SEAN Connery, iconic James Bond star, dies at 90

Ebangla Bureau

Sir Sean Connery, called the definitive James Bond  of Hollywood, is no more. He  has died in  sleep aged 90 following prolonged  illness. Tributes have been pouring in for the Oscar-winning actor who passed away in the Bahamas and leaves behind  wife Micheline and sons Jason and Stefan. Sir Sean, whose acting career spans about five decades, is best known for his portrayal of British fictional spy James Bond  he played between 1962–1971 in seven movies.  

Suave and cold-hearted, his 007 was every inch the Cold War dinosaur of the books, says BBC. The iconic James Bond star’s death was first reported by BBC News. The Scottish star’s legendary acting career spanned decades, but he was best known for being the first person to play 007. Connery played the suave secret agent in seven films. Among these, Dr No, You Only Live Twice, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger and Never Say Never Again remain memorable. He is considered to be the best actor to ever play Bond and hence, he remains etched in the hearts of move-goers as the super-secret agent credited with unbelievable exploits to achieve his assigned missions. Thomas Sean Connery, recalls BBC, was born in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh on 25 August 1930. He was  son of a Catholic factory worker and a Protestant domestic cleaner. His father’s family had emigrated from Ireland in the 19th Century; his mother traced her line back to Gaelic speakers from the Isle of Skye. Young Tommy Connery was brought up in one room of a tenement with a shared toilet which lacked hot water. He dropped out of school at 13 with no qualifications and delivered milk, polished coffins and laid bricks, before joining the Royal Navy. Three years later, he was invalided out of the service with stomach ulcers. His arms by now had grown tattoos which proclaimed his passions; “Scotland forever” and “Mum & Dad”. In Edinburgh, he gained a reputation as “hard man” when six gang members tried to steal from his coat. When he stopped them, he was trolled. Connery launched a one-man assault which the future Bond won hands down. He scraped a living anyway he could. He drove trucks, worked as a lifeguard and posed as a model at the Edinburgh College of Art. He spent his spare time bodybuilding. A keen footballer, Connery was good enough to attract the attention of Matt Busby, who offered him a £25-a-week contract at Manchester United. n 1988, five years after his last Bond film Never Say Never Again, Connery won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in The Untouchables. Other classic roles included parts in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Murder On The Orient Express, Highlander, The Rock, Finding Forrester and The Hunt For Red October. He was also offered two iconic roles – that of Gandalf in Lord Of The Rings, and the Architect in the Matrix but turned them down saying he didn’t understand the scripts. edited by PK Chakravarty