Legendary James Bond Actor, Sean Connery, Has Died Aged 90

Became Fed Up with 'Idiots'

Some noteworthy non-Bond films included director Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), The Wind and the Lion (1975) with Candice Bergen, 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 tale The Hunt for Red October(1990).

Fans of alternative cinema will always remember him starring as the "Brutal Exterminator" Zed in John Boorman's mind-bending fantasy epic Zardoz (1974), where a heavily moustachioed Connery spent much of the movie running around in a skimpy red loin-cloth, thigh-high leather boots and a pony tail.

Connery retired from movies after disputes with the director of his final outing, the forgettable The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003.

"I get fed up dealing with idiots," he said.

The Bond franchise was still going strong more than five decades after Connery started it. The lavishly produced movies, packed with high-tech gadgetry and spectacular effects, broke box office records and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars.

After the smashing success of Dr. No, more Bond movies followed for Connery in quick succession: From Russia with Love(1963), Goldfinger(1964), Thunderball(1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967).

Connery then grew concerned about being typecast and decided to break away. Australian actor George Lazenby succeeded him as Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.

But without Connery it lacked what the public wanted and he was lured back in 1971 for Diamonds Are Foreverwith temptations that included a slice of the profits, which he said would go to a Scottish educational trust. He insisted it would be his last time as Bond.

Twelve years later, at age 53, Connery was back as 007 in Never Say Never Again(1983), an independent production that enraged his old mentor, producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli.