Ewan McGregor has led tributes to fellow actor and Unicef ambassador Sir Roger Moore, who has died at the age of 89.
The James Bond star, who famously portrayed 007 in seven films, died on Tuesday following a short battle with cancer.
But while Sir Roger was best known by most for his role as the debonair agent, Trainspotting star McGregor thanked him for his dedication to charity.
He said in a statement: “Thank you, Roger for having championed so tirelessly the rights of all children for the last 26 years.
“You introduced me to Unicef over a decade ago and have been an inspiration to all of us.
“I hope that together we’ll continue advocating for the plight of children everywhere, whose most basic rights are still being denied.
“You’ve shown that we all have the power to make a change to the lives of the most vulnerable children.”
His sentiments were echoed by the charity’s executive director
Tony Lake, who commented: “With the passing of @sirrogermoore, the world has lost one of its great champions for children.”
Singer Boy George was among the wave of stars to share tributes on Twitter, posting: “R.I.P Sir Roger Moore. He was the king of cool.”
Lord Alan Sugar wrote: “R.I.P The Saint and 007,” while Tony Blackburn added: “So sad to her Sir Roger Moore has died,he was a lovely man. R.I.P.”
Actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar shared a photo of himself cuddling the star and commented: “My Bond. My teacher. My friend. Grateful. Heartbroken.”
“My dearest uncle Roger has passed on,” wrote singer Michael Ball.
“What a sad, sad day this is. Loved the bones of him. Generous, funny, beautiful and kind. £ROGERMOORE.”
Over in the US, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston also shared a photo of the pair together and commented: “Saddened @sirrogermoore passed today. Had a great chat about acting & life 6 mo. ago. Generous and kind. RIP Mr. Bond.”
Actress Robbin Young, who starred in Sir Roger’s 1981 Bond instalment For Your Eyes Only, posted: “My (heart) Aches. R.I.P. Roger Moore.”
Meanwhile, some of the UK’s leading film institutes were among the first to share their tributes following the news.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) tweeted a photograph of Moore with Bond predecessor Sir Sean Connery and Sir Michael Caine and wrote: “We’re saddened to learn that Sir Roger Moore has passed away.”
Pinewood Studios added: “With great sadness Pinewood learns of the passing of Sir Roger Moore. A force of nature, his humour and spirit will be missed by all of us.”
The British Film Institute posted a nostalgic picture of the TV and film “giant” in his younger years, fixing his famously piercing blue eyes on the camera.