London: Celebrity actor Sean Connery, best known for playing the legendary spy James Bond, has passed away at the age of 90, leading to the release of a tribute to one of Britain’s most popular screen heroes.
“He was remembered and will always be remembered as the first James Bond,” said movie franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Sir Sean’s son Jason told the BBC that his father had died peacefully asleep all night in the Bahamas, “not feeling well for a while”.
The Scottish actor, best known in 2000, won numerous awards during his decades of service, including an Oscar, three Golden Globes and two Bafta awards.
“He has changed the world by displaying subtlety and ingenuity in secret and kind wisdom.”
The two added that Connery “was undoubtedly responsible for the success of the film series and we will always thank him.”
A message on his Twitter account is reserved for another late Bond actor Roger Moore, who passed away in 2017, calling the news of his passing “sad”.
He added: “He and Roger have been friends for decades and Roger has always kept Sean in the forefront of James Bond.
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman said: “I grew up worshiping SeanConnery. Myth on screen, turned off. Rest In Peace.”
Connery, born in Edinburgh in 1930, claimed his solo Oscar in 1988 as the lead actor in the Irish police drama “The Untouchables”.
He also starred in “The Hunt for Red October”, “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade” and “The Rock”.
But his smooth, striking Scottish exposure of suave spy 007 made him famous and worshiped around the world.
The first actor to release an unforgettable “Bond, James Bond”, Connery made six official films as novelist Ian Fleming, giving what many still consider a clear show.
A bricklayer, a lifeguard, and a boxer, among other crafts, before gaining fame, Connery began his acting career after a body-building hobby that led him to enter the Mr Universe competition.
There, one of his competitors urged him to scrutinize the character’s parts and soon began to find smaller roles.
His big break came from acting as Bond in 1962’s “Dr. No”, the franchise’s first movie.
He went on to play Bond in “From Russia With Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), “You Live Live Twice” (1967) and “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971).
He also returned as a British spy for the 1983 illegal film “Never Say Never Again”.
Outside the screen, Connery was a very proud Scottish and financial backer of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which represented Scotland’s independence from the UK.
Former national prime minister Alex Salmond reacted to his death by describing Connery as “Scotland’s largest in the world, the last among the real Hollywood stars, the clear Bond.”
Salmond said his signature voice, spirit and passion have been tolerated even though “”his health was failing” in recent years.
“I will miss him. Scotland will miss him. The world will miss him,” he added.
