Roger Moore Released From Hospital
(9th May, 2003)

Roger Moore, the suave star of seven James Bond movies, was released from a hospital Friday after being fitted for a pacemaker, according to a spokeswoman.

Moore, 75, collapsed during a Wednesday matinee performance of the Broadway comedy "The Play What I Wrote" but finished the show after a 10-minute break.

Moore was fitted for a pacemaker Thursday, according to Mary Cahill, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency for which Moore has served as a goodwill ambassador for 12 years. Jerry Pam, Moore's agent in the U.S., also said Moore received a pacemaker.

"He's feeling absolutely fine," said Cahill, who spoke to Moore after he was discharged from the hospital.

Moore plans to keep a previously scheduled engagement Friday night, accepting an award on behalf of UNICEF from the French-American Aid for Children organization at a benefit dinner in Manhattan.

"He's very gallant. He's a real trooper," she said. "He does so much good work for us. The fact that he's making an effort to go there for us tonight is indicative of Roger's efforts for children."

Moore was playing the part of the mystery guest star, a rotating cameo role filled by celebrities, when he fainted toward the end of the second act of "The Play What I Wrote." He was taken to the hospital after the show.

Moore's agents originally said he had breathing problems on stage and was diagnosed with dehydration and exhaustion. But Moore had been told in the past that he would eventually have to get a pacemaker, Cahill said.

Pacemakers help maintain a normal heart rhythm, and Cahill said Moore's was inserted at Beth Israel Medical Center. Hospital officials did not immediately return a call for comment on Moore's surgery.

(The Associated Press 9th May, 2003)