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SYFY WIRE sean connery

Remembering Sean Connery: Hollywood pays tribute to the screen icon

By Donnie Lederer
Sean Connery

Hollywood came out to pay their respects to Sean Connery, who passed away at 90. Celebrities, colleagues, and friends took to social media to honor the legacy and memory of the acting icon who originated the role of James Bond for the silver screen.

The Scottish actor was also known for his role as Henry Jones Sr. in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Chicago cop Jim Malone in 1987's The Untouchables, which earned him an Academy Award. Out of the spotlight for many years, his last big-screen role was that of Allan Quatermain in 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

"He was my father...not in life...but in Indy 3," Harrison Ford said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "You don’t know pleasure until someone pays you to take Sean Connery for a ride in the sidecar of a Russian motorcycle bouncing along a bumpy, twisty mountain trail and getting to watch him squirm. God we had fun — if he’s in heaven, I hope they have golf courses. Rest in peace dear friend."

"Sir Sean Connery, through his talent and drive, left an indelible mark in cinematic history. His audiences spanned generations, each with favorite roles he played," added Indy co-creator/executive producer George Lucas. "He will always hold a special place in my heart as Indy’s dad. With an air of intelligent authority and sly sense of comedic mischief, only someone like Sean Connery could render Indiana Jones immediately into boyish regret or relief through a stern fatherly chiding or rejoiceful hug. I’m thankful for having had the good fortune to have known and worked with him. My thoughts are with his family."

Throughout his illustrious career, Connery made a unique impression during each decade. James Bond gave us the suave super-spy of the 1960s. He proved he could handle 1970s camp with movies like Zardoz.

The 1980s brought about mentor-like characters in Highlander, The Untouchables, and Last Crusade. With The Rock, he got on board with the 1990s over-the-top action movie. His final film role, as Allan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a comic book adaptation, showed that even in his later years he was in touch with the zeitgeist.

With a storied and successful career, Sean Connery will always be remembered as one of cinema's greats.