Former Bond star Sir Roger Moore says his habit of soaking up the sun to get a Hollywood tan has led to a series of skin cancer scares in the subsequent years.

The 85-year-old British actor sported a deep tan throughout his movie career to avoid applying make-up on movie sets, and regularly burned himself in the sun to keep up his look.

However, the veteran star admits he has paid the price for his vanity and has suffered a string of skin cancers, reported Sun online.

"I (wish I) would... have given myself a warning about having too much sunshine. I've had so many skin cancers as a result. No one thought about sun screen or creams in my younger days. Even when they started to give warnings, I thought, 'Well, that won't happen to me'," said Moore.

"I would get sunburned so I did not have to wear make-up in front of the cameras. Every leading man was sunburned."