Actor Sean Connery will forever be known to be the first ever James Bond, beginning with 007’s maiden film appearance with Dr. No in 1962. Connery went on to play Bond seven times, including the classic spy movies From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice, all of which were released in the 1960s.

By the time the mid-1970s rolled around, Connery already had a vast filmography. He took a break after the release of Sidney Lumet’s 1973 crime drama The Offence, but when he returned in 1974 with John Boorman’s science fiction movie Zardoz, rather than ease himself back into work, Connery put the pedal to the metal and performed in several films in quick succession.

During an interview with EW, Connery expressed that, in reflection, he made something of a “stupid” decision to work so often so quickly, noting the time he made three films directly after one another. In hindsight, it sounds like Connery perhaps pushed himself a bit too far, especially after taking a break for a few years prior.
“It’s a stupid scenario, doing three films one after another,” he said. “I did The Man Who Would Be King, The Wind and the Lion, and Robin and Marian all one after the other. It was like pushing a quart into a pint bottle. But when you find something you want to do, you do it.”

Sean Connery received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes.

Connery died in his sleep on 31 October 2020, aged 90, at his home in the Lyford Cay community of Nassau in the Bahamas. His death was announced by his family and Eon Productions; although they did not disclose the cause of death, his son Jason said he had been unwell for some time. A day later, his widow revealed he had dementia in his final years. Connery’s death certificate was obtained by TMZ a month after his death, showing the cause of death was pneumonia and respiratory failure, and the time of death was listed as 1:30 am. His remains were cremated, and the ashes were scattered in Scotland at undisclosed locations in 2022.

Here are some amazing vintage photographs of the actor from the 1970s:

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Born 1929 in Boise City, Oklahoma, American actress Vera Miles moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and landed small roles in television and film, including a minor role as a chorus girl in Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), a musical starring Janet Leigh, with whom Miles co-starred nine years later in the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, reprising the role in the 1983 sequel Psycho II.

Other films in which Miles appeared include Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955), The Searchers (1956), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956), A Touch of Larceny (1959), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Follow Me, Boys! (1966), Sergeant Ryker (1968), and Molly and Lawless John (1972).

Miles appeared alongside James Belushi in the film Separate Lives (1995), before retiring from the industry. She has been married four times. Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see the beauty of young Vera Miles in the 1950s.

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Born 1921 in Newark, New Jersey, American actress and singer Vivian Blaine was a touring singer with dance bands starting in 1937. At one point in the 1940s, she was the top-billed act at New York’s Copacabana nightclub.

Blaine was best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of Guys and Dolls in 1950, as well as appearing in the subsequent film version, in which she co-starred with Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Blaine’s first marriage, to Manny Franks, lasted from 1945 to 1956. She then married Milton Rackmil, president of Universal Studios and Decca Records, in 1959, and recorded several albums prior to their 1961 divorce. In 1973, she married Stuart Clark.

In 1983, Blaine became the first celebrity to make public service announcements for AIDS-related causes. She made numerous appearances in support of the then-fledgling AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and in 1983 recorded her cabaret act for AEI Records, which donated its royalties to the new group; this included the last recordings of her songs from Guys and Dolls. Her prior albums for Mercury Records have all subsequently been reissued on CD.

According to Blaine, she was a registered Democrat and a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic. She died of congestive heart failure in 1995, aged 74.

Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see the beauty of young Vivian Blaine in the 1940s.

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