DIANE Cilento was the first wife of James Bond legend Sean Connery.
The Australian actress, who steamed up British movies in the 1950s and 1960s and was even nominated for an Oscar, could not escape being the wife of the first James Bond.
Who was Diane Cilento?
Diane Cilento was born in Mooloolaba, Australia on April 2, 1932.
Her parents Sir Raphael Cilento and Phyllis Cilento were physicians in Queensland.
She was the fifth of six children, four of whom followed in their parents footsteps and became medical practitioners.
She was expelled from school in Australia and was educated in New York while living with her father.
She won a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and moved to Britain in the early 1950s.
What did Diane Cilento star in?
The Australian’s first leading role came in the British film Passage Homein 1955.
She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) in 1956 for her performance as Helen of Troy in Jean Giraudoux’s Tiger of the Gates.
Cilento was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1963 film Tom Jones.
Her film career declined after she married Sean Connery.
She starred in the 1965 movie The Agony And The Ecstasy, and with Paul Newman in the western film Hombre.
Her last movie role was in the 1984 Australian film The Boy Who Had Everything.
It won the award for the best screenplay at the Australian Film Institute.
Cilento starred alongside her real-life son Jason Connery.
How did Diane Cilento and Sean Connery meet?
Connery and Cilento were married from 1962 until they divorced in 1973.
The couple met on the BBC production site of Eugene O’Neill’s play Anna Christie.
They had one son together, Jason, who was born in January 1963.
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How did Diane Cilento die?
The actress died aged 78 of cancer at Cairns Base hospital on October 6, 2011.
At the time of her death, former Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said: “While she was originally known as a glamorous international film star, her work in later years in the far north showed her commitment to the arts.
“I know that Ms Cilento will be sorely missed by many in the industry.”