Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery became famous for playing the role of James Bond,
the fictional secret agent known for his wild missions and many escapades.
Connery is considered by many to be the definitive Bond, as he was the premier
actor to portray the internationally beloved character on the big screen.
He brought life to the role of Agent 007 on and off for three decades in a total of seven films,
and while other actors would succeed him, he remains the favorite Bond for many fans.
"Shocking.
Positively shocking."
Connery would go on to have an extremely successful career beyond playing Bond,
and acted in dozens of films over the course of almost six decades,
before retiring from acting in 2006 just after kidney surgery.
On October 31, 2020, Connery died at his home in the Bahamas at the age 90.
He was survived by his wife Micheline and his son, Jason.
After a private funeral service to honor Connery in the Bahamas, the actor's body was then
cremated. According to his wife, one of his final wishes was to have his ashes scattered in the two
countries that he called home: his native Scotland and the Bahamas, where he lived post-retirement.
Because of the tighter restrictions at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
at the time, his ashes were only scattered in the Caribbean nation. But in March 2021,
his other wish was finally granted. It was reported that month that his ashes were set to
be scattered in St. Andrews — a coastal Scottish town. An avid golfer, both Connery's wife and son
told reporters that his ashes were very likely to be released on a golf course in the area,
but according to The Scotsman, the exact location was never revealed.
Shortly after news about his death spread, his wife Micheline shared that in the actor's
final months of life he had the memory loss condition dementia. According to Connery's wife,
the illness caused Connery a lot of suffering in the months leading up to his death.
Just seven months after Connery's death, Sean's younger brother, Neil, died in Scotland on May 10,
2021 at the age of 83. Like his brother, Neil was an actor, known for his resemblance to his
older sibling. He had reportedly been battling an undisclosed long-term illness before his death.
While Neil Connery didn't have the storied and successful career similar to that of his brother,
he did earn himself a few acting credits,
and even starred in a spoof film of James Bond, titled "Operation Kid Brother."
Because he was the first official Bond, Connery had a lifelong association with the role no
matter how far he strayed from it. Though he returned for "Never Say Never Again" in 1983,
Connery had actually sworn off Bond years earlier because he was fed up with the franchise,
according to USA Today. After 1967's "You Only Live Twice," Connery quit Bond,
only to return for 1971's "Diamonds are Forever" when the studio
offered him a hefty $1.25 million to come back to the role, according to Express.
"It's not quite perfected yet.”
Connery later donated his "Diamonds" paycheck to the Scottish International
Education Trust, which supports Scottish artists.
Connery was briefly succeeded in the role by George Lazenby, who would quit after one film,
and was later replaced by Roger Moore — another memorable Bond. Still,
Connery was the most famous of them all. Even when British actor Daniel Craig signed as the new Bond,
filmmakers wanted the legendary actor to make a cameo appearance in 2012's
"Skyfall." At that point Connery was several years into his retirement and
showed absolutely no interest in ever returning to the big screen.
However, Connery's Bond legacy did continue in an unexpected way. Shortly after his death in 2020,
the prop gun that Connery wielded in his debut Bond film, "Dr. No," was sold at auction for
$250,000 in California, according to Variety. The owner of the gun found a seller shortly after
the actor's passing, but it wasn't Connery's death that led him to giving it up for sale.
They were apparently already in the process of auctioning off the gun
a year before he died. The auction coincidentally happened just two months after Connery's death,
which left the previous owner a little uneasy. The name of the new buyer of the Walther PPK
prop gun was not revealed, but is apparently a fan of all the Bond movies.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Grunge videos about movie legends
are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.