Maine State Police on Tuesday released a nearly forgotten photograph of actor Roger Moore posing 18 years ago with a state trooper who had just made him an honorary state police captain.

The photo was posted Tuesday on the Maine State Police Facebook page by Steve McCausland, longtime spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. McCausland said he took the photograph in 1989 during a film shoot in Cape Neddick.

He dredged the photo up from former colleague Randy Nichols after learning that Moore had died Tuesday at the age of 89. Nichols, a former state trooper, now works as head of security for Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

The photo shows Nichols, in his capacity as the state police community relations officer, presenting the British actor with an honorary Maine State Police captain certificate.

Moore was in Maine in 1989 to shoot a small-budget film, “Bed and Breakfast.”

The movie, starring Moore and Colleen Dewhurst, Nina Siemaszko and Talia Shire, was released in 1991 but did not fare well at the box office.

“I think it went directly to video,” McCausland said.

The movie was a romantic comedy about three generations of women who operate a failing bed-and-breakfast. Everything changes when a charming, mysterious stranger (Moore) shows up, according to a description on IMDb, a website about movies.

McCausland said Nichols decided to visit the movie set because of Moore’s starring role as the suave British secret service agent 007. He played the role of James Bond in seven movies.

“He thought making him a state police captain would be a good hook,” McCausland said.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com