James Bond is a character that’s constantly reinvented and updated to reflect the world we live in, and any actor that inherits the tux is encouraged to put their own stamp on the super spy, whether it be the eyebrow-raising Roger Moore or the world-weariness of Daniel Craig. As the first person to play the iconic secret agent, though, Sean Connery was able to build 007 from the ground up, and he’s still regarded by a lot of people as the greatest Bond ever.
The actor brought a mix of physicality, charm, charisma and wit to the role and went on to become synonymous with it long before he carved out a legendary career outside of the franchise. And following the disappointing commercial performance of Timothy Dalton’s two severely underrated outings, the decision was made to go back to what made the series so popular in the first place.
Enter Pierce Brosnan, who was the most similar to Connery in terms of personality, and brought a sense of debonair playfulness to the part that had been missing for a long time, although the quality of the movies he starred in took a nosedive through no fault of his own.
Now, the 67 year-old has hopped on social media to post a moving tribute to his predecessor following Connery’s death at the age of 90, which you can check out below.
Sir Sean Connery, you were my greatest James Bond as a boy, and as a man who became James Bond himself. You cast a long shadow of cinematic splendor that will live on forever. You led the way for us all who followed in your iconic foot steps. Each man in his turn looked to you with reverence and admiration as we forged ahead with our own interpretations of the role. You were mighty in every way, as an actor and as a man, and will remain so till the end of time. Your were loved by the world, and will be missed. God bless, rest now, be at peace.
Sean Connery may have been an Academy Award winning actor with a string of box office hits and classic movies under his belt, but the cultural influence of James Bond is so vast that it’ll always be viewed as his career-defining role, and given the franchise’s longevity, audiences will be discovering his work for generations to come.