LONDON: Acclaimed actor Sean Connery, who played James Bond on the silver screen between 1962 and 1983, passed away on Saturday.
As per media reports, the Scottish thespian was 90 years old. Connery died overnight in his sleep while in the Bahamas. He reportedly was unwell for some time.
Connery was the first actor to portray the iconic spy James Bond in movies and is widely regarded as one of the best actors to have played the role.
Starting with Dr. No in 1962, he played the role seven times – From Russia with Love and Goldfinger in 1963. Thunderball in 1965, You Only Live Twice in 1967, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, and lastly in Never Say Never Again in 1983. He even did voiceovers for the video game version of From Russia with Love in 2005.
He went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1988 for his role as Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables. Connery was knighted by the Queen in 2000.
After an illustrious career spanning decades, Connery announced his retirement in 2006. He briefly came out of retirement in 2012 to give his voice to the title character in the animated film Sir Billi the Vet, for which he also served as the executive producer
Connery was an ardent supporter of Scotland’s independence and had the words “Scotland Forever” tattooed on his arm while serving in the Royal Navy.
When he was knighted at the age of 69 by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 2000 at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, he wore full Scottish dress including the green-and-black plaid kilt of his mother’s MacLeod clan.
