James Bond actor Sean Connery has died aged 90.
The BBC reports that the iconic Scottish performer, who first brought 007 to the big screen, passed away overnight between October 30 and October 31 while in the Bahamas. No cause of death has been announced though he was reportedly unwell for some time.
As well as playing Bond in seven movies over his decades-spanning career, Connery was best known for playing Indiana Jones' father in The Last Crusade, Captain Marko Ramius in The Hunt for Red October, and Allan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – his final on-screen performance.
Connery won an Oscar for playing Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables, and starred alongside Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchock's Marnie. He was later knighted in 2000 for his services to the entertainment industry, having first appeared on film aged 24 in the 1954 British musical Lilacs in the Spring. His role was uncredited.
Before a career in film, Connery was a keen footballer, even attracting the attention of Manchester United, the coach for which offered him a £25-a-week contract. However, after appearing in a few local theatre productions, Connery set his sights on acting, and went on to become James Bond, first portraying the spy in 1962's Dr. No, then again in 1963's From Russia with Love, and 1954's Goldfinger.
The role made Connery a household name and helped him find fame in Hollywood. After stepping down as Bond after 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, he would once again return to the role in the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again – a titled that nodded to his initial reluctance to return as Bond.
Through the '80s and '90s, Connery appeared in a number of fantasy-action movies, such as Sword of the Valiant, Highlander, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and s the voice of the dragon Draco in Dragonheart. As his career wound down in the late '90s, Connery passed on roles such as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and the Architect in The Matrix trilogy.
After his final on-screen role in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Connery retired, though did make fleeting voice appearances, including returning as Bond in the video game From Russia with Love.
