Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery dies at 90

The Academy Award-winning actor was known for playing James Bond

Sean Connery in Cannes, France on May 24, 1965. Getty Images

Sean Connery and Dirk Bogarde in A Bridge Too Far, 1977. Reuters

Actor Sean Connery and his son Jason on the set of the latter's play, April 16th 1988. Getty Images

Actor Sean Connery accepts the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 53rd Annual Golden Globes Awards. Getty Images

Sean Connery in his most famous role as 007, in Goldfinger, 1964. Getty Images

Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice, 1967. Reuters

Sean Connery in Woman of Straw, 1964. United Artists/Reuters

Sean Connery played Indiana Jones's (Harrison Ford) father in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Getty Images

Sean Connery and Claudine Auger in Thunderball, 1965. Reuters

Sean Connery arriving with his wife Micheline at New York's famed Avery Fisher Hall for the Film Society of Lincoln Centre's gala tribute to Connery and his film career. Reuters

Sean Connery and Christian Slater in The Name of the Rose, 1986 Reuters

Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery in Marnie, 1964. Reuters

French actress Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery pose for a publicity shot during their first meeting in France before filming Shalako, 1968. Getty Images

Sean Connery during the filming of Goldfinger, 1964. Reuters

Sean Connery holds up his Oscar after winning the Best Supporting Actor at the 60th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, April 11, 1988. Reuters

Sean Connery and actress Lana Turner, who appear together in the film Another Time Another Place, arrive at London King's Cross Station. Reuters

Sean Connery arriving with his then-wife, actress Diane Cilento, for the premiere of You Only Live Twice at the Odeon, Leicester Square, 1967. Reuters

Sean Connery and Michael Caine at an awards night, circa 1985. Reuters

The Princess of Wales greeting Sean Connery at the premiere of The Hunt for Red October at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square, 1990. Reuters

Sean Connery signs autographs for fans at the premiere of Playing By Heart in Los Angeles, 1998. Reuters

Sean Connery and Swiss actress Ursula Andress pose together in a promotional still for the film Dr. No directed by Terence Young, 1962. Getty Images

Sean Connery and Princess Paola of Belgium arrive for the premiere of the film Sahlako on October 31, 1968 in Belgium. AFP

Actor Sean Connery accepts his award during the 34th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Sir Sean Connery held at the Kodak Theatre on June 8, 2006 in Hollywood, California. Getty Images

Actor Sean Connery and wife Micheline Connery attend the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre on February 29, 2004 in Hollywood, California. AFP

Michael Caine as Peachy Carnehan and Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot in the film The Man Who Would Be King, 1975. Getty Images

Sean Connery talks with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the State Department in Washington, DC in December 1999 following a dinner for the Kennedy Centre Honorees. AFP

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery pose for photographers during the photocall of American movie directed by Jon Amiel Entrapment on May 14, 1999 in Cannes. AFP

Kennedy Centre Honoree Sean Connery applauds US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton upon their arrival at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC, 1999. AFP

Sir Sean Connery poses during a photo call at the 4th Marrakesh International Film Festival, on December 8, 2004. AFP

Audrey Hepburn, Sean Connery and Jeanne Moreau at Le Fouquet's à Paris restaurants, for the Cesars on March 7, 1987. AFP

Actors Sean Connery and Kyle MacLachlan attend the "Dressed To Kilt" fashion show celebrating Tartan Week and benefiting The Friends of Scotland, at Sotheby's April 5, 2004, in New York City. Getty Images

Sean Connery is seen backstage at the 75th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California on March 23, 2003. AFP

Actor Sean Connery and his then-wife American actress Diane Cilento are presented to Princess Margaret on February, 15, 1965, during the Royal Film Performance of Lord Jim. AFP

Sean Connery celebrates his special Bafta Award for a Lifetime's Contribution to the British Cinema with fellow Scot Billy Connolly at the Bafta Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on April 19, 1998. AFP

Actor Sean Connery and model Jerry Hall at a restaurant, April 21st 1987. Getty Images

Sean Connery, the Scottish actor who rose to international fame in his role as James Bond, has died. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by his son Jason who said his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight in the Bahamas where he lived, having been “unwell for some time.”

“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,” he told the BBC.

Considered to be one of the best actors of his time, Connery celebrated his 90th birthday in August.

Although he made his big screen debut in 1957, his breakthrough role came when he played Bond in 1962's Dr. No.

The producers had initially looked to Cary Grant, but decided they wanted an actor who would commit to a series. The producers also realised they couldn’t afford a big-name star because United Artists had limited their film budget to $1 million a picture, so they started interviewing more obscure British performers.

Among them was Connery. Without a screen test, Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman chose the actor, citing his “dark, cruel good looks,” a perfect match for the way Fleming described Bond.

Connery continued as Bond in From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever, often performing his own stunts.

Diamonds Are Forever came out in 1971, by which time Connery had grown weary of playing 007.

“I’d been an actor since I was 25, but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo,” he once complained.

Throughout his career he won an Oscar, two Baftas and three Golden Globes.

He starred in Alfred Hitchcock film, Marnie, in 1964 and Sidney Lumet's The Hill in 1965. In 1974 he starred in Murder on the Orient Express, also directed by Lumet.

He received the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Untouchables in 1988. That following year, Connery starred in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, for which he received both Bafta and Golden Globe nominations.

In 2006, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute and it was during his acceptance of the award that the actor announced his retirement from acting. In 2012, he also received the Cecil B DeMille award for his work in cinema.

In a poll earlier this year, he was voted as the favourite actor to have portrayed 007.

Connery is survived by his wife, Micheline, brother Neil and sons Jason and Stefan.