Doorn Van Steyn: What Happened To Roger Moore’s Ex-wife?

Doorn Van Steyn was an actress. She is the ex-wife of English actor Roger George Moore. Doorn’s ex-husband Roger Moore was the third actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985.

Doorn Van Steyn: Bio Summary

Who Was Roger Moore’s Ex-wife, Doorn Van Steyn?

Doorn Van Steyn was born on November 30, 1921, in Lambeth, London, England, UK per IMDb. Her real name was Lucy Woodard. She was the daughter of William Woodard Sr and Florence Woodard and the sister of William Woodard, Dolly Ayers and Florence Helana Butler. She was fluent in Spanish, French, English, and Hebrew.

Doorn Van Steyn studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She was an actress and ice skater. As an actress, she appeared in The Trojan Brothers and had an uncredited role as Mannequin in Maytime in Mayfair. She played a role in Old Mother Riley, Headmistress. She appeared as Mannequin in The Madame Gambles. She also appeared in Tel Aviv Taxi.

Doorn Van Steyn later became a part-time professional photographer with National Geographic and a stained glass artisan. She was married to Roger Moore. The two had met at the time they were students of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. At the time Doorn met Roger, she was a single mother.

Doorn Van Steyn was 18 years old when World War II began and during the war, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first son, Shaun Van Steyn. The father of her son Shaun was a highly decorated Dutch bomber pilot for the Royal Air Force (RAF), who flew 88 missions over Germany. Doorn and the father of her son got separated.

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Doorn Van Steyn married Roger Moore in the year 1946. At the time they married, Roger was 18 years and Doorn was six years his senior. The duo lived with Doorn’s family. They lived in a one-room apartment in London, per Heavy. Their marriage was often violent. Roger is said to have suffered domestic abuse during their marriage.

Doorn and Roger often fought during their marriage and Doorn reportedly mocked Roger constantly. “You’ll never be an actor. Your face is too weak. Your jaw’s too big, and your mouth’s too small,” Doorn would say to her then-husband Roger. Their union ended sooner than expected.

They got divorced in 1953. Their careers, money problems, and interests contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. Doorn Van Steyn reportedly continued to tour with her skating revue after her divorce from Roger Moore. She was performing in Israel when she met an Israeli Army officer identified as Ami Solell (or Sollel).

The two got together, Doorn stayed in Israel, and got married to Ami. Doorn’s son Shaun later moved to live with his mother and stepfather. Doorn Van Steyn and Ami gave birth to a son and they named him Jody. For unknown reasons, Doorn and Ami got divorced in the 1960s. After the divorce, Doorn moved to Washington D.C., where she met her third and final husband, Ronald Hodge.

They are said to have married in 1970. Doorn Van Steyn was a host of summer soirees and Christmas parties, and could often be found at the National Press Club at any number of events. She became one of the esteemed Silver Owls, signifying 25+ years as a member of the Press Club.

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What Happened To Roger Moore’s Ex-wife?

Doorn Van Steyn died on August 23, 2010, at age 88. She is survived by her husband Ronald, her mother-in-law Lucille, her sons Shaun and Jody, daughters-in-law Joan and Carmela, grandchildren Simon, Pele, and Kesem, and many other relatives. Doorn’s ex-husband Roger Moore died on 23 May 2017, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, at age 89. He died from cancers of the lung and liver. He is buried in Monaco Cemetery.