'She will be sorely missed': Tributes paid to Sean Connery's first wife Diane Cilento who has died aged 78

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:10 PM on 7th October 2011

Tributes have been paid to actress Diane Cilento, who has died in northern Australia aged 78.
The former wife of Bond star Sean Connery, passed away at the Cairns Base Hospital, in Cairns but the cause of death has yet been given.
Paying tribute to the Oscar-nominated star today was Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh, who confirmed her death.

Sorely missed: Diane Cilento, seen here with her ex-husband Sean Connery in 1962, has died at the age of 78

Relaxed: Diane, pictured outside her son Jason Connery's home, in 2006

She 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 offer my sincere condolences to her family, friends and all those who enjoyed her important contribution to the arts here in Queensland.
'I know that Ms Cilento will be sorely missed by many in the industry.'
Diane married Connery, 81, who was her second husband, in 1962 and they had a son, Jason, who is also an actor, but they divorced 11 years layer.
She rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s, starring alongside screen legends such as Charlton Heston and Paul Newman.
In 1956, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Helen of Troy in the play Tiger at the Gates and she received an Academy Award nomination in 1963 for best supporting actress for her work in the movie Tom Jones.

Bond girl: Diane dances with Connery at the Thunderball premiere party at the Odeon Leicester Square in London in 1965

She married playwright Anthony Anthony Shaffer, in 1985 and they eventually settled in tropical northern Queensland, where she built a popular outdoor theatre in the rain forest.
Queensland University of Technology's Creative Industries executive dean Rod Wissler she had been an inspiration to up-and-coming actors.

Queensland bliss: Diane and her third husband, playwright Anthony Shaffer, who died in 2001, at their Australian home

In a statement he said: 'Diane loved her life as an artist. She brought more than just knowledge to students.
'She brought passion and enthusiasm and guided them to follow their dreams, just as she had.'

A mother's love: Diane and her actor son Jason in 1992

Atriz e ex-mulher de Sean Connery, Diane Cilento morre aos 78 anos

A atriz Diane Cilento, que já foi casada com Sean Connery, morreu nesta quinta-feira aos 78 anos, na Austrália, de causa ainda não revelada. Diane já foi indicada ao Oscar de Melhor Atriz Coadjuvante em 1963.
O amigo e dramaturgo Michael Gow prestou uma última homenagem à atriz, dizendo que ela foi uma verdadeira artista até o fim.
"Ela nos manteve entretidos até anteontem, quando não conseguiu mais. Foi aí que a levamos ao hospital", contou ele.

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