Sean Connery: He was loved from US to Europe to Asia and in South-East Asia; and he made James Bond larger than life

That Iconic Moment ... In this file photo dated April 20, 1964, James Bond, alias, Sean Connery, finds himself in a sticky situation with actress Shirley Eaton at Pinewood Studios, near London. Miss Eaton was given a liberal coating of gold paint for a scene in the latest Bond thriller "Goldfinger," with unidentified woman at top. Scottish actor Sean Connery, considered by many to have been the best James Bond, has died aged 90, according to an announcement from his family. - AP

Owen Gleiberman, of Variety.com/Reuters writes:

I've always loved one detail in the story of how Sean Connery, in 1961, nabbed the role of James Bond. A number of other actors were being considered for the part, like Roger Moore and James Mason. Ian Fleming, who had written 10 Bond novels (the first, "Casino Royale," was published in 1953), had his heart set on the elegant and slightly fussy David Niven. That tells you a lot about how the Bond series might have turned out had Connery not nailed the role.