Sean Connery - James Bond actor and Hollywood icon - dies, aged 90
The Scottish star was an Oscar winner and starred in such classic films as The Untouchables, Marnie and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Sir Sean Connery has died, aged 90.
His family confirmed to the BBC that the Scottish actor had passed away.
Connery was perhaps best known for being the first actor to portray secret agent James Bond on the big screen, beginning with 1962's Dr. No. He appeared in five more films in the official series, as well as 1983's unofficial entry Never Say Never Again.
Earlier this year, RadioTimes.com readers voted Connery the best ever actor to play Bond, with the star emerging triumphant in a survey of over 14,000 007 fans. He last played the character in 2005, providing voice work for the video game James Bond 007: From Russia with Love.
In a statement, Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: "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."
Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1930, his breakthrough screen role as James Bond in 1962 following a variety of early theatre, television and film appearances, including in 1958 melodrama Another Time, Another Place opposite Lana Turner and the 1959 Disney movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
Across an acting career spanning decades, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1987's The Untouchables, won a BAFTA Award for his performance in 1986's The Name of the Rose and in 1998 received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award.
He also appeared in such film classics as Marnie (1964), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and The Hunt for Red October (1990), and was part of the ensemble casts of Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and A Bridge Too Far (1977).
Additional credits included Highlander (1986), The Rock (1996), Entrapment (1999), and Finding Forrester (2000).
In 2006, upon receiving the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, Connery confirmed he was stepping away from acting, with his last big-screen role being as Allan Quatermain in 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – though he briefly came out of retirement to voice the title character in animated movie Sir Billie the Vet in 2012.
Knighted by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh in July 2000, he celebrated his 90th birthday in August of this year.
He was residing in the Bahamas at the time of his death.
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Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
