Diane Cilento, the Oscar-nominated Australian actress who was once married to Sean Connery, has passed away at the age of 78.
She died at the Cairns Base Hospital, near her home in Queensland, and became well-known in the early 1960s, acting alongside prominent figures like Charlton Heston.
Her role as Molly in the 1963 film Tom Jones earned her a nomination for a supporting actress Oscar.
Michael Gow, a close friend and playwright, honored Cilento, describing her as “a performer to the end.”
“She entertained us all tremendously until the day before yesterday, when she could no longer manage, and we took her to the hospital.”
No information regarding the cause of death has been provided.
Cilento married Sean Connery in 1962, and their marriage ended in divorce in 1973. Their only son, Jason Connery, later appeared in the BBC series Robin of Sherwood during the mid-1980s.
A talented performer across both stage and screen, Cilento’s notable co-stars included Charlton Heston in the classic 1965 film The Agony and the Ecstasy and Paul Newman in the 1967 western, Hombre.
In 1956, she received a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Helen of Troy in the Broadway production of Tiger at the Gates.
In 1985, she wed playwright Anthony Shaffer, renowned for works such as Sleuth and The Wicker Man, and later played Miss Rose in the 1973 adaptation of The Wicker Man.
However, in the 1980s, Cilento mostly stepped away from film roles to establish the Karnak Playhouse, an open-air theatre in northern Queensland, where she lived with Shaffer.
John Kotzas from the Queensland Performing Arts Centre remarked that she “achieved all sorts of artistic heights.”
In recognition of her prominence as a National Treasure, Cilento was honored with a Queensland Greats Award in 2001. Her autobiography, titled My Nine Lives, was released in 2006.
“Although she initially gained fame as a glamorous international film star, her later contributions in the far north demonstrated her dedication to the arts,” stated Anna Bligh, Queensland’s Premier.
“I know that Ms. Cilento’s absence will be deeply felt by many within the industry.”
