Shirley Bassey Pays Tribute To James Bond Series At Academy Awards
Shirley Bassey gave a rousing tribute to the James Bond franchise at the Academy Awards, earning a standing ovation for her performance of “Goldfinger” as she paid respect to 50 years of Bond films.
Though her name may not conjure thoughts of the franchise the way Sean Connery does, Shirley Bassey is an important part of James Bond history. In 1965, the Wales native became an international star with her performance of “Goldfinger” from the third Bond movie.
The song peaked at No. 8 on the US charts and helped Bassey to become a regular part of the spy franchise, MTV noted. She went on to perform two more tracks for Bond films, “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Moonraker.”
Shirley Bassey nearly re-joined the franchise more than four decades after she first performed in Goldfinger. She recorded a theme for the 2008 Bond installment Quantum of Solace, but producers opted to go with a Jack White and Alicia Keys collaboration instead.
Producers for the Academy Awards had announced the appearance of Bassey earlier this month.
“We are thrilled to welcome the legendary Dame Shirley Bassey to our Oscar show. Her association with film music is world-renowned and we are proud that she will be making her first Oscar appearance on our telecast.”
The 76-year-old Shirley Bassey appeared wearing a gold dress, gold necklace, and gold earrings, Reuters noted. She came out on stage following a film and music tribute to the Bond Franchise, which debuted in 1962 with Dr. No, starring Sean Connery.
Though Shirley Bassey never won an Oscar for her work on the Bond movies, the franchise did have success at this year’s awards. Singer Adele won an award for her performance of Skyfall.
