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Halle Berry leads James Bond Oscars tribute

Feb 25, 2013, 11:01 GMT

Halle Berry at the Oscars

Dame Shirley Bassey and Halle Berry celebrated the 50th anniversary of James Bond at the Oscars.

The actress - who played Bond girl Jinx opposite Pierce Brosnan's incarnation of 007 in 'Die Another Day' - led the tribute to the suave British secret agent at the Academy Awards last night (24.02.13), while the 76-year-old singer gave a rousing rendition of iconic Bond theme 'Goldfinger'.

Despite much speculation that all of the actors who have played 007 - including Sir Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig - would be united on stage for the first time ever at the ceremony, the segment instead concentrated on the music of Bond.

Former Oscar winner Halley told the star-studded audience: '[The music] is as inextricably linked to Bond as the Martini, the exotic cars and Pussy Galore.

'In film after film, movie-goers have been treated to songs reflective of the moment and scores as cool as 007 himself. Bond music is a genre all its own, guaranteed to make your heart beat faster and take your breath away.'

Following a brief montage of clips from the Bond series, the Welsh songstress - who has provided vocals for three Bond themes - took to the Oscars stage for the first time singing 'Goldfinger', and earned a standing ovation from A-list guests at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, including Reese Witherspoon and George Clooney.

Keeping with the Bond theme, Adele performed 'Skyfall' - the song from the latest 007 film of the same name - live for the very first time. The track also earned Adele and co-writer Paul Epworth the award for Best Original Song.

As well as the dedication to 50 years of 007, there was more reason to celebrate as 'Skyfall' - which starred Daniel Craig in the lead role - was the first Oscar nominated Bond film in over 30 years.