Current James Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were both devastated by the news. In a statement they said “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’.”
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Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland on Aug 25 1930, Connery worked many jobs during his youth, driving trucks, polishing coffins and bricklaying before joining the Royal Navy at 16. A keen soccer player, he was offered the chance to play professionally at Manchester United but instead he chose acting.
After acting on the stage for several years, Connery soon gained his first feature film role in 1954’s Lilacs in the Spring, renamed Let’s Make Up in the U.S., before appearing in various film and TV productions. But it was the 1962 adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novel Dr. No where he entered cinema’s hall of fame as the suave spy, James Bond.
Going on to appear in a further 6 Bond films, Connery bowed out of the role with 1971’s Diamonds are Forever before returning to the role in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. Connery would continue to act in films like Highlander, Hunt for Red October and The Untouchables before retiring from acting in 2006.
Remarking on his passing, his son Jason said it was “a sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”
Thomas Sean Connery 1930 - 2020
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Source: BBC News
