James Bond Actor Sean Connery Dies at Age 90

Sir Thomas Sean Connery has died at the age of 90, according to his family. The Scottish actor was famed for his portrayal of James Bond, having originated the role of the British secret-agent 007 in ‘Dr. No’ in 1962. He went on to star in five subsequent James Bond films, ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963), ‘Goldfinger’ (1964), ‘Thunderball’ (1965), ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967), and ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971). Connery died at his home in the Bahamas.

We are devastated by the news of the passing of Sir Sean Connery. He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words: “The name’s Bond… James Bond” — he revolutionised the world with his gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent. He is undoubtedly largely responsible for the success of the film series and we shall be forever grateful to him.

Michael G. Wilson en Barbara Broccoli, producers

The actor was born to a working-class family in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1930. He became interested in acting in the 1950s after working backstage at a theater, and secured his first film role in 1957 in ‘No Road Back’. He was reluctant to star in the film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, but the movies proved to be one of the most iconic film franchises of all time.

When you think of Sean Connery, you automatically think of the most iconic movie car ever: the Aston Martin DB5 Touring. The DB5 was introduced in 1963 and made its star turn in Goldfinger the following year. Even though it ended its on-screen time with a crash, the DB5 forged a connection between Bond and Aston in the public consciousness. The car has appeared in six other 007 films since then.

After stepping away from the Bond series, Connery worked with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg. At the peak of his career in 1988, Connery won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the movie ‘The Untouchables’ (1987). His repertoire also includes many other well-known films such as ‘Marnie’ (1964), ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989), ‘The Hunt for Red October’ (1990), ‘The Rock’ (1996) and ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ (2003).

Later in his career he was offered the role of Gandalf in the famous trilogy ‘Lord Of The Rings’ (2001 – 2003), but he ignored this offer. He admitted in an interview that he did not understand the script. Nor would he return in the fourth ‘Indiana Jones’ movie of 2008.

He retired from acting in 2003, Connery enjoyed himself very much with recording the James Bond film in 2005 and said he would like to do it again, but it never happened again. There were also rumors about a role in ‘Skyfall’ (2012), but this role eventually went to Albert Finney. A longtime supporter of Scottish independence, Connery was knighted in 2000.

Aston Martin offers up a peek into the progress of its DB5 Goldfinger Continuation series

The Aston Martin DB5 is a British luxury Grand Tourer (GT) that was made by Aston Martin and designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented Superleggera (tube-frame) construction methods.

Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. Although the design and construction techniques were Italian, the DB4 was the first Aston to be built at the company’s Newport Pagnell works in Buckinghamshire, England. And so was the DB5.

By many people dubbed as ‘the most famous car in the world’ and renowned as being among the most desirable and sought-after classic Aston Martin models, the DB5 has become a byword for timeless style and sports car desirability.

Fewer than 900 saloon examples were built by the brand between 1963 and 1965, with by far the most famous of the original owners being the world’s best-known secret agent – James Bond – who first drove the car that is today inextricably linked with him in the 1964 film, ‘Goldfinger’.

Now, 55 years after the last DB5 rolled off the production line at Aston Martin’s then global manufacturing base in Newport Pagnell, work is once again under way there on a strictly limited number of just 25 new DB5 models. Created in association with the producers of the James Bond films, EON Productions, and featuring a broad suite of working gadgets first seen on screen in the 1964 film, the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are history in the making.

The latest in Aston Martin’s phenomenally successful Continuation car programme, which began in 2017 with the DB4 GT Continuation, the new DB5 models represent among the most valuable new cars yet brought to market by the British luxury brand. Each DB5 Goldfinger continuation car is priced at £2.75 million plus taxes, and the meticulous construction process takes around 4,500 hours per car.

Each of the 25 new cars is being built to the highest possible quality using a blend of Sir David Brown-era old world craftsmanship, with the sympathetic application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements, alongside the integration of cutting-edge working gadgets developed with Chris Corbould OBE, the Oscar-winning special effects supervisor who has worked on more than a dozen Bond films.

The list of Bond-inspired gadgets includes features all too familiar to viewers of the classic 1964 big screen hit, such as revolving number plates at the front and rear (triple plates), simulated twin front machine guns, a simulated tyre slasher, a bullet resistant rear shield, a removable passenger seat roof panel, a telephone in the driver’s door, a gear knob actuator button and a remote control for gadget activation.

All the new cars are meticulously detailed authentic reproductions of the DB5 seen on screen, with some sympathetic modifications and enhancements to ensure the highest levels of build quality and reliability. All the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are being built to one exterior colour specification – Silver Birch paint – just like the original.

The cars feature original DB5 styled aluminium exterior body panels wrapped elegantly around an authentic DB5 mild steel chassis structure (Supperleggera). Under the bonnet, there’s a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated inline six-cylinder engine with a six-plug head, three SU carburettors and oil cooler, that’s capable of generating in the order of 290 bhp. This is mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission in the rear-wheel drive DB5, which also features a mechanical limited slip differential.

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works where the original DB5 was built and the new cars are also being created, said: “We are making, perhaps, some of the most desirable ‘toys’ ever built for 25 very lucky buyers worldwide. Creating the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars and working with EON Productions and special effects supervisor, Chris Corbould, is something truly unique and a real career highlight for everyone involved here at Aston Martin Works.”

First deliveries of the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation to customers will commence in the second half of 2020. Come in the beautiful world of Aston Martin.