The actor that's starred as James Bond the most in the enduring 007 franchise isn't Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, but Roger Moore. From 1973 - 1985, Moore starred in seven films as the iconic secret agent, jet-setting around the globe as he saved the world repeatedly, romanced beautiful women and looked suave doing it. But, as with all things, even Moore's lengthy tenure as 007 had to come to an end, with the venerable actor stepping down after his final appearance as the character in 1985's A View to a Kill, effectively ending an era.
One of the biggest factors behind Moore's departure came down simply to age. While Moore succeeded Sean Connery after the original actor's final turn as Bond in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, he was actually three years older than his predecessor. Moore turned 46 shortly after his inaugural appearance as Bond in Live and Let Die, released in 1973. He initially signed a three-film contract for The Spy Who Loved Me, but the runaway success of the movie, both commercially and critically, and Moore's own continued enjoyment in the role led him to act as Bond on a film-by-film basis.
By 1981's For Your Eyes Only, Moore was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his own age in direct comparison to his love interests in the films, with his co-stars largely being in their 20s. While other actors were considered to become the new Bond for the 1981 film, Moore ultimately relented and renewed his contract. Following this, Moore became more serious about retiring from his 007 role ahead of 1983's Octopussy. The producers screen-tested American actor James Brolin — the father of Marvel Cinematic Universe star Josh Brolin — but they were led to renegotiate Moore's contract for two additional films upon one unexpectedly familiar development: Sean Connery.
Due to a lengthy lawsuit over cinematic licensing, Connery was announced to reprise his role as James Bond in Taliafilm's Never Say Never Again, even though it wasn't considered an official entry by long-time Bond production studio, Eon Productions. With Never Say Never Again and Octopussy both slated to open in 1983, Eon felt a more established actor in the role of Bond would perform better at the box office against Connery's return than a replacement. Moore agreed to a two-film contract, fulfilled by both Octopussy and 1985's A View to a Kill. Following the release of the 1985 film, Moore announced he was retiring from the role due to his advancing age as he was nearing his 58th birthday. In reflective interviews, Moore also labeled A View to a Kill as his least favorite Bond film, reiterating his own age, his lack of chemistry with his co-stars and the heightened amount of on-screen violence as unsavory elements that informed his decision to step down.
Moore was replaced shortly thereafter by Timothy Dalton for 1987's The Living Daylights, with Dalton's tenure returning the film series to a darker, more serious tone in sharp contrast to Moore's lighter, more campy entries. Looking back, Moore would admit that his tenure as James Bond lasted longer than probably should have, going as far as to joke that he was "about 400 years too old" to reprise the role for A View to a Kill. Despite this, Moore looked back more fondly on his tenure as Bond than Connery, with the actor still retaining the record for most official Bond films under his belt, over 35 years after leaving the role.