Despite being one of the most recognizable actors in the world, Connery managed to pull off the impossible in his golden years: He lived a private life. After he and Roquebrune made their home in the Bahamas, the actor rarely made public appearances. He did make a rare appearance in August 2017 at New York's U.S. Open tennis tournament. At the time, he appeared happy to have his face shown on the screen at the game as 007's famous theme played, according to USA Today.
In terms of acting, Connery's final live-action role was in the 2003 feature The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. At the time, he revealed that the filming experience soured him on Hollywood as a whole. "The last one I did, [Gentlemen director Stephen Norrington] was given $85 million to make a movie in Prague, but unfortunately he wasn't certified before he started because he would have been arrested for insanity," Connery told a reporter in a 2007 interview according to The Hollywood Reporter. "So, we worked as well as we could, and [I] ended up being heavily involved in the editing and trying to salvage."
He was offered other roles after The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, including a part in the fourth Indiana Jones film, but he declined them all, because as he said on his official website, "in the end, retirement is just too much fun." Ultimately, his final role was actually a voice acting part in the 2012 animated film Sir Billi.
For the actor who originated the role of James Bond, won an Oscar in 1988, was declared the Sexiest Man of the Century by People in 1999, and was then knighted in 2000, the long and happy retirement was well-deserved. Whatever health struggles he faced in his final days will likely remain private. What's most important to Connery's fans is the actor's long and impressive career, and the legacy that he leaves behind.
