SEAN CONNERY (1930 - 2020)

Sean Connery, who is probably best known as the first actor who played Ian Fleming's British secret agent character, James Bond on the big screen, has passed away today at the age of ninety. The Scottish performer, who had officially retired from acting in 2006, died of natural causes at his home in Nassau. Ruggedly handsome and effortlessly charming, Connery could captivate with his macho swagger and brute force yet would never seem out of place in a sophisticated setting.

He was born Thomas Sean Connery in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland. At the age of 16, he joined the Royal Navy but was discharged four years later on medical grounds due to a duodenal ulcer. Unsure of what he wanted to do with his life, Connery worked a number of odd jobs which included a coffin polisher and an artist's model. One job was working backstage at the King's Theatre in 1951 which was when Connery became interested in acting. He got small parts and was an understudy on stage before moving on to bit parts in television and film.

Connery received his first leading role in a BBC Television production of "Requiem For a Heavyweight" in 1957 and then a major role in a movie the following year with the melodrama, "Another Time, Another Place" with Lana Turner. But it would be the role of Agent 007 in "Dr. No" in 1962 that would make Connery a major star. He played Bond in the first five films which included "From Russia with Love" (1963), "Goldfinger" (1964), "Thunderball" (1965), "You Only Live Twice" (1967), returned with "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) and finally "Never Say Never Again" in 1983. Although this franchise made him a recognized name, Connery grew tired of the role and resented how it typecast him.

The actor would get other opportunities to branch out as a performer and some highlights include Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie"; John Huston’s "The Man Who Would Be King" with his buddy, Michael Caine; "Robin and Marian" with Audrey Hepburn; "Murder on the Orient Express" and "The Name of the Rose" which won Connery a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 1986. But it would be his performance in Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" as a hardened Irish-American cop that would give Connery newfound respect as an actor and sparked renewed interest in his career by a new generation. The role was considered one of his best and won Connery the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1987.

Some of the films he appeared in following his resurgence include "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ", "The Hunt For Red October", "The Rock", "The Russia House", "Entrapment" and "Finding Forrester". But during the filming of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", a 2003 film adaptation of the comic-book series, Connery was extremely frustrated with the director, Stephen Norrington and had such a bad experience that he was reluctant to ever go through that again, ultimately making this his final screen appearance.

Connery was married twice; first to actress Diane Cilento from 1962 to 1973 and they had a son, Jason Connery, an actor. He is survived by Micheline Roquebrune, a painter Connery married in 1975. Connery was a gifted actor who left us with many memorable and outstanding performances.