‘It will badly Miss’: tributes paid to first wife of Sean Connery Diane Cilento, who died aged 78

By Richard Shears

Last updated at 12: 38 on October 8, 2011

The ex-wife of Sean Connery died at the age of 78.

Diane Cilento, photographed here with Sean Connery, in 1962, was married to James Bond star for 11 years.

She died in his Australia Home Thursday after a long illness.

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

Relaxed: Diane, the photo out of the House of his son Jason Connery, 2006

Actress named Oscar plays with Charlton Heston in the 1965 classic the agony and the Ecstasy and Paul Newman in the West Hombre de 1967.

She married Connery in 1962 after their meeting while running in the production of the BBC play by Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie. Their son, Jason, was born in 1963.

After their separation, she said: “the whole damn thing of binding resumed our lives”.

Paying tribute to the star named Oscar today, was the Queensland State Prime Minister Anna Bligh, who confirmed that she was dead at the Hospital of Base Cairns, Cairns.

She said: ‘ while it was originally known as a glamour international film star, his work years later in the far North shows its commitment to arts.

“I offer my sincere condolences to his family, friends and all those who have loved his contribution to the arts here in Queensland.”

“I know that Ms Cilento will miss badly by many in the industry.”.

Son of MS Cilento, Jason, is also an actor. His mother became famous in the 1950s and 1960s, starring alongside legends of the screen as Charlton Heston and Paul Newman.

In 1956, she was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Helen of Troy in the Tiger exhibit doors and she received a nomination for an Oscar in 1963 for best actress for support for his work in the film Tom Jones.

She married playwright Anthony Anthony Shaffer, in 1985 and they settled in the tropics of North Queensland, where she built a popular open-air theatre in the rainforest.

Creative industries Executive Dean Queensland University of Technology Rod Wissler, she had been a source of inspiration for the up-and-coming actors.

In a statement, he said: ‘ Diane liked his life as an artist. She brought more than simple knowledge of students.

“It brought passion and enthusiasm and guided to follow their dreams, just as it had.”