Roger Moore
makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's
Live and Let Die
. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (
Yaphet Kotto
), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (
Jane Seymour
in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while
Geoffrey Holder
is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by
Paul McCartney
and Lisa McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection.