Sean Connery, the first James Bond on the big screen, has died at 90

Sean Connery, most famous for his portrayal of James Bond, has died at the age of 90, his family said Saturday. The actor, who played 007 in seven movies starting with 1962’s Dr. No, died in his sleep in the Bahamas. The actor had been “unwell for some time,” his son Jason told the BBC.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Connery had an acting career that spanned decades and included multiple award-winning performances. He won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his work in The Untouchables in 1988 and won three Golden Globes. He also starred opposite Harrison Ford in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which he played Jones’ father.

Connery was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. He largely retired from acting that decade, but he played Bond one last time through voice-over in the 2005 video game adaptation of From Russia With Love. His final role was a voiceover in the 2012 Scottish animated movie Sir Billi.

Over the years, he appeared in dozens of films, working with directors from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Steven Spielberg and Brian De Palma. In his pre-Bond work, he was probably best known for a Disney film about leprechauns, 1959’s Darby O’Gill and the Little People.

It was his appearance in Dr. No, the first big-screen adaptation of one of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, that catapulted Connery into superstardom. He followed that up in quick succession with From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, over a span of five years. He stepped away from the role, ceding the 007 title to George Lazenby for one film, then returned in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.

Connery made one more comeback as Bond, starring in 1983’s Never Say Never Again (a reworking of Thunderball), which is said to have taken its name from Connery’s earlier opposition to returning to the role, and then relenting.

James Bond movies, ranked, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig

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Though other notable actors, including Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, have played James Bond, Connery has been widely considered to be the definitive 007. He brought a distinctive mix of suave sophistication and steely brutality to the role, with his performances becoming the measuring stick by which his successors have been judged.

In his later years, he turned in…