Sir Sean Connery, quintessential James Bond, passes away

by 31 Oct 2020

Sir Sean Connery (1930-2020) seen with the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 'Bond Car' .

Sir Sean Connery, who is known to be the best actor to have portrayed James Bond in the EON-produced films, passed away today. Born on August 25, 1930, he was ninety.

Sir Sean, who starred in seven Bond films – Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, and Never Say Never Again, was the first Bond who brought the cinema screen alive with his charisma and depiction of the world’s least secret secret agent. Nattily dressed, with a wry sense of humour, he also drove a number of snazzy cars, gadget-laden cars.

Dr Andy Palmer, former CEO of Aston Martin, tweeted: “Sir Sean Connery, the very definition of James Bond and Aston Martin. THE quintessential 007; RIP. It was an honour to have known you. You will be truly missed!"

James Bond movie producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a tweet: “We are devastated by the news of the passing of Sir Sean Connery. He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — “The name’s Bond... James Bond” — he revolutionised the world with his gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent. He is undoubtedly largely responsible for the success of the film series and we shall be forever grateful to him.”

Every Bond movie bristles with diabolic plots, speedy cars and more action. Connery drove the Sunbeam Alpine Series II in Dr No (1962) and moved on to a Bentley Mark IV in From Russia With Love (1963). In 1964, Connery drove the car that epitomised Bond – the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger and a year later in Thunderball. Fifty-four years later, this particular DB5 was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for a record $6.4 million.

Connery’s Aston Martin DB5 was built specifically for Eon Productions and outfitted with legendary MI6 Q Branch-specified gadgetry from Q's bag of tricks – machine guns, a bullet-proof shield, a tracking device, revolving number-plates, a removable roof panel, an oil slick sprayer and nail spreader and smoke screen, all of which are controlled from switches in the centre armrest.

In 1967, for You Only Live Twice, which was shot in Japan, Sir Sean drove the Toyota 2000 GT. It is learnt that hard-top coupe was modified into an open-top car to accommodate the burly, six-foot-two Scotsman.

Four years later, he drove a Ford Mustang in Diamonds Are Forever, the highlight being a high-speed escape from the hard-chasing police.

In 1983, in Never Say Never Again (1983), Sir Sean drove a 1937 Bentley 4¼-litre Gurbney Nutting drophead coupe to a health clinic. The porter remarks: "They don't make them like this anymore." and Bond replies "Right. It's still in pretty good shape.", something he also says about his own physique in the next scene.