The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Screen icon and truly great Scot Sean Connery dies aged 90
Seen in the eyes of many as the definitive James Bond , Sir Sean Connery died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family at home in the Bahamas on Saturday. He was 90.
Over a glittering fivedecade career, the Scottish actor won an Oscar, two Baftas and three Golden Globes, and continued to find huge success after leaving Bond.
Sir Sean was no stranger to Courier Country, indeed his roots lay in Fife, as his mother, Euphemia “Effie” McBain McLean, hailed from Ceres.
As well as regularly visiting the area’s golf courses, he was also a keen footballer in his youth and was offered a trial with East Fife while playing with Bonnyrigg Rose.
Stars including Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, Sir Michael Caine and those who followed Sir Sean as 007, including Daniel Craig, George Lazenby and Pierce Brosnan, joined the world of film and beyond in remembering the late actor.
And Donald Trump has paid his own tribute, hailing him as a “great actor and an even greater man”.
The US president, who is up for re-election this week, added that the Scot was “so highly regarded” it had helped him win planning approval for his luxury golf resort on the Menie Estate near Balmedie in Aberdeenshire.
Brosnan, who starred as the secret agent in four films, said each subsequent Bond looked to Sir Sean “with reverence and admiration”.
Sir Sean’s wife, Micheline, a 91- year-old Moroccan-French painter who married Sir Sean in 1975, revealed the actor suffered from dementia.
She added: “He was gorgeous and we had a wonderful life together. He was a model of a man.”
De Niro, Costner and Sir Sean starred in 1987’s The Untouchables, with the Scottish star earning a best supporting actor Oscar for his role as veteran policeman Jimmy Malone.
De Niro said: “He seemed much younger than 90; I expected – and hoped – he’d be with us much longer.”
Bond star Craig, who is due to appear as 007 for the final time in the delayed No Time To Die, described him as “one of the true greats of cinema”.
Sir Sean was the first to bring the role of 007 to the big screen and he appeared in seven of the spy thrillers between 1962 and 1983.
He was repeatedly voted by fans as the best actor to have played 007 in the long- running franchise, beating Craig and Sir Roger Moore.
He was knighted in 2000 for services to film drama.
In August, he celebrated his 90th birthday.
Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge area on August 25 1930, the actor left school at an early age and took his first job as a milkman.
His first major step into acting came in 1957 when he secured a role in the British gangster film No Road Back.
However, it was his casting as Ian Fleming’s fictional British secret agent James Bond in the 1962 film Dr No that catapulted him to stardom.
Sir Sean was initially reluctant to commit to a film series but filled the role until You Only Live Twice in 1967.
Sir Sean won a new generation of fans with his performance as the father of Harrison Ford’s hero in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.
From his home in the Bahamas, he remained a fervent supporter of Scottish independence.
In inter views in the run-up to the 2014 referendum, he claimed he might return to live in Scotland if it voted to leave the UK.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said he was one of the country’s “best loved sons”.
Sir Michael Caine said of Sir Sean: “A great star, brilliant actor and a wonderful friend.”
Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said :“He revolutionised the world with his gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent.”
Sir Sean died in Nassau in the Bahamas and will be laid to rest in a private ceremony be fore a memorial is held following the pandemic, his publicist said.