Following Sir Sean Connery’s death at the age of 90, Sir Michael Caine paid homage to him, calling him “a Great Star, Brilliant Actor, and a Wonderful Friend.”

Tributes have poured in for the renowned actor, who made his big screen debut as 007 in Dr No in 1962.

From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds Are Forever were the films that followed.

Sir Michael added in a tweet, “The Man Who Would Be King was THE KING,” a reference to the 1975 film they co-starred in, The Man Who Would Be King.

Sean Connery and Michael Caine in Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King (PA)

Trending:

• Meghan Markle Steals the Spotlight Again: A Royal Engagement Gone Awry
• “Harry and Meghan’s Tense Moment: A Marriage Under Scrutiny”
• Tension Unveiled: Frances Marquez’s Discontent with Meghan Markle in Colombia
• Elton John’s Scathing Remarks Leave Meghan Markle in Tears at Music Awards
• Meghan Markle’s On-Set Outburst: A Diva in Disguise?

Sir Sean Connery, James Bond actor, dies aged 90

REUTERS

Sean Connery, the Scottish actor best remembered for playing James Bond, passed away at the age of 90. He died quietly in his sleep, according to his son, Jason, after being “unwell for some time.”

His acting career lasted seven decades, and he won an Academy Award for his performance in The Untouchables in 1988.

When his father died in Nassau overnight, Mr Connery said his father “had many of his family who could be in the Bahamas around him”

“We are all working at understanding this huge event as it only happened so recently, even though my dad has been unwell for some time,” he added.

“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”

“There will be a private ceremony followed by a memorial yet to be planned once the virus has ended,” his spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer stated.

Connery was raised in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a coffin polisher, milkman, and lifeguard before turning to acting and becoming one of the world’s biggest stars thanks to his bodybuilding passion.

Connery “retired” from acting in 2003 after a difficult experience making The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, during which he reportedly clashed repeatedly with director Stephen Norrington. In 2007, he refused an offer to join the cast of the fourth Indiana Jones film, saying “retirement is just too damned much fun.” He did, however, complete one more film, voicing the title part in Sir Billi, a Scottish-made cartoon.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, said she was “heartbroken” to learn of Sir Sean Connery’s death this morning. “Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons”.

“Sean was a global legend but, first and foremost, he was a patriotic and proud Scot.”

He will be remembered as British agent 007, a fictional character invented by author Ian Fleming and immortalized by Sir Sean Connery in films beginning with Dr. No in 1962.

His debonair demeanor and sardonic humour in foiling flashy villains and cavorting with attractive ladies belied a darker, violent edge as Bond, and he built a depth of character that set the bar for others who came after him in the role.

In the movies, he would introduce himself with the iconic line, “Bond — James Bond.”

Sir Sean, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with the character and once stated that he “hated that damned James Bond”

Sir Sean was “one of the true greats of cinema” according to Daniel Craig, the current James Bond.

He remarked, “Sir Sean Connery will be remembered as Bond and so much more,”

“He defined an era and a style. The wit and charm he portrayed on screen could be measured in megawatts; he helped create the modern blockbuster.

“He will continue to influence actors and film-makers alike for years to come. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

“Wherever he is, I hope there is a golf course,” he continued, referring to Sir Sean’s love of golf.

Hugh Jackman said he “grew up idolizing” Connery on and off screen, while Robert Carlyle, another Scottish actor, described him as “a trailblazer, a true legend, and a gentleman.”

Connery “had a remarkable career,” British cultural expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Al Jazeera, adding that he was “the nearest the Scottish have to [a] 21st-century national hero.”

He was described as a “great man” and “great actor” by Sam Neill.

He wrote on Twitter, “Every day on set with Sean Connery was an object lesson in how to act on screen.”

“But all that charisma and power — that was utterly unique to Sean.”

Connery made no secret of his support for Scottish independence throughout his career, and he became a high-profile member of the Scottish National Party in the 1990s, participating in party political broadcasts with then-leader Alex Salmond. Connery’s views are said to have caused Scottish secretary Donald Dewar to veto preparations for his knighthood in 1997, but the honor was subsequently bestowed three years later. Connery’s large financial donations to the SNP were halted after laws prohibiting support from abroad residents in the mid-1970s, when he relocated away from the UK.

Director Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” (1964), Candice Bergen’s “The Wind and the Lion” (1975), director John Huston’s “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975) with Michael Caine, director Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), and the Cold War thriller “The Hunt for Red October” (1989) were among his notable non-Bond films.