The one and only 007
The one true James Bond and legendary screen icon Sean Connery has passed away at the age of 90. A pillar of action heroes who became world famous when he brought 007 to the screen in 1962’s Dr. No, forever defining the role by his own aura- a combination of that Scottish brogue, sly charm, tongue in cheek humor and effortlessly singular masculinity that all successors would in one way or another be attempting to imitate. He always said his strength as an actor was in staying close to himself, and so the character of James Bond was shaped more by Sean Connery’s persona in seven Bond films from 1962-1983 than anything that was written in the pages of Victor Fleming’s novels. But he grew frustrated with the role and delivered a litany of memorable performances in other films as well, including Marnie (1964), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Robin and Marian (1976), The Name of the Rose (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Rock (1996), and Finding Forrester (2000), among countless others. He won an Oscar for The Untouchables, the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award in 1995, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2006 and was knighted in 2000. He retired in 2007, his icon status as one of the world’s greatest movie stars long secured.
Trailer for 1964’s Goldfinger (my favorite Bond movie):
Winning an Oscar for his Irish cop in The Untouchables:
