Sean Connery
{{Short description|Scottish actor (1930–2020)}}
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{{Use British English|date=September 2024}}
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{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| image = Sean Connery as James Bond at Switzerland 1964 (two thirds crop).jpg
| caption = Connery in 1964
| birth_name = Thomas Sean Connery
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|08|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|10|31|1930|08|25|df=y}}
| death_place = Lyford Cay, The Bahamas
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|producer}}
| years_active = {{hlist|1954–2007|2012}}
| works = Full list
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
- {{marriage|Diane Cilento|1962|1974|end=divorced}}
- {{marriage|Micheline Roquebrune|1975}}
}}
| children = Jason Connery
| relatives = Neil Connery (brother)
| signature = Signature of Sean Connery.svg
| awards = Knight Bachelor (2000)
| website = {{URL|seanconnery.com}}
}}
Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in motion pictures, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983.{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean|title=Sean Connery, Who Embodied James Bond and More, Dies at 90|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/movies/sean-connery-dead.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031132008/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/31/movies/sean-connery-dead.html |archive-date=31 October 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=31 October 2020|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=31 October 2020}}{{cite news|last=Shapiro|first=T. Rees|title=Sean Connery, first James Bond of film, dies at 90|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/sean-connery-first-james-bond-of-film-dies-at-90/2020/10/31/6cbff0a6-1b75-11eb-82db-60b15c874105_story.html|date=31 October 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=31 October 2020 }}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4799550.stm|title=Profile: Sean Connery|work=BBC News|access-date=19 March 2007|date=12 March 2006}} Connery originated the role in Dr. No (1962) and continued starring as Bond in the Eon Productions films From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Connery made his final appearance in the franchise in Never Say Never Again (1983), a non-Eon-produced Bond film.
Connery is also known for his work with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Lumet and John Huston. Their films in which Connery appeared included Marnie (1964), The Hill (1965), The Offence (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). He also acted in Robin and Marian (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Time Bandits (1981), Highlander (1986), The Name of the Rose (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Dragonheart (1996), The Rock (1996) and Finding Forrester (2000). His final on-screen role was as Allan Quatermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).
Connery received numerous accolades. For his role in The Untouchables (1987), he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the first Scottish actor to win the achievement,{{Cite web |last=Hepburn |first=David |date=8 March 2023 |title=Scottish Oscar Nominees: Here are 16 Scots who have won or been nominated for an Academy Award – from Sean Connery to Peter Capaldi |url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/scottish-oscar-nominees-here-are-16-scots-who-have-won-or-been-nominated-for-an-academy-award-from-sean-connery-to-peter-capaldi-4056099 |access-date=17 October 2023 |website=The Scotsman}} and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and in the same year he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his role in The Name of the Rose (1986). He also received honorary awards such as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1987, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1998{{cite web |date=23 January 2015 |title=100 BAFTA Moments – Sean Connery's Emotional Reaction to Receiving the BAFTA Fellowship |url=http://www.bafta.org/heritage/features/100-bafta-moments-16-days-to-go |access-date=31 October 2020 |website=bafta.org}} and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999. Connery was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and a knight by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama in the 2000 New Year Honours.{{cite news|title=Sir Sean's pride at knighthood |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/819490.stm|access-date=15 March 2019|publisher=BBC}}
Early life and education
File:Sean Connery plaque, Fountainbridge Edinburgh.jpg, Edinburgh]]
File:Connery birth certificate.jpg
Thomas Sean Connery was born at the Royal Maternity Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 25 August 1930; he was named after his paternal grandfather.{{cite news|last=Pendreigh|first=Brian|date=1 November 2020|title=Obituary: The Sean Connery I knew|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituary-sean-connery-i-knew-3021532|work=The Scotsman| access-date=1 February 2021}}{{Who's Who|title=Connery, Sir Sean|id=U11650|volume=2015|edition=online Oxford University Press}} Connery was of half-Irish and half-Scottish descent. He was brought up at No. 176 Fountainbridge, a block which has since been demolished.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10342320|title=Sir Sean visits site of his childhood Edinburgh home|date=17 June 2010|publisher=BBC|access-date=1 February 2021}} His mother, Euphemia McBain "Effie" McLean, was a cleaning woman. The daughter of Neil McLean and Helen Forbes Ross, she was named after her father's mother, Euphemia McBain, wife of John McLean and daughter of William McBain from Ceres in Fife.{{cite web|title=Scottish Roots People – Sean Connery|url=https://www.scottishroots.com/sean.php|access-date=3 October 2021|website=scottishroots.com|archive-date=9 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709200057/https://www.scottishroots.com/sean.php|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Family tree of Euphemia McBain|url=https://gw.geneanet.org/etakathyaolco?lang=en&n=mcbain&oc=0&p=euphemia|access-date=3 October 2021|website=Geneanet}} Connery's father, Joseph Connery, was a factory worker and lorry driver.{{cite web|title=Case Study 1 – Sean Connery – James Bond|url=http://www.familyrelatives.com/information/info_detail.php?id=103|website=familyrelatives.com|publisher=Treequest Limited|access-date=6 August 2012|archive-date=22 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822002752/http://www.familyrelatives.com/information/info_detail.php?id=103|url-status=dead}}
Two of his paternal great-grandparents emigrated to Scotland from Wexford, Ireland, in the mid-19th century,{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=1}} with his great-grandfather James Connery being an Irish Traveller. The remainder of his family was of Scottish descent, and his maternal great-grandparents were native Scottish Gaelic-speakers from Fife and Uig on Skye.{{cite book|last1=Connery|first1=Sean|last2=Grigor|first2=Murray|title=Being a Scot|date=2009|publisher=Phoenix Illustrated|isbn=978-0-7538-2631-7
}}{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishroots.com/sean.html|title=Scottish Genealogy Scottish Ancestry Family Tree Scottish Genealogists|access-date=5 March 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120712014731/http://www.scottishroots.com/sean.html|archive-date=12 July 2012|url-status=dead}} His father was a Roman Catholic, and his mother was a Protestant. Connery had a younger brother Neil and was generally referred to in his youth as "Tommy".{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=8}} Although he was small in primary school, he grew rapidly around the age of 12, reaching his full adult height of {{cvt|6|ft|2|in|cm}} at 18.{{sfn|Sellers|1999|p=25}} Connery was known during his teen years as "Big Tam", and he said that he lost his virginity to an adult woman in an ATS uniform at the age of 14.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=18}}{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=21}} He had an Irish childhood friend named Séamus; when the two were together, those who knew them both called Connery by his middle name Sean, emphasising the assonance of the two names. Since then Connery preferred to use his middle name.{{cite web |title=Five things you never knew about Sean Connery's Irish roots |url=https://www.irishpost.com/entertainment/five-things-sean-connery-irish191553-191553 |website=The Irish Post |date=18 August 2021 |author=Harry Brent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818235207/https://www.irishpost.com/entertainment/five-things-sean-connery-irish191553-191553 |archive-date=18 August 2021}}
Connery's first job was as a milkman in Edinburgh with St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society.{{cite web|url=http://heritage.scotsman.com/greatscots.cfm?id=2275262005|title=From the Co-op with love ... the days Sir Sean earned £1 a week|newspaper=The Scotsman|access-date=29 September 2007|date=21 November 2005|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013215418/http://heritage.scotsman.com/greatscots.cfm?id=2275262005|archive-date=13 October 2007}} In 2009, Connery recalled a conversation in a taxi:
{{blockquote|When I took a taxi during a recent Edinburgh Film Festival, the driver was amazed that I could put a name to every street we passed. "How come?" he asked. "As a boy I used to deliver milk round here", I said. "So what do you do now?" That was rather harder to answer.}}
In 1946, at the age of 16, Connery joined the Royal Navy, during which time he acquired two tattoos. Connery's official website says "unlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous – his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. ... One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads 'Mum and Dad', and the other is self-explanatory, 'Scotland Forever'".{{cite web |url=http://seanconnery.com/biography/|title=The Official Website of Sir Sean Connery – Biography|publisher=Seanconnery.com|access-date=10 March 2010}} He trained in Portsmouth at the naval gunnery school and in an anti-aircraft crew. He was later assigned as an Able Seaman on HMS Formidable.{{cite web|title=Catch up on all the Belly Buzz ... – Celebrity Veterans – Sean Connery, British Royal Navy 1946–1949|url=http://bellybuzz.squarespace.com/celebrity-veterans/2011/3/28/sean-connery-british-royal-navy-1946-1949.html|access-date=26 June 2020 |website=bellybuzz.squarespace.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628190927/http://bellybuzz.squarespace.com/celebrity-veterans/2011/3/28/sean-connery-british-royal-navy-1946-1949.html|archive-date=28 June 2020|url-status=dead}} Connery was discharged from the navy at the age of 19 on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=4}}
Afterwards, he returned to the co-op and worked as a lorry driver, a lifeguard at Portobello swimming baths, a labourer, an artist's model for the Edinburgh College of Art, and after a suggestion by the former Mr. Scotland Archie Brennan,{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=924382003|title=Even as an unknown, Sean was still a draw|newspaper=The Scotsman|access-date=29 September 2007|date=22 August 2003|first=Lynn|last=Davidson}}{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=28}} as a coffin polisher, amongst other jobs. The modelling earned him 15 shillings an hour.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=28}} Artist Richard Demarco, at the time a student who painted several early pictures of Connery, described him as "very straight, slightly shy, too, too beautiful for words, a virtual Adonis".{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=29}}
Connery began bodybuilding at the age of 18, and from 1951 trained heavily with Ellington, a former gym instructor in the British Army.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=31}} While his official website states he was third in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest, most sources place him in the 1953 competition, either third in the Junior class{{cite web|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/sean-connery/biography/114?page=4|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707065919/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/sean-connery/biography/114?page=4|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2013|title=Sean Connery – Biography|last=Wills|first=Dominic|publisher=Tiscali|access-date=20 September 2009}} or failing to place in the Tall Man classification.{{cite web|url=http://musclememory.com/show.php?c=Mr+Universe+-+NABBA&y=1953|title=1953 Mr. Universe – NABBA|access-date=20 September 2009}} Connery said he was soon deterred from bodybuilding when he found that Americans frequently beat him in competitions because of sheer muscle size and, unlike Connery, refused to participate in athletic activity which could make them lose muscle mass.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=35}}
Connery was a keen footballer, having played for Bonnyrigg Rose in his younger days.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38236789 |title=Bonnyrigg Rose: Four things you might not know about the Rosey Posey|last=Crawford|first=Kenny|date=7 December 2016|work=BBC Scotland|access-date=7 December 2016}} He was offered a trial with East Fife. While on tour with South Pacific, Connery played in a football match against a local team that Matt Busby, manager of Manchester United, happened to be scouting.{{Cite book |author=Christopher Bray |date=2010 |title=Sean Connery: The measure of a man |page=27 |publisher=Faber & Faber}} According to reports, Busby was impressed with his physical prowess and offered Connery a contract worth £25 a week ({{Inflation|UK|25|1953|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) immediately after the game. Connery said he was tempted to accept, but he recalls, "I realised that a top-class footballer could be over the hill by the age of 30, and I was already 23. I decided to become an actor and it turned out to be one of my more intelligent moves".{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/sjfa/scottish_football.cfm?page=1711|title=Scottish Junior Football Association > Mud & Glory > Sean Connery|access-date=21 October 2012|date=April 2005|publisher=Mud & Glory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602160208/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/sjfa/scottish_football.cfm?page=1711|archive-date=2 June 2015|url-status=dead}}
Career
= 1951–1959: Career beginnings =
Seeking to supplement his income, Connery helped out backstage at the King's Theatre in late 1951. During a bodybuilding competition held in London in 1953, one of the competitors mentioned that auditions were being held for a production of South Pacific, and Connery landed a small part as one of the Seabees chorus boys. By the time the production reached Edinburgh, he had been given the part of Marine Cpl. Hamilton Steeves and was understudying two of the juvenile leads, and his salary was raised from £12 to £14–10s a week.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=36}} The production returned the following year, out of popular demand, and Connery was promoted to the featured role of Lieutenant Buzz Adams, which Larry Hagman had portrayed in the West End.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=36}}
While in Edinburgh, Connery was targeted by the Valdor gang, one of the most violent in the city. He was first approached by them in a billiard hall where he prevented them from stealing his jacket and was later followed by six gang members to a 15-foot-high (4.6 m) balcony at the Palais de Danse.{{sfn|Sellers|1999|p=21}} There, Connery singlehandedly launched an attack against the gang members, grabbing one by the throat and another by the biceps and cracking their heads together. From then on, he was treated with great respect by the gang and gained a reputation as a "hard man".{{sfn|Yule|1992|pp=32–33}}
Connery first met Michael Caine at a party during the production of South Pacific in 1954, and the two later became close friends.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=36}} During this production at the Opera House, Manchester, over the Christmas period of 1954, Connery developed a serious interest in the theatre through the American actor Robert Henderson, who lent him copies of the Henrik Ibsen works Hedda Gabler, The Wild Duck, and When We Dead Awaken, and later listed works by the likes of Proust, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Bernard Shaw, Joyce, and Shakespeare for him to digest.{{sfn|Yule|1992|pp=38–39}} Henderson urged him to take elocution lessons and got him parts at the Maida Vale Theatre in London. He had already begun a film career, having been an extra in Herbert Wilcox's 1954 musical Lilacs in the Spring alongside Errol Flynn and Anna Neagle.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=43}}
Although Connery had secured several roles as an extra, he was struggling to make ends meet and was forced to accept a part-time job as a babysitter for the journalist Peter Noble and his actress wife Marianne, which earned him 10 shillings a night.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=43}} He met the Hollywood actress Shelley Winters one night at Noble's house, who described Connery as "one of the tallest and most charming and masculine Scotsmen" she had ever seen, and later spent many evenings with the Connery brothers drinking beer.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=43}} Around this time, Connery was residing at TV presenter Llew Gardner's house. Henderson landed Connery a role in a £6-a-week Q Theatre production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, during which he met and befriended Ian Bannen.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=45}} This role was followed by Point of Departure and A Witch in Time at Kew, a role as Pentheus opposite Yvonne Mitchell in The Bacchae at the Oxford Playhouse, and a role opposite Jill Bennett in Eugene O'Neill's play Anna Christie.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=45}}
During his time at the Oxford Theatre, Connery won a brief part as a boxer in the TV series The Square Ring, before being spotted by the Canadian director Alvin Rakoff, who gave him multiple roles in The Condemned, shot on location in Dover in Kent. In 1956, Connery appeared in the theatrical production of Epitaph, and played a minor role as a hoodlum in the "Ladies of the Manor" episode of the BBC Television police series Dixon of Dock Green.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=45}} This was followed by small television parts in Sailor of Fortune and The Jack Benny Program (in a special episode filmed in Europe).{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=45}}
File:Lana Turner and Sean Connery — Another Time, Another Place.jpg in 1957 on the set of Another Time, Another Place]]
In early 1957 Connery hired the agent Richard Hatton, who got him his first film role, as Spike, a minor gangster with a speech impediment in Montgomery Tully's No Road Back, alongside Skip Homeier, Paul Carpenter, Patricia Dainton, and Norman Wooland.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=291}} In April 1957, Rakoff{{snd}}after being disappointed by Jack Palance{{snd}}decided to give the young actor his first chance in a leading role, and cast Connery as Mountain McLintock in BBC Television's production of Requiem for a Heavyweight, which also starred Warren Mitchell and Jacqueline Hill. He then played a rogue lorry driver, Johnny Yates, in Cy Endfield's Hell Drivers (1957) alongside Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, and Patrick McGoohan.{{sfn|Sellers|1999|p=42}} Later in 1957, Connery appeared in Terence Young's poorly received MGM action picture Action of the Tiger, opposite Van Johnson, Martine Carol, Herbert Lom, and Gustavo Rojo; the film was shot on location in southern Spain.{{cite book|last=Baldwin|first=Louis|title=Turning Points: Pivotal Moments in the Careers of 83 Famous Figures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ElUgVxFWBcoC&pg=PA53|access-date=14 July 2011|year=1999|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-0626-5|page=53}}{{cite book|last=Callan|first=Michael Feeney|title=Sean Connery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lq0dAQAAIAAJ |access-date=14 July 2011|year=2002|publisher=Virgin|isbn=978-1-85227-992-9|page=75}} He also had a minor role in Gerald Thomas's thriller Time Lock (1957) as a welder, appearing alongside Robert Beatty, Lee Patterson, Betty McDowall, and Vincent Winter; this commenced filming on 1 December 1956 at Beaconsfield Studios.{{cite book|last1=Pfeiffer |first1=Lee|last2=Lisa|first2=Philip|title=The films of Sean Connery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L60dAQAAIAAJ|access-date=14 July 2011|date=1997|publisher=Carol Pub. Group|isbn=978-0-8065-1837-4}}
Connery had a major role in the melodrama Another Time, Another Place (1958) as a British reporter named Mark Trevor, caught in a love affair opposite Lana Turner and Barry Sullivan. During filming, Turner's possessive gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, who was visiting from Los Angeles, believed she was having an affair with Connery.Morella, Joe; Epstein, Edward Z. (1971) Lana: The Public and Private Lives of Miss Turner pp. 177–182 New York: Citadel Press {{ISBN?}} Connery and Turner had attended West End shows and London restaurants together. Stompanato stormed onto the film set and pointed a gun at Connery, only to have Connery disarm him and knock him flat on his back. Stompanato was banned from the set.Kohn, George C. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of American Scandal. Facts on File: Library of American History (Revised ed.) p. 388. New York: Infobase Publishing {{ISBN?}} Two Scotland Yard detectives advised Stompanato to leave and escorted him to the airport, where he boarded a plane back to the United States.Turner, Lana (1982) Lana: The Lady, the Legend, the Truth (1st ed.) p. 170. New York: Dutton {{ISBN?}} Connery later recounted that he had to lie low for a while after receiving threats from men linked to Stompanato's boss, Mickey Cohen.{{cite news|title=Sean Connery: How he seduced a movie legend and faced the wrath of the Mafia|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/sean-connery-how-he-seduced-a-movie-legend-and-faced-the-wrath-of-the-mafia-6836938.html |access-date=30 May 2019|work=Evening Standard}}
In 1959, Connery landed a leading role in the director Robert Stevenson's Walt Disney Productions film Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), alongside Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, and Jimmy O'Dea. The film is a tale about a wily Irishman and his battle of wits with leprechauns. Upon the film's initial release, A. H. Weiler of The New York Times praised the cast (save Connery whom he described as "merely tall, dark, and handsome") and thought the film an "overpoweringly charming concoction of standard Gaelic tall stories, fantasy and romance".{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E5DF1F3CE63BBC4953DFB1668382649EDE|author=Weiler, A. H.|title=Darby O'Gill and the Little People|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1 July 1959|access-date=14 July 2011}} He also had prominent television roles in Rudolph Cartier's 1961 productions of Adventure Story and Anna Karenina for BBC Television, co-starring with Claire Bloom in the latter.{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1181098/index.html|title=Cartier, Rudolph (1904–1994)|first=Oliver|last=Wake|publisher=Screenonline|access-date=25 February 2007}} Also in 1961 he portrayed the title role in a CBC television film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth with the Australian actress Zoe Caldwell cast as Lady Macbeth.{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/multimedia/video/cbc_macbeth.cfm|title=Macbeth|last=Van Wagner|first=Danielle|year=2004|editor-last=Fischlin|editor-first=Daniel|website=Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project|publisher=University of Guelph|access-date=22 April 2018|archive-date=19 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219000925/http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/multimedia/video/cbc_macbeth.cfm|url-status=dead}}
= 1962–1983: James Bond and stardom =
File:ETH-BIB Goldfinger 1964 – Com C13-035-007.jpg) while filming Goldfinger in 1964]]
Connery's breakthrough came in the role of the fictional British secret agent James Bond. He was initially reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the franchise succeeded, his film career would greatly benefit.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-13 |title=Why Sean Connery eventually "hated" playing James Bond |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/sean-connery-hated-james-bond/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Sam |date=2020-11-30 |title=James Bond: Why Sean Connery Left the 007 Franchise |url=https://www.cbr.com/why-sean-connery-left-007-james-bond/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=CBR |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=The Gentleman's |title=The true story of how Sean Connery became James Bond |url=https://www.thegentlemansjournal.com/article/true-story-how-sean-connery-became-james-bond-007/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=www.thegentlemansjournal.com |language=en}} Between 1962 and 1967, Connery played Bond in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice, the first five Bond films produced by Eon Productions. After departing from the role, Connery returned for the seventh film, Diamonds Are Forever, in 1971. Connery made his final appearance as Bond in Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of Thunderball produced by Jack Schwartzman's Taliafilm. All seven films were commercially successful. James Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute.[http://www.afi.com/100Years/handv.aspx "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082823/http://afi.com/100years/handv.aspx |date=4 March 2016 }} AFI Retrieved 20 December 2013
The choice of Connery for the role of James Bond owed much to Dana Broccoli, wife of the producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who is reputed to have been instrumental in persuading her husband that Connery was the right man.{{cite news|last=Bray|first=Christopher|title=Sean Connery: The Measure Of A Man|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1455828/Dana-Broccoli.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1455828/Dana-Broccoli.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 March 2004|location=London}}{{cbignore}} James Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, originally doubted Connery's casting, saying, "He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks", and "I'm looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man", adding that Connery (muscular, 6'{{spaces}}2", and a Scot) was unrefined.{{cite news|title=8 Things You Didn't Know About James Bond |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/11/20/james-bond-trivia_n_6195082.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvLnVrLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABrfHOJnezRCwQuzNe4qsnAAfUViBX16Zfvok-mi1yIrj1CWd2wmEFHk22xQmaPdJojGGOzJG6kru8LQDoBvkeMC7_nz7twMhV5qQI0m8UkVRH1ypFMFTT6Jr-pBz30dETJWvVocSj_x2b9fbljyevGDVVidLEE7-9BjjynqV4o6|access-date=15 March 2019|newspaper=HuffPost}} Fleming's girlfriend Blanche Blackwell told him Connery had the requisite sexual charisma, and Fleming changed his mind after the successful Dr. No premiere; he was so impressed that he wrote Connery's heritage into the character. In his 1964 novel You Only Live Twice, Fleming wrote that Bond's father was Scottish and from Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands.
File:Sean Connery as James Bond (1971).jpg in 1971]]
Connery's portrayal of Bond owes much to stylistic tutelage from the director Terence Young, who helped polish him while using his physical grace and presence for the action. Lois Maxwell, who played Miss Moneypenny, related that "Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat".{{cite book|last1=Macintyre |first1=Ben|title=For Your Eyes Only : Ian Fleming and James Bond|date=2009|publisher=Bloomsbury|location=London|isbn=978-0-7475-9866-4|page=187}} The tutoring was successful; Connery received thousands of fan letters a week after Dr. No's opening, and he became a major sex symbol in film.{{cite web|url=http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2013/05/04/Playboy-Interview-Sean-Connery-1965 |title=Playboy Interview: Sean Connery 1965|website=the007dossier.com|access-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011133335/http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2013/05/04/Playboy-Interview-Sean-Connery-1965|archive-date=11 October 2018|url-status=dead}}
Following the release of the film Dr. No in 1962, the line "Bond ... James Bond", became a catchphrase in the lexicon of Western popular culture.{{sfn|Cork|Scivally|2002|p=6}} The film critic Peter Bradshaw writes, "It is the most famous self-introduction from any character in movie history. Three cool monosyllables, surname first, a little curtly, as befits a former naval commander. And then, as if in afterthought, the first name, followed by the surname again. Connery carried it off with icily disdainful style, in full evening dress with a cigarette hanging from his lips. The introduction was a kind of challenge, or seduction, invariably addressed to an enemy. In the early 60s, Connery's James Bond was about as dangerous and sexy as it got on screen".{{cite news|first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |title=Sean Connery: a dangerously seductive icon of masculinity|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/25/sean-connery-at-90-appreciation-peter-bradshaw-james-bond|date=25 August 2020|access-date=3 November 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}}
During the filming of Thunderball in 1965, Connery's life was in danger in the sequence with the sharks in Emilio Largo's pool. He had been concerned about this threat when he read the script. Connery insisted that Ken Adam should build a special Plexiglas partition inside the pool, but this was not a fixed structure, and one of the sharks managed to pass through it. He had to abandon the pool immediately.{{cite book|last1=Buckland|first1=Damien|title=Collection Editions James Bond|date=2016|publisher=CreateSpace Independent|isbn=978-1-5305-7325-7}}
= 1964–1986 =
File:Sean Connery 1964.png (1964)]]
Although Bond had made him a star, Connery grew tired of the role and the pressure the franchise put on him, saying "[I am] fed up to here with the whole Bond bit"{{cite web |url=https://time.com/4008500/sean-connery-birthday-85/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827013129/http://time.com/4008500/sean-connery-birthday-85/|url-status=live|archive-date=27 August 2015|title=Happy Birthday, Sean Connery: See Him as James Bond on the Cover of Life|first=Eliza|last=Berman|date=25 August 2015|magazine=Time|access-date=3 January 2021}} and "I have always hated that damned James Bond. I'd like to kill him".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/oct/03/comment.news|title=Scotch myth|newspaper=The Observer
|date=2 October 2004|access-date=18 September 2013|author=Ferguson, Euan}} Michael Caine said of the situation, "If you were his friend in these early days you didn't raise the subject of Bond. He was, and is, a much better actor than just playing James Bond, but he became synonymous with Bond. He'd be walking down the street and people would say, 'Look, there's James Bond'. That was particularly upsetting to him".{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=34}}
While making the Bond films, Connery also starred in other films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964) and Sidney Lumet's The Hill (1965), which film critic Peter Bradshaw regards as his two great non-Bond pictures from the 1960s. In Marnie, Connery starred opposite Tippi Hedren. Connery had said he wanted to work with Hitchcock, which Eon arranged through their contacts.{{harvnb|Broccoli|Zec|1999|}} Connery also shocked many people at the time by asking to see a script, something he did because he was worried about being typecast as a spy and he did not want to do a variation of North by Northwest or Notorious. When told by Hitchcock's agent that Cary Grant had not asked to see even one of Hitchcock's scripts, Connery replied: "I'm not Cary Grant".{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,875552,00.html|title=Canny Scot|magazine=Time|date=10 January 1964}} Hitchcock and Connery got on well during filming, and Connery said he was happy with the film "with certain reservations".{{cite web |url=http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2013/05/04/Playboy-Interview-Sean-Connery-1965|title=Playboy Interview: Sean Connery|magazine=Playboy|page=78|date=November 1965|access-date=4 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011133335/http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2013/05/04/Playboy-Interview-Sean-Connery-1965 |archive-date=11 October 2018 |url-status=dead }} In The Hill, Connery wanted to act in something that wasn't Bond related, and he used his leverage as a star to feature in it. While the film wasn't a financial success it was a critical one, debuting at the Cannes Film Festival winning Best Screenplay.{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2886/year/1965.html |title=Festival de Cannes: The Hill |access-date=15 November 2020 |work=festival-cannes.com |archive-date=18 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018032435/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2886/year/1965.html |url-status=dead }} The first of five films he made with Lumet, Connery considered him to be one of his favourite directors.{{cite web|title=Sidney Lumet|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13028436.sidney-lumet/|access-date=3 October 2021|website=The Herald|date=11 April 2011 |location=Glasgow}} The respect was mutual, with Lumet saying of Connery's performance in The Hill, "The thing that was apparent to me – and to most directors – was how much talent and ability it takes to play that kind of character who is based on charm and magnetism. It's the equivalent of high comedy and he did it brilliantly."{{cite news |title=Sir Sean Connery 34th AFI Life Achievement Award Honoree |url=https://www.afi.com/laa/sir-sean-connery/ |access-date=15 November 2020 |agency=AFI}}
In the mid-1960s Connery played golf with the Scottish industrialist Iain Maxwell Stewart,{{cite book |last1=Naughtie |first1=James |title=On the Road: Adventures from Nixon to Trump |date=2020 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781471177439}} a connection which led to Connery directing and presenting the documentary film The Bowler and the Bunnet in 1967.{{cite news |last1=Connery |first1=Sean |title=Sir Sean Connery exclusive: The Clyde yard that shaped my politics ... and its Tory boss who introduced me to golf. |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-on-sunday/20110227/282699043622139 |access-date=4 April 2022 |work=Herald on Sunday |date=27 February 2011}}{{cite news |last1=Galbraith |first1=Russell |title=Sean Connery: An enduring myth |url=https://www.scottishreview.net/RussellGalbraith545a.html |access-date=4 April 2022 |work=Scottish Review |date=4 November 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321075109/https://www.scottishreview.net/RussellGalbraith545a.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|title=Bowler and the Bunnet, The (1967)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1406406/index.html|website=screenonline.org.uk|publisher=BFI Screenonline|accessdate=2 March 2018}} The film described the Fairfield Experiment, a new approach to industrial relations carried out at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Glasgow, during the 1960s; the experiment was initiated by Stewart and supported by George Brown, the First Secretary in Harold Wilson's cabinet, in 1966.Whatever Happened at Fairfields?, by Sydney Paulden and Bill Hawkins, published by Gower Press, 1969.{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=Fred M |title=Ships & Shipbuilders: Pioneers of Design and Construction |date=2010 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=9781783830404}} The company was facing closure, and Brown agreed to provide £1 million (£13.135 million; US$15.55 million in 2021) to enable trade unions, the management and the shareholders to try out new ways of industrial management.{{cite book|last1=Dudgeon|first1=Piers|title=Our Glasgow: Memories of Life in Disappearing Britain|date=2012|publisher=Headline|isbn=9780755364466|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=91tnKrJjWBkC&q=Fairfield+Experiment&pg=PT183|accessdate=14 March 2018}}
File:Hepburn Connery Robin and Marian Still 1976.jpg in Robin and Marian (1976)]]
Having played Bond six times, Connery's global popularity was such that he shared a Golden Globe Henrietta Award with Charles Bronson for "World Film Favorite{{snd}}Male" in 1972.{{cite web|title=Winners & Nominees Henrietta Award (World Film Favorites)|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/henrietta-award-world-film-favorites|website=Golden Globe Awards|access-date=29 September 2017|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017064814/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/henrietta-award-world-film-favorites|url-status=dead}} He appeared in John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King (1975) opposite Michael Caine. Playing two former British soldiers who set themselves up as kings in Kafiristan, both actors regarded it as their favourite film.{{cite web|date=17 June 2015|title=Sean Connery still has special Bond with movie fans|url=https://www.sundaypost.com/features/entertainment/sean-connery-still-has-special-bond-with-movie-fans/|access-date=3 October 2021|website=The Sunday Post}}[https://sabotagetimes.com/.amp/tv-film/michael-caine-people-forget-that-i-know-a-few-gangsters Michael Caine: "People forget I know a few gangsters"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613084627/https://sabotagetimes.com/.amp/tv-film/michael-caine-people-forget-that-i-know-a-few-gangsters |date=13 June 2018}} Sabotage Times Retrieved 19 March 2019 The same year, he appeared in The Wind and the Lion opposite Candice Bergen who played Eden Pedecaris (based on the real-life Perdicaris incident), and in 1976 played Robin Hood in Robin and Marian opposite Audrey Hepburn, who played Maid Marian. The film critic Roger Ebert, who had praised the double act of Connery and Caine in The Man Who Would Be King, praised Connery's chemistry with Hepburn, writing: "Connery and Hepburn seem to have arrived at a tacit understanding between themselves about their characters. They glow. They really do seem in love".{{cite news|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19760421%2FREVIEWS%2F604210301%2F1023|title="Robin and Marian" review|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|date=21 April 1976|access-date=19 March 2019|archive-date=24 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924101522/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19760421%2FREVIEWS%2F604210301%2F1023|url-status=dead}}
In the 1970s Connery was part of ensemble casts in films such as Murder on the Orient Express (1974) with Vanessa Redgrave and John Gielgud, and played a British Army general in Richard Attenborough's war film A Bridge Too Far (1977), co-starring Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Olivier.{{cite news|title=A Bridge Too Far, for allied forces and for viewers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/15/a-bridge-too-far-reel-history|access-date=22 March 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}} In 1974, he starred in John Boorman's sci-fi thriller Zardoz. Often called one of the "weirdest and worst movies ever made" it featured Connery in a scarlet mankini{{snd}}a revealing costume which generated much controversy for its un-Bond-like appearance.{{cite news|date=14 November 2017|title=14 unnecessarily revealing movie costumes|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/unnecessarily-revealing-movie-costumes/sean-connery-zardoz-1974sean-connery-fresh-james-bond-thought/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/unnecessarily-revealing-movie-costumes/sean-connery-zardoz-1974sean-connery-fresh-james-bond-thought/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=1 November 2020|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|date=3 September 2016|title=Celebrating The 13 Strangest Moments in Zardoz|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-13-strangest-moments-in-zardoz/|access-date=2 November 2020|website=Den of Geek|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101051916/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-13-strangest-moments-in-zardoz/|url-status=dead}} Despite being panned by critics at the time, the film has developed a cult following since its release.{{cite web|last1=Shankel|first1=Jason|last2=Stamm|first2=Emily|last3=Krell|first3=Jason|title=30 Cult Movies That Absolutely Everybody Must See|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/30-cult-movies-that-absolutely-everybody-must-see-1538502596|work=io9|publisher=Gizmodo|date=7 March 2014|access-date=14 November 2020|archive-date=14 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114100345/https://io9.gizmodo.com/30-cult-movies-that-absolutely-everybody-must-see-1538502596|url-status=dead}}{{cite book |last1=Telotte |first1=J.P. |title=Science Fiction Double Feature: The Science Fiction Film as Cult Text |last2=Duchovnay |first2=Gerald |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-78138-183-0 |page=75 |author-link=Jay Telotte}} In the audio commentary to the film, Boorman relates how Connery would write poetry in his free time, describing him as "a man of great depth and intelligence" and possessing the "most extraordinary memory".{{cite news|title=Zardoz|url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/14526/zardoz.html|access-date=14 November 2020|website=High-Def Digest}} In 1981, Connery appeared in the film Time Bandits as Agamemnon. The casting choice derives from a joke Michael Palin included in the script, which describes the character's removing his mask and being "Sean Connery{{snd}}or someone of equal but cheaper stature".{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=109365§ion=extras|title=Time Bandits Extras|publisher=Channel 4|access-date=7 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409212649/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=109365§ion=extras|archive-date=9 April 2009|url-status=dead}} When shown the script, Connery was happy to play the supporting role. In 1981 he portrayed Marshal William T. O'Niel in the science fiction thriller Outland. In 1982, Connery narrated G'olé!, the official film of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.[http://www.fifafilms.com/fileadmin/fifafilms/user_upload/pdf/FIFAFilms_Factsheet_March_2012_very_low_res.pdf "FIFA World Cup and Official FIFA Events: Programming"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417225504/http://www.fifafilms.com/fileadmin/fifafilms/user_upload/pdf/FIFAFilms_Factsheet_March_2012_very_low_res.pdf |date=17 April 2016}} FIFA Films Retrieved 28 January 2013 That same year, he was offered the role of Daddy Warbucks in Annie, going as far as taking voice lessons for the John Huston musical before turning down the part.{{cite book|last=Mell|first=Eila|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SqXAAAAQBAJ&q=sean+connery+Annie&pg=PA159|title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others|year=2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0976-8}}
Connery agreed to reprise Bond in Never Say Never Again, released in October 1983. The title, contributed by his wife, refers to his earlier statement that he would "never again" return to the role. Although the film performed well at the box office, it was plagued with production problems: strife between the director and producer, financial problems, the Fleming estate trustees' attempts to halt the film, and Connery's wrist being broken by the fight choreographer, Steven Seagal. As a result of his negative experiences during filming, Connery became unhappy with the major studios and did not make any films for two years. Following the successful European production The Name of the Rose (1986), for which he won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, Connery's interest in more commercial material was revived. That same year, a supporting role in Highlander showcased his ability to play older mentors to younger leads, which became a recurring role in many of his later films.{{cite news |title=Highlander: 35 years since Scotland stole the show in cult film starring Queen, Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/nostalgia/2671966/how-aberdeens-queen-of-voice-coaches-worked-a-kind-of-magic-on-cult-classic-highlander/ |access-date=25 November 2020 |newspaper=The Press and Journal}}
= 1987–2006 =
In 1987 Connery starred in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, where he played a hard-nosed Irish-American cop alongside Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness. The film also starred Charles Martin Smith, Patricia Clarkson, Andy Garcia, and Robert De Niro as Al Capone. The film was a critical and box-office success. Many critics praised Connery for his performance, including Roger Ebert, who wrote: "The best performance in the movie is Connery{{spaces}}... [he] brings a human element to his character; he seems to have had an existence apart from the legend of the Untouchables, and when he's onscreen we can believe, briefly, that the Prohibition Era was inhabited by people, not caricatures".{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-untouchables-1987 |title=The Untouchables Review|website=rogerebert.com|access-date= 31 October 2020}} For his performance, Connery received a BAFTA nomination and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|title=The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners|access-date=15 March 2019|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004300/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|archive-date=2 April 2015}}
Connery starred in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), playing Henry Jones Sr., the title character's father, and received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. Harrison Ford said Connery's contributions at the writing stage enhanced the film. "It was amazing for me in how far he got into the script and went after exploiting opportunities for character. His suggestions to George [Lucas] at the writing stage really gave the character and the picture a lot more complexity and value than it had in the original screenplay".{{cite news |title=Ford's father figure|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/ford-s-father-figure-1117341828/|date=5 May 1997|access-date=31 October 2020|magazine=Variety}} His subsequent box-office hits included The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Russia House (1990), The Rock (1996), and Entrapment (1999). In 1996, he voiced the role of Draco the dragon in the film Dragonheart. He also appeared in a brief cameo as King Richard the Lionheart at the end of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).{{cite book|last1=Pugh|first1=Tison|editor1-last=Coyne Kelly|editor1-first=Kathleen|editor2-last=Pugh|editor2-first=Tison|title=Queer movie medievalisms|date=2009|publisher=Ashgate |location=Farnham|isbn=978-0-7546-7592-1|page=161|chapter=8: Sean Connery's Star Persona and the Queer Middle Ages}} In 1998, Connery received the BAFTA Fellowship, a lifetime achievement award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-names-connery-sean-connery-the-life-of-scotlands-james-bond-dvdclrqfwbb|work=The Times|access-date=16 March 2019
|title=The name's Connery, Sean Connery: the life of Scotland's James Bond|first=Ben|last=Robson|date=21 August 2008|location=London}}
Connery's later films included several box-office and critical disappointments such as First Knight (1995), Just Cause (1995), The Avengers (1998), and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003); however, he received positive reviews for his performance in Finding Forrester (2000). He also received a Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. In a 2003 UK poll conducted by Channel 4, Connery was ranked eighth on their list of the 100 Greatest Movie Stars.{{cite web|url=http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2003/05/04/Y09420001/|title=100 Greatest ... (100 Greatest Movie Stars (Part 1))|publisher=ITN Source |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221233723/http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2003/05/04/Y09420001/|archive-date=21 February 2015|access-date=31 May 2019}} The failure of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was especially frustrating for Connery. He sensed during shooting that the production was "going off the rails", and announced that the director, Stephen Norrington should be "locked up for insanity".{{fact|date=February 2025}} Connery spent considerable effort in trying to salvage the film through the editing process, ultimately deciding to retire from acting rather than go through such stress ever again.{{cite web|title=An ignominious exit|url=https://www.looper.com/148339/why-you-dont-see-sean-connery-onscreen-anymore/sl/an-ignominious-exit|website=Looper.com|date=21 March 2019|access-date=28 December 2019|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228032102/https://www.looper.com/148339/why-you-dont-see-sean-connery-onscreen-anymore/sl/an-ignominious-exit|url-status=dead}}{{better|date=February 2025}}
Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films, saying he did not understand the script.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4736303.stm|title=Connery 'turning back on movies'|date=1 August 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=6 August 2012}} He was reportedly offered US$30 million along with 15% of the worldwide box office receipts, which would have earned him US$450 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10849037 |title=Sean Connery lost $450m refusing Gandalf role|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=21 November 2012|access-date=22 January 2020|issn=1170-0777}}{{cite news|author=Ransom Riggs |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/10/20/mf.rejected.movies/index.html|title=5 million-dollar mistakes by movie stars|publisher=CNN|date=20 October 2008|access-date=10 March 2010}} He also turned down the opportunity to appear as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series and the Architect in The Matrix trilogy.{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-dumbledore-actors-mcgoohan-connery-lee-mckellen/|title=Harry Potter: The Actors Who Almost Played Dumbledore|date=1 January 2020|work=ScreenRant|access-date=3 March 2021}}Norrington, Stephen (Director) (16 December 2003) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (DVD) United States: 20th Century Fox In 2005, he recorded voiceovers for the From Russia with Love video game with the recording producer Terry Manning in the Bahamas, and provided his likeness.{{cite web|title=IGN: Sean Connery Back as Bond|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132533/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|archive-date=29 June 2011|access-date=15 March 2019}}{{cite news|last=Lipsey|first=Sid|title=Review: Connery brings Bond back to the USSR|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2005-11-10/tech/bond.rwl_1_bond-moves-aston-martin-db5-sean-connery?_s=PM:TECH|publisher=CNN|date=10 November 2005|access-date=6 August 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223005434/http://articles.cnn.com/2005-11-10/tech/bond.rwl_1_bond-moves-aston-martin-db5-sean-connery?_s=PM%3ATECH|archive-date=23 February 2013}} Connery said he was happy the producers, Electronic Arts, had approached him to voice Bond.{{cite web|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|title=IGN: Sean Connery Back as Bond|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=29 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132533/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|url-status=dead}}
Retirement
File:SeanConneryJune08.jpg in 2008]]
When Connery received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award on 8 June 2006, he confirmed his retirement from acting.{{cite web |last=Dalton|first=Ben|date=31 October 2020|title=Sean Connery, the original James Bond, dies aged 90|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/sean-connery-the-original-james-bond-dies-aged-90/5154555.article |website=screendaily.com|access-date=31 October 2020}} Connery's disillusionment with the "idiots now making films in Hollywood" was cited as a reason for his decision to retire.{{cite news |last1=Hewitson|first1=Michele|date=9 July 2005|title=Sexy? It's all in the hand-shake|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/sexy-its-all-in-the-hand-shake/NFUGZ4M7JNX7WHWFIE6JT6UV5I/|access-date=3 November 2020}} On 7 June 2007 he denied rumours that he would appear in the fourth Indiana Jones film, saying "retirement is just too much damned fun".{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6733177.stm|title=Connery bows out of Indiana film|work=BBC News|access-date=29 September 2007|date=8 June 2007}} In 2010 a bronze bust sculpture of Connery was placed in Tallinn, Estonia, outside The Scottish Club, whose membership includes Estonian Scotophiles and a handful of expatriate Scots.{{cite web|url=http://apnews.myway.com//article/20110127/D9L0R9E01.html|title=Sean Connery immortalised with Estonian bust|website=apnews.myway.com|access-date=24 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101122106/http://apnews.myway.com//article/20110127/D9L0R9E01.html|archive-date=1 January 2016}} In 2012 Connery briefly came out of retirement to voice the title character in the Scottish animated film Sir Billi. Connery served as executive producer for an expanded 80-minute version.{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/7053/Sir-Sean-makes-film-comeback.6218584.jp|title=Sir Sean makes film comeback as a retired vet|newspaper=The Scotsman|first=Alan|last=Carson|date=12 April 2010 |location=Edinburgh|access-date=7 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012033011/http://news.scotsman.com/7053/Sir-Sean-makes-film-comeback.6218584.jp|archive-date=12 October 2010|url-status=dead}}
Personal life
File:Diane Cilento, 1954.jpg in 1954]]
During the production of South Pacific in the mid-1950s, Connery dated a Jewish "dark-haired beauty with a ballerina's figure", Carol Sopel, but was warned off by her family.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=40}} He then dated Julie Hamilton, daughter of documentary filmmaker and feminist Jill Craigie. Given Connery's rugged appearance and rough charm, Hamilton initially thought he was an appalling person and was not attracted to him until she saw him in a kilt, declaring him to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=41}} He also shared a mutual attraction with jazz singer Maxine Daniels, whom he met while working in theatre. He made a pass at her, but she told him she was already happily married with a daughter.{{sfn|Yule|1992|p=37}}
Connery was married to the Australian actress Diane Cilento from 1962 to 1974,{{cite news|author=Gardner, Hy|title=Personal Postscripts|work=Lansing State Journal|date=3 August 1974|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/207289176}} though they separated in 1971.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Sean Connery, Wife Reveal Separation|work=The La Crosse Tribune|date=17 February 1971|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/513436646}} They had a son, the actor Jason Connery. Connery illustrated the cover of Cilento's 1967 novel: The Manipulator.{{Citation |title=A Visit to "James Bond's" – Sean Connery Home 1967! (Interviewed by F. Lee Bailey) | date=14 February 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ09w9cboWo |access-date=19 January 2024 |language=en}} Connery was separated in the early 1970s when he dated Dyan Cannon,[https://www.instagram.com/p/CqB_zwnJwXj Instagram video by Dyan Cannon]. 20 March 2023. Jill St. John,{{cite web|title=Friends Say It's Love|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-friends-say-its-love-vol-18-no-9/|access-date=3 June 2020|website=People}} Lana Wood,{{cite web|title=Bond girl Lana Wood talks about Sean Connery affair|url=https://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=9956|access-date=3 June 2020|website=mi6-hq.com}} Carole Mallory,{{cite news|title=Norman Mailer's Norristown mistress: I've been defamed|publisher=Philadelphia Inquirer|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/norman-mailers-norristown-mistress-ive-been-defamed-stu-bykofsky-20180322.html|access-date=3 June 2020}} and Magda Konopka.{{cite web|title=The Private Life and Times of Magda Konopka|url=http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/151/Magda+Konopka/register.php|access-date=7 December 2020|website=glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205071930/http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/151/Magda+Konopka/register.php|url-status=dead}} In her 2006 autobiography, Cilento alleged that he had abused her mentally and physically during their relationship.{{cite news|title=Jealous Connery beat me, says ex-wife|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/celebrity/jealous-connery-beat-me-says-ex-wife-1-1097712|website=The Scotsman|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=28 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228083210/https://www.scotsman.com/news/celebrity/jealous-connery-beat-me-says-ex-wife-1-1097712|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|first=Aly|last=Neal|title=No more free passes to famous men who abuse women|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/02/12/no-more-free-passes-to-famous-men-who-abuse-women/?noredirect=on|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=12 February 2013|access-date=31 October 2020}} Connery cancelled an appearance at the Scottish Parliament in 2006 because of controversy over his alleged support of abuse of women. He denied claims he told Playboy magazine in 1965, "I don't think there is anything particularly wrong in hitting a woman, though I don't recommend you do it in the same way you hit a man". He was also reported to have stated to Vanity Fair in 1993, "There are women who take it to the wire. That's what they are looking for, the ultimate confrontation. They want a smack".{{cite news|title=Sean Connery: 'Abuse is never justified' Actor speaks out after cancelling Holyrood festival appearance|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12430892.i-dont-believe-that-any-level-of-abuse-of-women-is-ever-justified-under-any-circumstances-connery-speaks-for-the-first-time-after-cancelling-his-high-profile-appearance-at-holyroods-festival-of-politics-by-paul-hutcheon/|work=The Herald|location=Glasgow|date=25 June 2006|access-date=31 October 2020}} In 2006, Connery told The Times, "I don't believe that any level of abuse of women is ever justified under any circumstances. Full stop".{{cite news|title=Connery: to hit a woman is wrong |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/connery-to-hit-a-woman-is-wrong-nncwmzv0rk0|access-date=6 November 2020|work=The Times}}
File:ConneryKilt.jpg celebration in Washington, D.C. When knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, he wore a green-and-black hunting tartan kilt of his mother's MacLean clan.{{cite news|title=Former James Bond actor Sean Connery dies aged 90|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-connery-idUSKBN27G0IU |access-date=2 November 2020|work=Reuters}}]]
Connery was married to the French-Moroccan painter Micheline Roquebrune (born 4 April 1929) from 1975 until his death.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/573476.stm|title=Connery: Bond and beyond |work=BBC News|date=21 December 1999|access-date=23 September 2010}} The marriage survived a well-documented affair Connery had in the late 1980s with the singer and songwriter Lynsey de Paul, which she later regretted due to his views concerning domestic violence.{{cite news|url=http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/pop-star-lynsey-de-paul-reveals-the-truth-about-her-love-life-7170842.html|title=Pop star Lynsey de Paul reveals the truth about her love-life|date=10 April 2007|work=Evening Standard|access-date=3 June 2020}}
Connery owned the Domaine de Terre Blanche in the South of France from 1979.{{cite web|date=1 August 2004|title=We half expected someone to tuck us in with a goodnight kiss|url=http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/aug/01/hotels.observerescapesection2|access-date=3 October 2021|website=The Guardian}} He sold it to the German billionaire businessman Dietmar Hopp in 1999.{{cite web |url=http://www.exec-golf.com/home-slot-7/no-doubting-thomas|title=No doubting Thomas|publisher=Executive Golf Magazine|access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105153027/http://www.exec-golf.com/home-slot-7/no-doubting-thomas|archive-date=5 January 2011|url-status=dead}} He was awarded an honorary rank of Shodan (1st dan) in Kyokushin karate.{{cite news|title=Hanshi's Corner 1106|url=http://www.midoriyamabudokai.com/Hanshi's%20Corner%201106.pdf|publisher=Midori Yama Budokai|first=Ron|last=Rogers|access-date=20 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118134109/http://www.midoriyamabudokai.com/Hanshi%27s%20Corner%201106.pdf|archive-date=18 January 2012|url-status=dead}} Connery relocated to the Bahamas in the 1990s; he owned a mansion in Lyford Cay on New Providence.{{cite news|title=Sir Sean Connery says he's lucky to avoid Hurricane Dorian after Bahamas battered by storm|url=https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/sir-sean-connery-says-hes-16879926|access-date=31 October 2020|publisher=Edinburgh Live}}
Connery was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at an investiture ceremony at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh on 5 July 2000.{{London Gazette|issue=55950|date=22 August 2000 |page=9336}} He had been nominated for a knighthood in 1997 and 1998, but these nominations were reportedly vetoed by Donald Dewar owing to Connery's political views.{{r|ferguson20041002}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/819490.stm|title=Sir Sean's pride at knighthood|work=BBC News|date=5 July 2000}} Connery had a villa in Kranidi, Greece. His neighbour was King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, with whom he shared a helicopter platform.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17725256|title=Dutch prince buys villa next to James Bond actor|work=BBC News|date=16 April 2012|access-date=24 July 2013}} Michael Caine (who co-starred with Connery in The Man Who Would Be King in 1975) was among Connery's closest friends.{{cite web|last=Farndale|first=Nigel|date=4 October 2010|title=Michael Caine interview – for his autobiography The Elephant to Hollywood |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8037074/Michael-Caine-interview-for-his-autobiography-The-Elephant-to-Hollywood.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8037074/Michael-Caine-interview-for-his-autobiography-The-Elephant-to-Hollywood.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=London|access-date=2 November 2020}}{{cbignore}}
Growing up, Connery supported the Scottish football club Celtic F.C., having been introduced to the club by his father who was a lifelong fan of the team. Later in life, Connery switched his loyalty to Celtic's bitter rival, Rangers F.C., after he became close friends with the team's chairman, David Murray.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/celtic-fans-give-me-pelters-since-i-switched-988287|title=Celtic fans give me pelters since I switched loyalty to Rangers, says Sir Sean Connery|first=Kevan|last=Christie|date=26 August 2008|website=Daily Record|location=Scotland}} He was a keen golfer, introduced to the game by his friend Iain Stewart. The English professional golfer Peter Alliss gave Connery golf lessons before the filming of the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, which involved a scene where Connery, as Bond, played golf against the gold magnate Auric Goldfinger at Stoke Park Golf Club in Buckinghamshire.{{cite news |title=Peter Alliss: The colourful, and controversial, voice of golf |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/uk-sport/18924335.peter-alliss-colourful-controversial-voice-golf/|access-date=6 December 2020 |newspaper=The Herald|location=Glasgow}} The golf scene saw him wear a Slazenger v-neck sweater, a brand which Connery became associated with while playing golf in his free time, with a light grey marl being a favoured colour.{{cite news |title=Sean Connery and Slazengers jumpers |url=https://www.slazengerheritage.com/sean-connery-slazenger-jumpers-golf/ |access-date=6 October 2021 |agency=Slazenger Heritage}} The record major championship winner and golf course designer Jack Nicklaus said, "He loved the game of golf{{snd}}Sean was a pretty darn good golfer!{{snd}}and we played together several times. In May 1993, Sean and legendary driver Jackie Stewart helped me open our design of the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles in Scotland".{{cite news|title="The best" – Jack Nicklaus pays tribute to Sir Sean Connery|url=https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/the-best-jack-nicklaus-pays-tribute-to-sir-sean-connery|access-date=4 November 2020|agency=Bunkered}}
= Political views =
Connery's Scottish roots and his experiences in filming in Glasgow's shipyards in 1966 inspired him to become a member of the centre-left Scottish National Party (SNP),{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/apr/27/gerardseenan|title=Connery goes on the SNP offensive|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=22 May 2009|date=27 April 1999|first=Gerard|last=Seenan}}{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_19990502/ai_n13939208/|title=patriotgames|newspaper=Sunday Herald |access-date=22 May 2009|date=2 May 1999|first=Paul|last=Pender}} {{Dead link|date=February 2013}} which supports Scottish independence from the United Kingdom (in 2011, Connery said "The Bowler and the Bunnet was just the beginning of a journey that would lead to my long association with the Scottish National Party"). Connery supported the party both financially{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2829595.stm|title=Connery funds SNP through Jersey account|work=BBC News |date=7 March 2003|access-date=22 January 2012}} and through personal appearances. In 1967, he wrote to George Leslie, the SNP candidate in the 1967 Glasgow Pollok by-election, saying, "I am convinced that with our resources and skills we are more than capable of building a prosperous, vigorous and modern self-governing Scotland in which we can all take pride and which will deserve the respect of other nations."Christopher Bray, Sean Connery: The Measure of a Man (London: Faber, 2011), p. 140 His funding of the SNP ceased in 2001, when the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed legislation prohibiting overseas funding of political activities in the United Kingdom.
= Tax status =
In response to accusations that he was a tax exile, Connery released documents in 2003 showing he had paid £3.7 million in UK taxes between 1997 and 1998 and between 2002 and 2003; critics pointed out that had he been continuously residing in the UK for tax purposes, his tax rate would have been far higher.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/2824935.stm|title=Sir Sean lays bare his tax details|work=BBC News|date= 6 March 2003|access-date=22 January 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2004/feb/21/tax.jobsandmoney1|title=Join the club and become a tax exile|first=Patrick|last=Collinson|date=21 February 2004|newspaper=The Guardian}} In the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Connery's brother Neil said Connery would not come to Scotland to rally independence supporters, since his tax exile status greatly limited the number of days he could spend in the country.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11100442/Sir-Sean-Connerys-tax-exile-status-keeps-him-away-from-independence-debate-says-brother.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11100442/Sir-Sean-Connerys-tax-exile-status-keeps-him-away-from-independence-debate-says-brother.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Sean Connery's tax exile status keeps him away from independence debate, says brother|first=Auslan|last=Cramb|date=16 September 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}
After Connery sold his Marbella villa in 1999, Spanish authorities launched a tax evasion investigation, alleging that the Spanish treasury had been defrauded of £5.5 million. Connery was subsequently cleared by officials, but his wife and 16 others were charged with attempting to defraud the Spanish treasury.{{cite news|url=https://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/26736/sean-connery-s-wife-faces-22m-fine-over-marbella-villa-sale|title=Sean Connery's wife faces €22 million fine over Marbella villa sale|website=thinkspain.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/27/sean-connery-wife-charged-spain-property-tax-micheline-roquebrune|title=Sean Connery's wife charged with Spanish property tax fraud|first=Damien|last=Gayle |date=27 November 2015|newspaper=The Guardian}}
Death and legacy
Connery died in his sleep on 31 October 2020, aged 90, at his home in the Lyford Cay community of Nassau in the Bahamas. His death was announced by his family and Eon Productions;{{cite news |date=31 October 2020 |title=Sean Connery: James Bond actor dies aged 90 |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54761824 |access-date=31 October 2020}} although they did not disclose the cause of death, his son Jason said he had been unwell for some time.{{cite web |date=31 October 2020 |title=Obituary: Sir Sean Connery |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13087132 |access-date=31 October 2020 |website=BBC News}}{{cite news |date=31 October 2020 |title=Obituary: Sir Sean Connery |work=The Sunday Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/obituary-sir-sean-connery-7czbcsm3v |access-date=31 October 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Natale |first1=Richard |last2=Ravindran |first2=Manori |date=31 October 2020 |title=Sean Connery, Oscar Winner and James Bond Star, Dies at 90 |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/actors/sean-connery-dies-oscar-winner-and-james-bond-star-dead-at-90-1234820498/ |access-date=31 October 2020}} A day later, his widow revealed he had dementia in his final years.{{cite web |date=1 November 2020 |title=Sean Connery widow reveals he had suffered from dementia |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201101-sean-connery-widow-reveals-he-had-suffered-from-dementia |website=france 24.com |agency=Agence France-Presse}}{{Cite web |last=Nolasco |first=Stephanie |date=15 December 2023 |title=James Bond icon Sean Connery's final days battling dementia: 'It was hard to watch' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/james-bond-icon-sean-connerys-final-days-battling-dementia |access-date=16 December 2023 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}} Connery's death certificate was obtained by TMZ a month after his death, showing the cause of death was pneumonia and respiratory failure, and the time of death was listed as 1:30 am.{{cite news |date=29 November 2020 |title=Sir Sean Connery: Scottish actor and Bond legend died from pneumonia and heart failure |work=Edinburgh Evening News |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/sir-sean-connery-scottish-actor-and-bond-legend-died-pneumonia-and-heart-failure-3051543}} His remains were cremated, and the ashes were scattered in Scotland at undisclosed locations in 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishpost.com/news/sean-connerys-ashes-to-be-scattered-in-scotland-as-it-was-his-final-wish-his-wife-says-197403|title=Sean Connery's ashes to be scattered in Scotland as it was his 'final wish', his wife says|first=Rachael|last=O'Connor|website=The Irish Post|access-date=24 February 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/sir-sean-connerys-ashes-scattered-at-secret-scottish-locations-3820711|title=Sir Sean Connery's ashes scattered at secret Scottish locations|last=Wilkie|first=Stephen|date=26 August 2022|access-date=6 October 2022|website=Scotsman.com}}
Following the announcement of his death, many co-stars and figures from the entertainment industry paid tribute to Connery, including Sam Neill,{{cite tweet |number=1322519517466185729 |user=TwoPaddocks |title=Every day on set with #SeanConnery was an object lesson in how to act on screen. But all that charisma and power – that was utterly unique to Sean. RIP that great man, that great actor |date=31 October 2020}} Nicolas Cage, Robert De Niro, Michael Bay, Tippi Hedren,{{cite web |last=Earl |first=William |date=31 October 2020 |title=Hollywood Mourns Sean Connery: 'He Revolutionized the World' |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sean-connery-dead-hollywood-reaction-1234820506/ |access-date=1 November 2020 |website=Variety}} Alec Baldwin,{{cite web |last=Del Rosario |first=Alexandra |date=31 October 2020 |title=Alec Baldwin Pays Tribute To 'The Hunt For Red October' Co-Star Sean Connery: "You Made Life Better" |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/alec-baldwin-pays-tribute-hunt-233710558.html |access-date=31 October 2020 |publisher=Yahoo! Sport}} Hugh Jackman, George Lucas, Shirley Bassey, Kevin Costner, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barbra Streisand, John Cleese,{{cite web |last=Calvario |first=Liz |date=31 October 2020 |title=Sean Connery Dead at 90: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and More Celebs Honor Actor |url=https://www.etonline.com/sean-connery-dead-at-90-arnold-schwarzenegger-catherine-zeta-jones-and-more-celebs-honor-actor |access-date=1 November 2020 |website=etonline.com}} Jane Seymour and Harrison Ford,{{cite news |title=Sean Connery: Harrison Ford pays tribute to 'dear friend' |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54792462 |access-date=3 November 2020}} as well as the former Bond stars George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, including the family of the late Roger Moore.{{cite web |last=Dessem |first=Matthew |date=31 October 2020 |title=Sean Connery Has Died. Friends, Fans, and the Other James Bonds Are Saluting Him on Social Media. |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/10/sean-connery-dies-social-media-tributes-lazenby-moore-dalton-brosnan-craig.html |access-date=1 November 2020 |website=Slate}}{{cite web |last1=Drury |first1=Sharareh |last2=Beresford |first2=Trilby |date=31 October 2020 |title=Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Sam Neill, George Lucas and More of Hollywood Pay Tribute to Sean Connery |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sam-neil-cary-elwes-and-more-hollywood-stars-pay-tribute-to-sean-connery |access-date=1 November 2020 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} Connery's longtime friend Michael Caine called him a "great star, brilliant actor and a wonderful friend".{{cite news |date=31 October 2020 |title=Sir Michael Caine remembers 'great star, wonderful friend' Sir Sean Connery |work=The Herald|location=Glasgow |agency=Press Association |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national-news/18837464.sir-michael-caine-remembers-great-star-wonderful-friend-sir-sean-connery/ |access-date=1 November 2020}} The James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli released a statement saying Connery had "revolutionized the world with his gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent. He is undoubtedly largely responsible for the success of the film series and we shall be forever grateful to him".
In 2004, a poll in the UK Sunday Herald recognised Connery as "The Greatest Living Scot"{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10001248.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911105554/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10001248.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 September 2016|title=Would The Greatest Living Scot Please Stand Up?; Here they are |date=25 January 2004|access-date=16 June 2016|first=Susan|last=Flockhart|newspaper=Sunday Herald}} and a 2011 EuroMillions survey named him "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure".{{cite news|title=Sir Sean Connery named Scotland's greatest living treasure|url=http://news.stv.tv/scotland/282154-sir-sean-connery-named-scotlands-greatest-living-treasure/|publisher=STV News |date=25 November 2011|access-date=6 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092622/http://news.stv.tv/scotland/282154-sir-sean-connery-named-scotlands-greatest-living-treasure/|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}} He was voted by People magazine as the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and the "Sexiest Man of the Century" in 1999.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/sexy-celebrity-grandparents/7/|title=Sexy Celebrity Pictures|date=20 January 2006 |publisher=CBS News|access-date=10 October 2018}} If the non-Eon Bond movie Never Say Never Again is included, Connery shares the record for the most portrayals as James Bond with Roger Moore (with seven apiece). In June 1965, Time magazine observed "James Bond has developed into the biggest mass-cult hero of the decade".{{cite book |last1=Chapman |first1=James |title=Licence to Thrill A Cultural History of the James Bond Films |date=2007 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |page=92}}
In 2024, the Edinburgh International Film Festival established an annual award in Connery's honour. The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence is a prize of £50,000 given to the makers of a film chosen by audience vote from a short-list of ten feature films that receive their world premieres at the festival each year.{{cite news |title=Edinburgh International Film Festival launches Sean Connery award |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxw74kd2m90o |access-date=15 February 2024 |work=BBC News |date=14 February 2024}}
Filmography
{{Main|Sean Connery filmography}}
Awards and honours
Honours
- 1987: Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters from France{{cite news |title=En images: Les rôles iconiques de Sean Connery |url=https://actu.orange.fr/france/diaporamas/en-images-les-roles-iconiques-de-sean-connery-CNT000001uyp04/photos/les-acteurs-audrey-hepburn-et-sean-connery-posent-apres-avoir-ete-decores-de-l-ordre-des-arts-et-des-lettres-par-philippe-de-villiers-secretaire-d-etat-aupres-du-ministre-de-la-culture-et-de-la-communication-le-06-mars-1987-a-paris-569ebe809acaa6cf774f113b69b138c7.html |access-date=31 October 2020 |agency=Orange |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101155155/https://actu.orange.fr/france/diaporamas/en-images-les-roles-iconiques-de-sean-connery-CNT000001uyp04/photos/les-acteurs-audrey-hepburn-et-sean-connery-posent-apres-avoir-ete-decores-de-l-ordre-des-arts-et-des-lettres-par-philippe-de-villiers-secretaire-d-etat-aupres-du-ministre-de-la-culture-et-de-la-communication-le-06-mars-1987-a-paris-569ebe809acaa6cf774f113b69b138c7.html |url-status=dead }}
- 1999: Kennedy Center Honors{{cite news|title=Sean Connery|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/c/co-cz/sean-connery/|access-date=31 October 2020|agency=Kennedy Center}}
- 2000: Received Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II{{cite news|title=Sir Sean's pride at knighthood|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/819490.stm|date=5 July 2000 |access-date=31 October 2020|work=BBC News}}
- 2005: European Film Awards Lifetime Achievement Award{{cite news|title=European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/European-Film-Awards-Winners-2005.68.0.html|access-date=31 October 2020|agency=EFA}}
- 2006: AFI Life Achievement Award
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book| last1=Bray|first1=Christopher|year=2010|title=Sean Connery. The Measure of a Man|publisher=Faber and Faber}}
- {{cite book| last1=Broccoli|first1=Albert R.|last2=Zec|first2=Donald|year=1999|title=When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli|publisher=Trans-Atlantic Publications}}
- {{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Susan|last2=Cohen|first2=Daniel|title=Hollywood Hunks and Heroes|isbn=978-0-671-07528-6|oclc=12644589|location=New York|year=1985|publisher=Exeter Books|page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodhunkshe0000cohe/page/33 33]|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodhunkshe0000cohe/page/33}}
- {{cite book|last1=Cork|first1=John|last2=Scivally|first2=Bruce|year=2002|title=James Bond: The Legacy|publisher=Boxtree|location=London|isbn=978-0-7522-6498-1|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesbondlegacy0000cork}}
- {{cite book|last=Sellers|first=Robert|title=Sean Connery: A Celebration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=360dAQAAIAAJ|access-date=14 July 2011|year=1999|publisher=Robert Hale|isbn=978-0-7090-6125-0}}
- {{cite book|last=Yule|first=Andrew|title=Sean Connery: Neither Shaken Nor Stirred|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|year=1992|isbn=978-0-7515-4097-0}}
External links
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{{Wikiquote}}
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160324210220/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba13ae26e Sean Connery] at the British Film Institute
- {{Screenonline name|455509}}
- {{IBDB name}}
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- {{Rotten Tomatoes person|sean_connery}}
{{Navboxes|title=Awards for Sean Connery|list=
{{Academy Award Best Supporting Actor}}
{{AFI Life Achievement Award}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role}}
{{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}}
{{Cecil B. DeMille Award}}
{{European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture}}
{{Hasty Pudding Man of the Year}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1990s}}
{{The Life Career Award}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
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