kumar's "". He also starred in "Yuva".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn next collaborated with Rituparno Ghosh in the relationship drama "Raincoat", with Aishwaraya Rai. The film is an adaptation of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi". "Raincoat" met with wide critical acclaim and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Devgn was praised for his performance. Rediff said: "Hesitation, desperation, humiliation – Ajay Devgn conveys them eloquently. His Manoj is no cool dude, but just another lower middle-class guy in misery, with whom none would like to switch place. He particularly stands out in the scenes where he cries in the bathroom, or begs Neeru not to marry someone else." In 2004, Devgn was also seen in a cameo appearance in "".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: 2005 was a less successful year for Devgn. His movies were not financially successful. They included "Insan", "Blackmail", "Main Aisa Hi Hoon", "Tango Charlie" and "Shikhar". However, the films "Kaal" and "Apaharan" did well. For his performance in "Apaharan", Devgn was nominated for the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Best Actor Award. His performance as a villain in "Kaal" also earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Best Villain Award.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2006 Devgn played Othello in "Omkara", a Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Othello". It was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh. It premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival. "Omkara" was well received by critics. Rediff said: "Othello is a tricky role, a leading man eclipsed by the villain. Yet the Moor is a brooding and compelling character, and Ajay Devgn does valiantly with his material. Omkara strips Othello of the racism, exchanging his black skin for surprisingly inconsequential half-Brahminism. Ajay's best bits are when restrained, and while there is a bit of a seen-that feel to his character, by the time the film is over, you realise just how unflinchingly solid he's been." Taran Adarsh said: "Ajay makes a stirring and powerful interpretation of a man haunted by uncertainty about his lover's faithfulness. The serious look that Ajay carries suits him to the T. Of course, Ajay is exceptional in the film and looks every inch the character he portrays."


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2006, Devgn also starred in Rohit Shetty's "Golmaal". It had two sequels "Golmaal Returns" and "Golmaal 3". In the same year, Devgn was featured in a short documentary about the Mumbai floods of 2005 titled "The Awakening".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2007 Devgn starred in two movies, director Anubhav Sinha's action thriller "Cash" and "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2008, Devgn performed in the social film "Halla Bol", directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Also in the cast were Pankaj Kapoor and Vidya Balan. The film is based on the life of activist Safdar Hashmi, who was killed in 1989 by political rivals while performing in the street play "Halla Bol". The film received harsh reviews.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: He then took the lead role with Kajol in his own directorial debut film "U Me Aur Hum". The film performed moderately well at the box office and earned positive critical reviews for his performance as well as for his direction. Rediff said: "His character grows, discovers both shirt-buttons and subtlety, delivering an intense acting job. Speaking almost entirely in platitudes – pithy at first, profound as he goes on – this grows into an extraordinarily well-written character, replete with flaws and relatability. The way he treats his remorse, drunkenly pointing every finger at himself around a dinner table, is superbly handled, as is his guilty struggle to delineate his life experience from his professional opinion." Devgn also made a cameo appearance in his brother Anil Devgan's film "Haal–e–dil". He then starred in Afzal Khan's "Mehbooba".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Again in 2008, Devgn performed in Rohit Shetty's comedy "Golmaal Returns", a sequel to the 2006 film "" about a mistrustful wife who believed her husband was unfaithful. "The Indian Express" said the screenplay was derivative, concluding: "There is nothing particularly new about a suspicious wife keeping tabs on her husband, and there is nothing particularly new in the way Ajay-Kareena play it." "Golmaal Returns" was a financial success with global revenues of .


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2009, Devgn produced his third film, "", directed by Rohit Shetty. It had some financial success. Next, Devgn starred in Vipul Shah's "London Dreams", with Salman Khan and the Tamil film star Asin. The film was not popular with the public.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In the following decade, Devgn performed roles in "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" (2010), "Golmaal 3" (2010), "Raajneeti" (2010), "Singham" (2011), "Bol Bachchan" (2012), "Son of Sardaar" (2012), "Singham Returns" (2014) and "Drishyam" (2015).


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2010, Devgn featured in the financially successful comedy "Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?" with Paresh Rawal and Konkona Sen Sharma. He then featured in Prakash Jha's political thriller "Raajneeti". "Raajneeti" was released internationally on 4 June 2010, after some controversies regarding similarities between actual people and the characters in the film. There were also issues about the use of the national anthem in the film. The film was made with a budget of When the film was released, it had positive reviews and was financially successful.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Again, in 2010, Devgn starred in Milan Luthria's "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai", which was among the top-grossing films of that year. Both the film and Devgn's performance were well received by the critics. Taran Adarsh said: "Ajay Devgn is splendid as Sultan. The actor had enacted a similar role in "Company", but it must be said that his interpretation is so different in "Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai". He adds so much depth to the character, which only goes to prove his range and versatility. This is, without a trace of doubt, Ajay's finest work so far." Komal Nahta said: "Ajay Devgn is simply fantastic in the role of Sultan Mirza. So real is his performance that it looks like he was born to play this role. Right from his look to his acting including dialogue-delivery, everything is fabulous. Indeed, an award-winning performance!"


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn then starred in Priyadarshan's action-thriller film "Aakrosh". The movie explores the subject of honour killings. "Aakrosh" received some positive reviews, but was financially unsuccessful. At the end of 2010, Devgn worked again with Rohit Shetty in Golmaal 3, a sequel to "Golmaal Returns" (2008). Although, like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews, it was the most successful of the "Golmaal" series, earning more than . Devgn also worked as a voice artist in "Toonpur Ka Super Hero", an animated film.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2011, Devgn performed with Emraan Hashmi in Madhur Bhandarkar's comedy "Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji". He was a narrator in "Yamla Pagla Deewana" and also made a cameo appearance in "Ready". Devgn starred in Rohit Shetty's "Singham". Taran Adarsh said: "The title means 'Lion' and Ajay is in the centre of the battle between good and evil. Ajay is well known for the lines, "aataa maajhi satakli". The embodiment of screen masculinity, Ajay enacts the central character of a righteous, hardhearted cop with flourish. He brings alive on screen a larger-than-life hero character with determined conviction, which renders you thunderstruck. One of the few actors who underplays his part admirably, he returns to the over-the-top-action genre of films with this one. In a nutshell, his performance plays a pivotal role in carrying the film to the winning post." He then starred David Dhawan's action comedy film "Rascals".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: The following year, Devgn starred in "Tezz", directed by Priyadarshan. His co-stars were Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani, Kangana Ranaut, Sameera Reddy and Zayed Khan. Devgan then starred in Rohit Shetty's film "Bol Bachchan". He then starred in "Son Of Sardaar". In 2013, Devgn featured in the critically and commercially unsuccessful remake of "Himmatwala". Devgn next featured in Prakash Jha's political drama "Satyagraha".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2014, Devgn featured in Rohit Shetty's "Singham Returns", a sequel to "Singham". "Singham Returns" received mixed reviews from Indian critics. Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave it 4 stars and said: "The film is a complete mass entertainer with power-packed drama, hi-intensity dialogue and towering performances as its aces. The brand value attached to it coupled with a long weekend will help the film reap a harvest and rule the box office in days to come.". Collection of over on the first day of its release in India. Domestic net of "Singham Returns" are . Devgn next featured in Prabhu Deva's "Action Jackson" which did not perform well at box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2015, Devgn starred in "Drishyam", directed by Nishikant Kamat. The film received positive reviews, Meena Iyer of "The Times of India" gave the film four out of five stars, describing it as "A suspense drama with a nail-biting finish." She praised Devgan's performances: "Ajay, who is the prey here, shines in his role of the protective father.". The film was successful at the box office, by the end of its sixth week, the film had grossed about at the domestic box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2016, Devgn was seen in his own production, "Shivaay", which released around Diwali 2016. "Shivaay" is an action drama movie. Shivaay opened to mixed reviews and grossed more than . In 2017, Devgn featured in director Milan Luthria's "Baadshaho" and Rohit Shetty's "Golmaal Again". Both films were mild commercial successes. While "Baadshaho" was a hit, "Golmaal Again" became the highest-grossing film of 2017 collecting 100 crores in 4 days of its release and a lifetime collection of 205 crores at the Indian box office while making a hefty 300 crores at worldwide box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2018, Devgn starred in Raj Kumar Gupta's "Raid" where he plays the role of an honest Indian Revenue Service officer, which released to positive critical feedback on 16 March, and was a commercial success. Devgn has long been working on producing "Sons of Sardaar: The Battle of Saragari", a sequel to "Son of Sardaar". In August 2017, Devgn stated: "We are working on the script but it won’t happen for another two years because of the scale of the project."


title: Ajay Devgn

text: He starred in "De De Pyaar De" alongside Tabu and Rakul Preet Singh. In early 2020, Devgn portrayed the role of 17th-century military leader Tanaji Malusare in an eponymously titled film, ""; directed by Om Raut. The film was released on 10 January 2020 and went on to win three National Film Awards, including the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Actor 'Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior' earned Rs 3.67 billion ($49 million) worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2020. Moreover, it marks Ajay Devgn's 100th film as an actor.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2021, he starred alongside Sanjay Dutt, Sharad Kelkar, Nora Fatehi and Sonakshi Sinha in the historical film, "" and had a cameo in "Sooryavanshi", reprising as DCP Bajirao Singham.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2022, Devgn made his OTT debut with the web series, "", on Disney+ Hotstar. The same year, he released his third directorial, "Runway 34". It received positive reviews from both the critics and audience. He was also seen in extended cameo appearances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Gangubai Kathiawadi" and S. S. Rajamouli's "RRR", for which he got great admiration. Later that year, he starred in the sequel to "Drishyam", "Drishyam 2", directed by Abhishek Pathak. It became a huge critical and commercial success, along with becoming his second highest-grossing film of his career, after "".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Ajay Devgn FFilms is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actor Ajay Devgn in 2000. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. In 2000, ADF released its first film, Raju Chacha. The film starred Devgn himself as the lead actor and his wife Kajol as the lead actress. "Raju Chacha" received mixed reviews but grossed Rs 82.5 million at the box office.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2008, Devgn co-produced the drama "U Me Aur Hum", which marked his directorial debut. Devgn also played the lead role in the film, sharing the screen again with Kajol. The film was written by Devgn himself and three other writers. Critical reception was generally positive, with Taran Adarsh giving the film 4 out of 5 stars and describing it as "A well-made, absorbing love story that's high on emotional quotient".


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2009, Devgn released and acted in his home production "", which was directed by Rohit Shetty and also starring, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse. The film was released on 16 October 2009 and received positive response from critics. It was rated a hit in India, and is the twelfth highest grossing Bollywood film of 2009.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2014, ADF produced "Singham Returns" starring Devgn and Kareena Kapoor. In 2016 Devgn produced and starred in "Shivaay" which is to be the most expensive film of his production.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In late December 2017, ADF collaborated with Fox Star Studios to produce "Total Dhamaal" starring Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey, Madhuri Dixit, and Anil Kapoor.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In October 2015, Devgn established a visual effects company, NY VFXWAALA, after his children. It has been involved with many major films, such as "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", "Tamasha", "Bajirao Mastani", "Mersal", "Dilwale", "Force 2", and "Simmba". The company won the Best Special Effects award at the 64th National Film Awards for the film "Shivaay" (2016).


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn's production company Ajay Devgn FFilms, was established in 2000. The company's first film was "Raju Chacha" (2000), starring Devgan and Kajol. In 2008, Devgn made his directorial debut and co-produced "U Me Aur Hum". Devgn was part of the drama film's team of four writers. The film tells the story of a woman (Kajol) who has a very weak memory and even forgets her own husband. Taran Adarsh, a film critic, described it as "a well-made, absorbing love story that's high on the emotional quotient."


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2009, Devgn released his home production "", which was directed by Rohit Shetty and starred Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse. The film was released on 16 October 2009, and was the ninth-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2009.


title: Ajay Devgn

text: In 2012, Devgn starred in Rohit Shetty's romantic action comedy film "Bol Bachchan", which was a joint production with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. It also featured Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Prachi Desai. The film, made with a budget of , is an official remake of "Gol Maal" (1979). The film was released on 6 July 2012 in about 2,575 cinemas around the world and had 2,700 prints. It received mixed reviews but had a good opening at the box office. The film had record advance bookings. "Bol Bachchan" was one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films. It took .


title: Ajay Devgn

text: Devgn also starred in Ashwni Dhir's romantic action comedy film "Son of Sardaar", which was a joint production with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. The film was released on 13 November 2012. Despite competition with Yash Raj's film "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", "Son of Sardaar" was a financial success. It made .