Oct. 31 (UPI) — Scottish screen icon Sean Connery died overnight in the Bahamas, his family said. He was 90.
The BBC reported his death Saturday and Sky News confirmed it.
No cause was given.
Deadline said he died peacefully in the Bahamas after a long illness.
The Edinburgh native served in the Royal Navy from the time he was 16 until he was discharged on medical grounds.
Connery began his acting career on stage, but he went on to become one of the most famous film actors in the world in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.
He was known for his distinctive voice and was the first actor to play James Bond on the big screen, starting with 1962’s “Dr. No.” He also portrayed the British secret agent in five other movies.
“We are devastated by the news of the passing of Sir Sean Connery,” Bond franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement Saturday.
“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 revolutionized 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.”
Connery’s other credits include “The Wind and the Lion,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Man Who Would Be King,” “The Name of the Rose,” “Highlander,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “The Hunt For the Red October,” “The Rock” and “Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.”
He won an Oscar for his work in the 1987 film “The Untouchables” and his final on-screen role in a movie was in 2003’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman.”
