Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg once had ambitions to direct a James Bond film, according to a tell-all new memoir by Roger Moore.

Moore, now 80, who starred as the dashing spy in seven Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, told how he met the young director at a hotel in Paris.

But Spielberg's recent success proved to be a stumbling block.

In his forthcoming book My Word is my Bond, Moore recalls: 'He was a huge Bond fan and said that he would love to direct one of the films.

Roger Moore says Steven Spielberg was interested in directing a James Bond, before embarking on the Indiana Jones series of films

'He'd recently had great success with Jaws and Close Encounters and was considered a very hot property.

'I was rather excited at this news and went looking for Broccoli (film producer Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli) to tell him.

But Broccoli, who steered the Bond franchise over three decades, shook his head and asked, 'Do you know how much of a percentage he'd want?'

Moore lamented: 'It's always been policy that no Bond director ever got a slice of the box office profits, so Spielberg went off and made Indiana Jones who I reckon to be a period James Bond!'

Roger Moore took over the hit role of 007 from Sean Connery in 1973. His films include The Spy Who Loved Me, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and A View to a Kill.

Roger Moore in Live and let Die, 1973

His memoir, out on November 4, also reveals some on-set mishaps during the iconic films, including careering into a wall and cracking his front teeth during the boat chase scene in Live and Let Die.

"Jimmy Bond had a big jet boat chase in Live and Let Die,' writes Moore.

 "I did quite a few run-throughs to practice and whilst banking on one such run, the engine cut out. I had no steering! I therefore continued in a straight line ... directly into a wooden boat house."

"There I was, as a fearless 007, hobbling on a cane to my boat and then pretending to be indestructible for the cameras. Who says I can't act?"

In his forthcoming book 'My Word is my Bond', Moore recalls: 'He was a huge Bond fan and said that he would love to direct one of the films.

'He'd recently had great success with Jaws and Close Encounters and was considered a very hot property.

'I was rather excited at this news and went looking for Broccoli (film producer Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli) to tell him.

But Broccoli, who steered the Bond franchise over three decades, shook his head and asked, 'Do you know how much of a percentage he'd want?'

Moore lamented: 'It's always been policy that no Bond director ever got a slice of the box office profits, so Spielberg went off and made Indiana Jones who I reckon to be a period James Bond!'

Roger Moore took over the hit role of 007 from Sean Connery in 1973. His films include The Spy Who Loved Me, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and A View to a Kill.

His memoir, out on November 4, also reveals some on-set mishaps during the iconic films, including careering into a wall and cracking his front teeth during the boat chase scene in Live and Let Die.

'Jimmy Bond had a big jet boat chase in Live and Let Die,' writes Moore.

'I did quite a few run-throughs to practice and whilst banking on one such run, the engine cut out. I had no steering! I therefore continued in a straight line ... directly into a wooden boat house.'

'There I was, as a fearless 007, hobbling on a cane to my boat and then pretending to be indestructible for the cameras. Who says I can't act?'