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.
Yakymour 