Sir Sean Connery, the award-winning Scottish actor whose suave and debonair portrayal of fictional MI6 super spy James Bond, died at the age of 90.
He died peacefully in his sleep while in the Bahamas. No official cause of death was made known though he was reported to be unwell for quite some time.
For the actor whose iconic phrase “Bond, James Bond” became a stuff of legend and contributed to his global popularity, was not in any way tied to becoming simply James Bond.
After he left the Bond movie series in 1971 with “Diamonds Are Forever,” his versatility and seriousness as an actor in playing a variety of roles contributed to his acting renown.
Perhaps the biggest crowning glory in his acting career culminated in winning the coveted Oscar for supporting actor as tough-as-nails Chicago cop in Brian de Palma’s “The Untouchables” starring Kevin Costner. Other awards included two BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards and three Golden Globes.
Other mega-blockbuster films contributed to Connery’s acting resume, with films like “The Hunt for Red October,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Rock” with Nicholas Cage, even in the “First Knight,” where he played King Arthur and starred with Richard Gere.
In 1999 he was selected People magazine’s “Sexiest Man of the Century.”
(Photo credit: cinemablend.com)