CONNERY, Sean 1930–

(Sir Sean Connery)

PERSONAL

Full name, Thomas Sean Connery; born August 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland; son of Joseph (a factory worker and truck driver) and Euphamia C. (a cleaning woman) Connery; brother of Neil Connery (an actor); married Diane Cilento, December 6, 1962 (divorced September 6, 1973); married Micheline Boglio Roquebrune, 1975; children: (first marriage) Jason (an actor); (second marriage) one stepdaughter. Education: Studied dance with Yat Malmgrem (some sources cite Malmgeren). Avocational Interests: Golf, cooking, oil painting, reading.

Addresses:

Agent—Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager—Nancy Seltzer & Associates, 6220 Del Valle Dr., Los Angles, CA 90048.

Career:

Actor, director, and producer. Tantallon Films Ltd., director, 1972—; Fountainbridge Films (a production company), founder, c. 1993; Scottish International Education Trust (to help gifted, impoverished children), founder; appeared in television commercials, including Teekanne, 2000, RAS Insurance, 2002, and Level 3 Communications, 2002, 2004; appeared in print ad for Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, 1966. Also worked as a milk delivery person, bricklayer, lifeguard, coalman, and coffin polisher; Edinburgh Art College, worked as nude model; placed third in Mr. Universe Contest, 1953. Military service: Served with Royal Navy.

Member:

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (fellow).

Awards, Honors:

Golden Globe Award (with others), male world film favorite, 1972; D.Litt., Heriot–Watt University, 1981; named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, 1984; named star of the year, National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), 1987; commander, Order of Arts and Literature of France; Film Award, best actor in a leading role, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Film Strip in Gold, outstanding achievement as an actor, German Film Awards, 1987, for The Name of the Rose; National Board of Review Award, best supporting actor, Academy Award, best supporting actor, 1987, and Golden Globe Award, best actor in a supporting role, 1988, for The Untouchables; Film Award nomination, best supporting actor, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best supporting actor, 1988, for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; named "the sexiest man alive," People Weekly, 1989; named NATO/ShoWest Worldwide Star of the Year, 1990; Tribute Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1990; Film Award, best actor, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1990, for Russia House; named Freeman of City of Edinburgh, 1991; American Cinematheque Award, 1992; Rudolph Valentino Award, 1992; Career Achievement Award, National Board of Review, 1993; Saturn Award, lifetime achievement, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, 1995; Cecil B. DeMille Award, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, 1996; MTV Movie Award (with Nicolas Cage), best onscreen duo, Blockbuster Entertainment Award, best supporting actor in an action or adventure film, 1997, both for The Rock; body of work honored by Film Society of Lincoln Center, 1997; Academy Fellowship, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1998; Audience Award, best actor, European Film Awards, 1999, Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite actor—action, 2000, both for Entrapment; Antoinette Perry Award (with others), best play, 1998, for Art; Kennedy Center Honor Award, 1999; received knighthood from Britain's Queen Elizabeth, 1999; Lifetime Achievement Award, ShoWest Conventions, 1999; Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actor in a motion picture—drama, 2001, for Finding Forrester; Special Prize for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2002.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) Let's Make Up (also known as Lilacs in the Spring), United Artists, 1955.

Spike, No Road Back, RKO Radio Pictures, 1957.

Mike, Action of the Tiger, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1957.

Welder, Time Lock, Romulus–Beaconsfield, 1957.

Johnny, Hell Drivers (also known as Hard Drivers), Rank, 1957.

Mark Trevor, Another Time, Another Place, Paramount, 1958.

O'Bannion, Tarzan's Greatest Adventure, Paramount, 1959.

Michael McBride, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Buena Vista, 1959.

Paddy Damion, The Frightened City, Allied Artists, 1961.

Pedlar Pascoe, On the Fiddle (also known as Operation War Head), American International Pictures, 1961, released in the United States as Operation Snafu, 1965.

Private Flanagan, The Longest Day, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1962.

James Bond, Doctor No (also known as Ian Fleming's Dr. No), United Artists, 1963.

James Bond, From Russia with Love, United Artists, 1964.

James Bond, Goldfinger (also known as Ian Fleming's Goldfinger), United Artists, 1964.

Anthony Richmond, Woman of Straw, United Artists, 1964.

Mark Rutland, Marnie, Universal, 1964.

James Bond, Thunderball (also known as Ian Fleming's Thunderball), United Artists, 1965.

Joe Roberts, The Hill, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1965.

Samson Shillitoe, A Fine Madness, Warner Bros., 1966.

(Uncredited) Himself, A New World (also known as A Young World, Un monde jeune, Un monde nouveau, and Un mondo nuovo), Lopert Pictures Corp., 1966.

James Bond, You Only Live Twice (also known as Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice), United Artists, 1967.

Moses Zebulon "Shalako" Carlin (title role), Shalako (also known as Man nennt mich Shalako), Cinerama, 1968.

Himself, The Bowler and the Bonnet (documentary), 1969.

Jack Kehoe, The Molly Maguires, Paramount, 1970.

Roald Amundson, The Red Tent (also known as Krasnaya palatka, Tsiteli karavi, and La tenda rossa), Paramount, 1971.

John Anderson, The Anderson Tapes, Columbia, 1971.

James Bond, Diamonds Are Forever (also known as Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever), United Artists, 1971.

Himself, Espana campo de golf (documentary short film), 1972.

Detective Sergeant Johnson, The Offence (also known as The Offense and Something Like the Truth), United Artists, 1973.

Zed, Zardoz, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1974.

Colonel Arbuthnot, Murder on the Orient Express, Paramount, 1974.

Mulay el–Raisuli, The Wind and the Lion, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1975.

Daniel Dravot, The Man Who Would Be King (also known as Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King), Allied Artists/Columbia, 1975.

Nils Tahlvik, The Terrorists (also known as Ransom), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1975.

Himself, The Dream Factory, 1975.

Robin Hood, Robin and Marian, Columbia, 1976.

Kahlil Abdul–Muhsen, The Next Man (also known as The Arab Conspiracy and Double Hit), Allied Artists, 1976.

Major General Roy Urquhart, A Bridge Too Far, United Artists, 1977.

Edward Pierce/John Simms/Geoffrey, The Great Train Robbery (also known as The First Great Train Robbery), United Artists, 1979.

Dr. Paul Bradley, Meteor, American International Pictures, 1979.

Major Robert Dapes, Cuba, United Artists, 1979.

Marshal William T. O'Neil, Outland, Warner Bros., 1981.

King Agamemnon/fireman, Time Bandits, Embassy, 1981.

Patrick Hale, Wrong Is Right (also known as The Man with the Deadly Lens), Columbia, 1982.

Narrator, G'Ole! (documentary), Warner Bros., 1982.

Green Knight, Sword of the Valiant (also known as Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Gawain and the Green Knight and Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), Cannon, 1982.

Douglas Meredith, Five Days One Summer, Warner Bros., 1982.

James Bond, Never Say Never Again (also known as Warhead and James Bond 007—Sag niemals nie), Warner Bros., 1983.

Juan Sanchez Villa–Lobos Ramirez, Highlander, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1986.

William of Baskerville, The Name of the Rose (also known as Der Name der Rose, Le nom de la rose, and Il nome della rosa), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1986.

James Malone, The Untouchables, Paramount, 1987.

Himself, La rosa dei nomi (documentary) 1987.

Lieutenant Colonel Alan Caldwell, The Presidio (also known as The Presidio: The Scene of the Crime), Paramount, 1988.

Himself, Memories of Me, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1988.

Dr. Henry Jones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Paramount, 1989.

Jessie McMullen, Family Business, TriStar, 1989.

(Uncredited) Himself, The Many Faces of Bond (documentary), 1989.

Captain Marko Alexandrovich Ramius, The Hunt for Red October, Paramount, 1990.

Bartholomew "Barley" Scott Blair, The Russia House, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1990.

Juan Sanchez Villa–Lobos Ramirez, Highlander 2 (also known as Highlander 2: The Quickening, HighlanderII: The Renegade Version, and Highlander—Le retour), Interstar, 1991.

(Uncredited) King Richard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Warner Bros., 1991.

Dr. Robert Campbell, Medicine Man (also known as The Last Days of Eden), Buena Vista, 1992.

Captain John Connor, Rising Sun, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1993.

Dr. Alex Murray, A Good Man in Africa, 1994.

Paul Armstrong, Just Cause, Warner Bros., 1995.

King Arthur, First Knight, Columbia, 1995.

Himself, Three Decades of James Bond 007 (documentary short film), Brentwood Home Video, 1995.

Himself, James Bond 007: Yesterday and Today (documentary short film), Brentwood Home Video, 1995.

Himself, Behind the Scenes with "Thunderball" (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 1995.

Himself, Behind the Scenes with "Goldfinger" (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 1995.

John Patrick Mason, The Rock, Buena Vista, 1996.

Voice of Draco, Dragon Heart (also known as Dragonheart), Universal, 1996.

Sir August de Wynter, The Avengers, Warner Bros., 1997.

(Uncredited) God, A Life Less Ordinary, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1997.

Himself, Sean Connery Close Up (documentary), 1997.

Himself, Sean Connery, an Intimate Portrait (documentary), 1997.

Himself, Junket Whore, 1998.

Paul, Playing by Heart, Miramax, 1998.

Robert "Mac" MacDougal, Entrapment (also known as Verlockende Falle), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1999.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Terence Young: Bon Vivant (documentary short film), 1999.

William Forrester, Finding Forrester, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2000.

(In archive footage) James Bond, Double–O Stunts (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Home Entertainment, 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Silhouettes: The James Bond Titles (documentary short film), 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, The Music of James Bond (documentary short film), 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Ken Adam: Designing Bond (documentary), 2000. (In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Inside Q's Laboratory (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Home Entertainment, 2000.

Himself, Inside "Dr. No" (documentary short film), 2000.

Himself, Harry Saltzman: Showman (documentary short film), 2000.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Inside "You Only Live Twice" (documentary short film), 2000.

(In archive footage) James Bond, Inside "The Man with the Golden Gun" (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Home Entertainment, 2000.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Inside "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (documentary short film), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Home Entertainment, 2000.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Inside "From Russia with Love" (documentary short film), 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself, Inside "Diamonds Are Forever" (documentary short film), 2000.

Himself, Behind the Scenes: Finding Forrester (documentary), 2001.

Allan Quartermain, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (also known as LXG, The League, and Die Liga der aussergewoehnlichen Gentlemen), Twentieth Century–Fox, 2003.

Himself, Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (documentary), Paramount Home Video, 2003.

(In archive footage) Himself, Sex at 24 Frames per Second (documentary), Playboy Entertainment Group, 2003.

(In archive footage) Himself, The Untouchables: The Script, the Cast (documentary short film), Paramount Home Video, 2004.

(In archive footage) Himself, The Untouchables: Production Stories (documentary short film), Paramount Home Video, 2004.

Film Work:

Producer and director, The Bowler and the Bonnet (documentary), 1969.

Co–executive producer, Medicine Man (also known as The Last Days of Eden), Buena Vista, 1992.

Executive producer, Rising Sun, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1993.

Executive Producer, Just Cause, Warner Bros., 1995.

Executive Producer, The Rock, Buena Vista, 1996.

Producer, Entrapment (also known as Verlockende Falle), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1999.

Executive producer, Finding Forrester, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2000.

Executive producer, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (also known as LXG, The League, and Die Liga der aussergewoehnlichen Gentlemen), Twentieth Century–Fox, 2003.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Hotspur, An Age of Kings, 1960.

Himself, 30 Years of Billy Connolly, 1998.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Mat Burke, Anna Christie, 1957.

Mountain McClintock, Requiem for a Heavyweight, BBC, 1957.

Jewish pianist/Nazi war criminal, Women in Love, 1958.

Rick Martell, The Square Ring, 1959.

John Proctor, The Crucible, 1959.

Innes Corrie, Without the Grail, 1960.

Julien, Colombe, 1960.

Title role, Macbeth, 1961.

Count Vronsky, Anna Karenina, BBC, 1964.

McNeill, Male of the Species, 1969.

Also appeared in Boy with the Meataxe; Riders to the Sea.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Himself, The American Film Institute Salute to Alfred Hitchcock, CBS, 1979.

Himself, James Bond 007: Coming Attractions (documentary), 1984.

Himself, Happy Anniversary 007: Twenty–Five Years of James Bond (documentary), ABC, 1987.

100% Bonded, 1987.

The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1987.

Rich and Famous: 1988 World's Best, syndicated, 1988.

Host, The Prince's Trust Gala, TBS, 1989.

Premiere: Inside the Summer Blockbusters, Fox, 1989.

Sinatra 75: The Best Is Yet to Come (also known as Frank Sinatra: 75th Birthday Celebration), CBS, 1990.

Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold (also known as Crazy about the Movies), Cinemax, 1991.

Himself, 30 Years of James Bond (documentary), LWT, 1992.

November 22, 1993: Where Were You? A Larry King Special Live from Washington, TNT, 1993.

(In archive footage) Himself/Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn Remembered (documentary), PBS, 1993.

Himself, The World of 007 (documentary), 1995.

Himself/James Bond, In Search of James Bond with Jonathan Ross (documentary), 1995.

(Uncredited) Himself, Happy Birthday, Shirley, ITV, 1996.

Intimate Portrait: Sean Connery, Lifetime, 1997.

Interviewee, The Secrets of 007: The James Bond Files, CBS, 1997.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Nobody Does It Better: The Music of James Bond (documentary), 1998.

(In archive footage) Himself/Professor Henry Jones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: A Look Inside (documentary), 1999.

Himself, The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1999.

Narrator, The Life and Times of Bobby Jones (documentary), CBS, 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself, The Trouble with Marnie (documentary), 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, John Barry: Licence to Thrill (documentary), BBC, 2000.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond (documentary), 2000.

Himself, The James Bond Story (documentary; also known as 007: The James Bond Story), AMC, 2000.

The BBC and BAFTA Tribute to Michael Caine, 2000.

Himself, The A&E Biography: James Bond—The Secret Life of 007 (documentary), Arts and Entertainment, 2000.

(In archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Bond Girls Are Forever (documentary), AMC, 2002.

Best Ever Bond (documentary), ITV1, 2002.

Himself, James Bond: A BAFTA Tribute, BBC, 2002.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Himself/James Bond, Premiere Bond: Die Another Day (documentary), 2002, The 2003 MLB All–Star Game, Fox, 2003.

Himself, Intimate Portrait: Vanessa Marcil (documentary), Lifetime, 2003.

Unsere Besten—Das grosse Lesen (documentary), 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 60th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1988.

The 61st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1989.

The 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1996.

Presenter, The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998.

Presenter, The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards, 1999.

Presenter, The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Himself, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Joe Brastad, "Ladies of the Manor," Dixon of Dock Green, BBC, 1956.

Porter, "Jack Hires Opera Singer in Rome," The Jack Benny Program, CBS, 1957.

"The Hollow Crown," Age of Kings, syndicated, 1961.

"The Road to Shrewsbury," Age of Kings, syndicated, 1961.

"Mademoiselle Colombe," Festival of the Arts, syndicated, 1962.

"The Deposing of a King," Age of Kings, syndicated, 1963.

Mystery guest, What's My Line?, CBS, 1965.

The Ed Sullivan Show, 1965.

"Male of the Species," On Stage, NBC, 1969.

The Dream Factory, 1975.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1976, 1992.

Himself, The Mike Douglas Show, syndicated, 1977.

Himself, The Dame Edna Experience, ITV, 1987.

Himself, Late Show with David Letterman, NBC, 1993.

(Uncredited) Himself, Fame in the 20th Century, 1993.

Himself, "Sean Connery," Superstars of Action, 1995.

Himself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 1996, 2003.

Voice of Great Grandfather Athair, "Flying Fortress" (also known as "Flying Fortress: Chaos Emerald Crisis: Part 1," Sonic Underground, syndicated, 1999.

Voice of Great Grandfather Athair, "No Hedgehog Is an Island" (also known as "Chaos Emerald Crisis: Part 2," Sonic Underground, syndicated, 1999.

Voice of Great Grandfather Athair, "New Echidna in Town" (also known as "Chaos Emerald Crisis: Part 3," Sonic Underground, syndicated, 1999.

Himself, Secrets of Superstar Fitness,, Discovery Health, 2002.

Himself, "World Sports Award," Leute heute, 2002.

(As Sir Sean Connery) Himself, Parkinson, BBC, 2003.

(In archive footage) Himself, Celebrities Uncensored, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Also appeared as guest host, Sammy and Company; Alexander, Adventure Story; voice of the dragon, "Eekscalibur," Eek! the Cat (animated); in "The Crescent and the Star," Sailor of Fortune.

Stage Tours:

(Debut) Chorus dancer, later Buzz Adams, South Pacific, British cities, 1953–54.

Also appeared in Judith; MacBeth.

Stage Work:

Producer and director, I've Seen You Cut Lemons, London, 1962.

Producer, Art, Royale Theater, New York City, 1998–99.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Himself and James Bond, Behind the Scenes with Goldfinger, 1995.

Himself and James Bond, Behind the Scenes with Thunderball, 1995.

Albums:

Recited "In My Life" for the album In My Life (Beatles covers).

WRITINGS

Books:

Neither Shaken nor Stirred, 1994.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Andrews, Emma, The Films of Sean Connery, BCW Publishing, 1977.

Callan, Michael Feeney, Sean Connery, Stein & Day, 1983.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th edition, St. James Press, 2000.

McCabe, Bob, Sean Connery: A Celebration, Pavilion Books, 2000.

Parker, John, Sean Connery, Contemporary Books, 1993.

Passingham, Kenneth, Sean Connery: A Biography, St. Martin's, 1983.

Pfeiffer, Lee, and Philip Lisa, The Films of Sean Connery, Carol Publishing Group, 1993.

Rissik, Andrew, The James Bond Man: The Films of Sean Connery, Elm Tree Books, 1983.

Sellers, Robert, Sean Connery, Robert Hale Publishers, 2000.

Yule, Andrew, Sean Connery: From 007 to Hollywood Icon, 1992.

Periodicals:

Economist, U.S. edition, February 28, 1998, p. 61.

Entertainment Weekly, May 10, 1992, p. 4.

Hollywood Reporter, April, 1988, p. 42.

New York Times, June 7, 1987.

Sunday Times, April 22, 1990, p. E1.

Vanity Fair, June, 1993, p. 102.

CONNERY, Sean

Nationality: British. Born: Thomas Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland, 25 August 1930. Education: Attended Edinburgh School of Art. Family: Married 1) the actress Diane Cilento, 1962 (divorced 1973), children: Jason and Giovana; 2) Micheline Roquebrun, 1975, stepson: Stefan. Career: 1945—in Royal Navy but discharged because of ulcers; late 1940s-early 1950s—bodybuilder and model; 1951–53—toured in chorus of South Pacific; mid-1950s—gained acting experience in repertory theater; 1955—first film, Lilacs in the Spring; contract with 20th Century-Fox the following year; 1957–62—in small and featured roles in non-Fox productions; 1962—first appearance as James Bond; 1969—directed unreleased documentary film The Bowler and the Bonnet; 1972—formed production company Tantallon Productions. Awards: Golden Globe Award for World Film Favorite-Male, 1972; ShoWest Worldwide Star of the Year, 1982; D. W. Griffith Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for The Untouchables, 1987; British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Actor, for The Name of the Rose, 1988; Légion d'honneur (France); National Board of Review Career Achievement Award, 1993; Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, 1995; Academy Fellowship, British Academy Awards, 1998; European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor, for Entrapment, 1999; ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award, 1999. Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212, U.S.A.

Films as Actor:

1955

Lilacs in the Spring (Let's Make Up) (Wilcox) (bit part)

1956

No Road Back (Tully) (as Spike)

1957

Hell Drivers (Endfield) (as Johnny); Time Lock (Thomas) (as welder); Action of the Tiger (Terence Young) (as Mike)

1958

Another Time, Another Place (Lewis Allen) (as Mark Trevor); A Night to Remember (Baker)

1959

Darby O'Gill and the Little People (Stevenson) (as Michael McBride); Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (Guillermin) (as O'Bannion)

1961

The Frightened City (Lemont) (as Paddy Damion); On the Fiddle (Operation Snafu) (Frankel) (as Pedlar Pascoe)

1962

The Longest Day (Annakin, Marton, Wicki, and Zanuck) (as Pvt. Flanagan); Dr. No (Terence Young) (as James Bond)

1963

From Russia with Love (Terence Young) (as James Bond)

1964

Woman of Straw (Dearden) (as Anthony Richmond); Marnie (Hitchcock) (as Mark Rutland); Goldfinger (Hamilton) (as James Bond)

1965

The Hill (Lumet) (as Joe Roberts); Thunderball (Terence Young) (as James Bond)

1966

A Fine Madness (Kershner) (as Samson Shillitoe)

1967

You Only Live Twice (Lewis Gilbert) (as James Bond)

1968

Shalako (Dmytryk) (title role)

1969

The Molly McGuires (Ritt) (as Jack Kehoe); La tenda rossa (The Red Tent) (Kalatozov) (as Amundsen)

1971

The Anderson Tapes (Lumet) (as Duke Anderson); Diamonds Are Forever (Hamilton) (as James Bond)

1972

The Offence (Lumet) (as Johnson)

1973

Zardoz (Boorman) (as Zed)

1974

The Terrorists (Ransom) (Wrede) (as Nils Tahlvik); Murder on the Orient Express (Lumet) (as Col. Arbuthnott)

1975

The Wind and the Lion (Milius) (as Mulay El Raisuli); The Man Who Would Be King (Huston) (as Daniel Dravot)

1976

Robin and Marian (Lester) (as Robin Hood); The Next Man (Serafian) (as Khalif Abdul-Muhsen)

1977

A Bridge Too Far (Attenborough) (as Maj. Gen. Urquhart)

1978

The Great Train Robbery (The First Great Train Robbery) (Michael Crichton) (as Edward Pierce)

1979

Meteor (Neame) (as Bradley); Cuba (Lester) (as Robert Dapes)

1981

Time Bandits (Gilliam) (as King Agamemnon); Outland (Hyams) (as O'Neil)

1982

Wrong Is Right (The Man with the Deadly Lens) (Richard Brooks) (as Patrick Hale); Five Days One Summer (Zinnemann—re-edited version released 1988) (as Douglas)

1983

Never Say Never Again (Kershner) (as James Bond); Sword of the Valiant (Weeks) (as the Green Knight)

1986

Highlander (Mulcahy) (as Ramirez); The Name of the Rose (Rosa dei nomi) (Annaud) (as William of Baskerville)

1987

The Untouchables (De Palma) (as James Malone)

1988

The Presidio (Hyams) (as Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell); Memories of Me (Henry Winkler) (as himself)

1989

Family Business (Lumet) (as Jessie McMullen); Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Spielberg) (as Professor Henry Jones)

1990

The Russia House (Schepisi) (as Barley Blair); The Hunt for Red October (McTiernan) (as Marko Ramius)

1991

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds) (as King Richard); Highlander II (Mulcahy) (as Ramirez)

1992

Medicine Man (McTiernan) (as Dr. Robert Campbell, + exec pr)

1993

Rising Sun (Kaufman) (as John Connor, + exec pr)

1994

A Good Man in Africa (Beresford) (as Dr. Alex Murray)

1995

Just Cause (Glimcher) (as Paul Armstrong, + exec pr); First Knight (Zucker) (as King Arthur)

1996

Dragonheart (Cohen) (as voice of Draco); The Rock (Bay) (as John Patrick Mason, + exec pr)

1998

The Avengers (Chechik) (as Sir August de Wynter); Playing by Heart (Carroll) (as Paul)

1999

Entrapment (Amiel) (as Robert "Mac" MacDougal, + pr); The James Bond Story (doc) (Hunt—for TV) (as himself)

2000

Finding Forrester (Van Sant)

Publications

By CONNERY: articles—

Interview in Playboy (Chicago), November 1965.

"A Secretive Person," interview with G. Gow, in Films and Filming (London), March 1974.

Interviews in Ciné Revue (Paris), 3 September 1981 and 24 November 1983.

Interview with Ben Fong-Torres, in American Film (Hollywood), May 1989.

"Leading Man," interview with Robert Walsh, in Interview (New York), July 1989.

"Back in the USSR," interview with Robert Scheer, in Premiere (New York), April 1990.

"Straight Talk," interview with John H. Richardson, in Premiere (New York), February 1992.

"Great Scot," interview with Zoe Heller, in Vanity Fair (New York), June 1993.

"Never Say Die: Scots Myth," interview and article in Time Out (London), 29 March 1995.

On CONNERY: books—

Andrews, Emma, The Films of Sean Connery, Farncombe, Surrey, 1977.

Brosnan, John, James Bond in the Cinema, San Diego, 1981.

Rubin, Steven Jay, The James Bond Films, Westport, Connecticut, 1981.

Callan, Michael Feeney, Sean Connery, New York, 1983; rev. ed., 1993.

Passingham, Kenneth, Sean Connery: A Biography, London, 1983.

Durant, Philippe, Sean Connery, Paris, 1985.

Dupuis, Jean-Jacques, Sean Connery, Paris, 1986.

Sellers, Robert, The Films of Sean Connery, London, 1990.

Tanitch, Robert, Sean Connery, London, 1992.

Yule, Andrew, Sean Connery: From 007 to Hollywood Icon, New York, 1992.

Hunter, John, Great Scot: The Life of Sean Connery, London, 1993.

Parker, John, Sean Connery, Chicago, 1993.

Pfeiffer, Lee, and Philip Lisa, The Films of Sean Connery, Secaucus, New Jersey, 1993.

Freedland, Michael, Sean Connery: A Biography, London, 1994.

On CONNERY: articles—

Houston, Penelope, "007," in Sight and Sound (London), Winter 1964–65.

Crichton, Michael, "Sean Connery: A Propensity for Stylish Mayhem," in Close-Ups: The Movie Star Book, edited by Danny Peary, New York, 1978.

Films Illustrated (London), October 1981.

Photoplay (London), January 1984.

"Sean Connery," in From Limelight to Satellite: A Scottish Film Book, edited by Eddie Dick, London, 1990.

Jones, A., "Sean Connery's Superstar Clout," in Cinefantastique (Oak Park, Illinois), vol. 21, no. 5, 1991.

Current Biography 1993, New York, 1993.

Curreri, J., "Older, Sexier Sean Connery," in Classic Images (Muscatine, Iowa), January 1993.

Ortoli, Philippe & Alion, Yves, "Sean Connery," in Mensuel du Cinéma (FR), November 1993.

Radio Times (London), 14 September 1996.

Cousins, Mark, "King of the Hill," in Sight & Sound (London), May 1997.

Norman, Barry, "Bond and Beyond," in Radio Times (London), 10 May 1997.

Murphy, Kathleen, "The Man Who Would be King," in Film Comment (New York), May-June 1997.

"There's nothing special about being an actor," Sean Connery once remarked. "It's a job, like being a carpenter or a bricklayer, and I've never stopped being amazed at the mystique people attach to my business." There is about all his roles—even kings, even desert chieftains, even the suave and supercilious James Bond—an attractively down-to-earth roughness, his Scots burr and robust physique anchoring the wilder flights of fantasy. In the early years of his stardom, he was often dismissed as a clumsy, limited player who had struck lucky. As evidence to the contrary built up, the critical consensus veered round: he came to be seen as a fine actor whose career had become shadowed by the unworthy role of Bond. But this, too, may be something of an oversimplification.

That Bond made Connery's career is undeniable. He was 32 when he was chosen for Dr. No, with an undistinguished batch of supporting parts to his credit. Had he not landed the role, it's hard to imagine him attaining super-stardom so fast, or perhaps at all; more likely, he'd have turned increasingly to television, which had always used him better. And for all the limitations of the Bond character, it allowed Connery to develop and explore his own potential, refining techniques that he would put to more varied use elsewhere.

At the same time, Connery made Bond. Probably no other British actor—with the exception of James Mason, also at one point considered for the role—could have matched the cool, insolent sexuality that Connery brought to his portrayal. And without his intensely physical presence fleshing out Fleming's "cardboard booby" (the author's own description) the cycle could scarcely have taken off as it did. Connery's Bond moved with a tensile grace, a feral virility touched with a disturbing edge of danger. Yet the suggestion of cruelty was set off—and made all the more attractive—by a glint of sardonic complicity, inviting the audience in on the joke. The balance was finely gauged. A straighter performance would have made the comic-strip violence distasteful; a more flippant one would have defused the menace.

The films themselves may be little more than glossy escapist trash, and Connery has grown weary of being tagged with the role that made him famous. Still, his achievement shouldn't be underestimated: he created a lasting cinematic icon, and effectively spoiled the part for his successors, who all appear lumbering or lightweight by comparison. Even as a jowly 53-year-old returning for what must surely (despite the title) be his last outing in the role in Never Say Never Again, he exuded an unmistakable authority; this, beyond the least doubt, was the real James Bond.

Connery's initial attempts to assert a wider range seemed inhibited by the 007 persona, either playing variations on it—Hitchcock's predatory sadist in Marnie—or self-consciously striving to look as unlike as possible: the sweaty imprisoned NCO of The Hill, or the boozy, disreputable poet in A Fine Madness. Only with the Bond cycle (barring his late comeback) safely behind him, did a distinct cinematic identity, inherent rather than willed, start to emerge. And in many ways it was the antithesis of everything Bond had stood for.

Where Bond was firmly on the winning side, smoothly amoral, arrogant, and assured, the emergent Connery appeared a noble, shaggy anachronism, upholding lost-cause moralities in a cynical world. Dreams of outmoded heroism, splendid and futile, alike entice his Arab chieftain in The Wind and the Lion, the backwoods empire-builder of The Man Who Would Be King, the space marshal of Outland, and the ageing Robin Hood of Robin and Marian. Skillfully varying the tone from the tongue-in-cheek whirlwind rhetoric of Milius's Raisuli to the poignantly elegiac Robin, a man struggling to inhabit his own legend, Connery invests such roles with a "strong innocence" (Richard Lester's phrase), a relaxed grandeur which always retains its edge of incipient violence.

And while Bond might be a loose cannon, his shots were always fired for the benefit of the (British) establishment. Post-Bond Connery was an instinctive rebel, reaching back to his own staunchly working-class background. The defiant NCO of The Hill paved the way for Connery's grim activist miner in The Molly Maguires, and for the disruptive sexuality of Zed the Exterminator in John Boorman's sci-fi parable Zardoz, invading the enclave of the flaccid elite like sperm into an ovum.

Growing age and eminence have inevitably blunted the edge of rebellion. Increasingly Connery has found himself playing authority figures, often monarchs: Agamemnon in Terry Gilliam's quirky Time Bandits, King Arthur (touchingly tender in his October-and-April romance with Julia Ormond) in First Kniqht, stealing the whole film with an unbilled cameo as Coeur-de-Lion at the end of Kevin Costner's Robin Hood. The authority is instinctive, never pompous: in The Hunt for Red October his Russian submarine captain exudes the same effortless confidence as his veteran cop in The Untouchables, the astute William of Baskerville in The Name of the Rose, and the 2,000-year-old warrior in the mystical tosh of Highlander. The teasing, knowing grin is rarely far from the surface, nor is the sexual magnetism. Connery has never troubled to maintain the illusion of youth; he's aged gracefully and handsomely, still capable of playing sexy with wit and style, every bit a match (as Indy's dad) for Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. By this stage in his career, Connery can do what he likes. He can play the voice of an animatronic dragon (Dragonheart), give a lazy performance in a mediocre film, such as Lumet's Family Business, or a downright bad performance in a terrible film (The Avengers). None of it matters, or can dent his status even fractionally. Sean Connery, in short, has gone beyond mere stardom to become an icon.

—Philip Kemp

Sean Connery

From humble beginnings as a school dropout, Sean Connery (born 1930) became a major movie star at the age of 32 when he was cast as the sophisticated secret agent James Bond. Connery went on to distinguish himself in a number of major motion pictures, including his Oscar-winning performance in The Untouchables.

An unlikely candidate to play Ian Fleming's snobbish 007, Connery became so well known as this character that he nearly didn't break out of the mold. Despite his many years of work on the stage and screen, Connery was still being thought of as "the guy who played James Bond" into the early 1980s. But throughout his career, the stubborn Scot has taken on movie roles that interested him, regardless of how they fit his image. As a result of this shrewd thinking, he now has quite an impressive list of roles in his repertoire and critics talk more about his exceptional acting ability than his inability to break out of a role. With more than 60 movies to his credit, Connery has become one of the world's most prominent movie stars.

A Depression-Era Childhood

Thomas Sean Connery began his life in the humblest of surroundings. He was the eldest of two sons, born in an Edinburgh, Scotland, tenement to Joseph and Euphamia Connery. During World War II, when he was 13, he dropped out of school to help support his family. "The war was on, so my whole education was a wipeout," Connery reminisced in Rolling Stone. "I had no qualifications at all for a job, and unemployment has always been very high in Scotland, anyway, so you take what you get. I was a milkman, laborer, steel bender, cement mixer-virtually anything." After several years of this, Connery decided to better his lot, and he joined the British Royal Navy. He received a medical discharge three years later, when he came down with a case of stomach ulcers.

Returning to Edinburgh, Connery began to lift weights and develop his physique. He became a lifeguard and even modeled for an art college. Then in 1953, the toned Connery traveled to London to compete in the Mr. Universe competition. This trip was to mean more to him than the third place prize he won. While he was there, he heard about auditions for the musical South Pacific. He decided he wanted to try out, took a crash course in dancing and singing, and was cast for a role in the chorus.

Chose Acting over Soccer

This small part became a crucial turning point for Connery. At the time, he was teetering between wanting to be an actor and a professional soccer player. But actor Robert Henderson, who was also in South Pacific, encouraged him to consider a career in acting. Connery took Henderson's advice: as a soccer player, one is limited by age; a good actor could play challenging roles forever.

The unschooled Connery looked up to Henderson as a mentor. He commented in Premiere that "[Henderson] gave me a list of all these books I should read. I spent a year in every library in Britain and Ireland, Scotland and Wales…. I spent my days at the library and the evenings at the theater." He also went to matinees and talked to a lot of other actors, people he met over the year-long touring run of South Pacific. "That's what opened me to a whole different look at things," said Connery. "It didn't give me any more intellectual qualifications, but it gave me a terrific sense of the importance of a lot of things I certainly would never have gotten in touch with." It is also where he picked up his stage name, Sean Connery. When asked how he wanted to be billed for the musical, he gave his full name, Thomas Sean Connery. After being told that was too long, he opted for Sean Connery, not knowing how long he was going to be an actor. The name stuck.

After South Pacific, Connery began broadening his horizons by working on the stage. He was also notable in his first television role, a British production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight. After garnering critical acclaim for this role, he received several film offers. In the years from 1955 to 1962, he made a string of B movies, including Action of the Tiger (1957).

It was there he met Terence Young, who was to be the director of the Bond films. Young recalls in Rolling Stone that Action of the Tiger "was not a good picture. But Sean was impressive in it, and when it was all over, he came to me and said, in a very strong Scottish accent, 'Sir, am I going to be a success?' I said, 'Not after this picture, you're not. But,' I asked him, 'Can you swim?' He looked rather blank and said, yes, he could swim-what's that got to do with it? I said, 'Well, you'd better keep swimming until I can get you a proper job, and I'll make up for what I did this time.' And four years later, we came up with Dr. No."

Bond, James Bond

Connery was still doing B movies when he was called in to interview for Dr. No, the first James Bond film. But he had matured quite a bit as an actor and exuded a kind of crude animal force, which Young compared to a young Kirk Douglas or Burt Lancaster. Producer Harry Saltzman felt that he had the masculinity the part required. In the course of a conversation he punctuate his words with physical movement. Everyone there agreed he was perfect for the role. Connery was signed without a screen test.

Dr. No was an instant success, propelling the little known Connery into fame and sex-symbol status virtually overnight, a situation that the serious-minded and very private Connery did not like. Equally distressing to him was the way the media handled his transition into the role. He commented in Rolling Stone: "I'd been an actor since I was twenty-five but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo and started mixing vodka martinis. And, of course, it was nothin' like that at all. I'd done television, theater, a whole slew of things. But it was more dramatic to present me as someone who had just stepped in off the street."

Connery also performed many of his own stunts in Dr. No. He has continued this practice in many of his movies because it often speeds up the production. One of the stunts in Dr. No almost killed him. They had rehearsed a scene where he drives his convertible under a crane. At a slow speed, his head cleared by a few inches. When they actually shot the scene, the car was going 50 m.p.h., bouncing up and down. Luckily for Connery, the car hit the last bounce before he went under the crane and he emerged unhurt.

In 1962 Connery married his first wife, Diane Cilento. She was also an actress, having played the part of Molly in Tom Jones. Apparently their relationship was loving, yet tempestuous. Connery's friend Michael Caine reported in Rolling Stone: "I remember once I was with them in Nassau. Diane was cooking lunch, and Sean and I went out. Of course, we got out and one thing led to another, you know, and we got back for lunch two hours later. Well, we opened the door and Sean said, 'Darling, we're home'-and all the food she'd cooked came flying through the air at us. I remember the two of us standin' there, covered in gravy and green beans." The couple divorced in 1974 and their only son, Jason, is now a movie actor.

Between 1962 and 1967, Connery made five James Bond movies-Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger (which was, at that time, the fastest money-maker in movie history, netting more than $10 million in its first few months), Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice. He was tiring of the grueling pace of producing a new feature every year, and of the constant publicity and invasion of privacy. During the filming of Thunderball Connery was working long days and doing press interviews at night.

He was also arguing with the Bond movies' producer, Albert (Cubby) Broccoli, because he wanted to slow the pace of the series-completing a feature every 18 months instead of each year. He threatened to cut out of the contract after completing You Only Live Twice, and agreed to accept a salary that was lower than normal.

But the nation was Bond-crazy and the films were a gold mine. Connery agreed to star in Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, demanding a salary of $1.25 million, plus a percentage. At that time, it was an unprecedented sum of money for such a role. After completing the film, Connery said "never again" to Bond roles and donated all of his salary to the Scottish International Education Trust, an organization he'd founded to assist young Scots in obtaining an education. (This is not the only example of Connery's generosity to charities. In 1987, he donated 50,000 British pounds to the National Youth Theatre in England after reading an article on the failing institution.)

Life After Bond

After his split with Broccoli, he continued to pursue a variety of movie roles with his main concern being that he find them interesting. He would also do films if he felt his help was needed. He reportedly offered to be in Time Bandits for a very modest salary because he heard the producer was running into financial difficulties. With a few exceptions, however, most of the films Connery did in the decade following Diamonds Are Forever were not noteworthy.

Then, in the early 1980s, a strange thing happened. At the age of fifty-three, Connery was asked to reprise the role he had made famous, in Never Say Never Again. The movie rights to this film had been won in a long court battle by Kevin McClory, an enterprising Irishman whom Connery admired a great deal for being able to beat the system. The movie was also scheduled to go head-to-head with Octopussy, a Broccoli Bond epic featuring the new 007, Roger Moore. It seems that twist was too much to resist, and Connery signed up. Another possibility is that Connery's second wife, Micheline Roquebrune, whom he had met on the golf course in Morocco in 1970 and married in 1975, convinced him to give the role another try.

Connery drew rave reviews as an aging Bond trying to get back in shape for a daring mission. "At fifty-three, he may just be reaching the peak of his career," reported Kurt Loder in Rolling Stone. "Connery reminds you anew what star quality is all about. A good deal of that quality is on display in Never Say Never Again, a carefully crafted and quite lively addition to the lately listless Bond series." Instead of furthering any Bond typecasting by doing this film, Connery seemed to squash it.

Roles Increased with Age

In the years since, his performances seem to be getting better and better. In The Untouchables, Connery took the supporting role of Malone, a world-weary, but savvy, street cop. "It's a part that gives him ample opportunity to demonstrate his paradoxical acting abilities," wrote Benedict Nightingale in the New York Times, "his knack for being simultaneously rugged and gentle, cynical and innocent, hard and soft, tough and almost tender." For his portrayal of Malone, Connery won an Academy Award.

Connery was also very strong in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where he played the scholarly father of the ever-adventurous Jones, entangling himself in a lot of adventure and intrigue. Peter Travers commented in Rolling Stone that "Connery, now fifty-eight, has been movie-star virility incarnate. Here in his scholar's tweeds, with an undisguised horror of creepy-crawly things … and armed only with an umbrella and a fountain pen, Connery plays gloriously against type."

Similarly, in his other recent roles-a monk in The Name of the Rose (1986), a deranged Russian submarine commander in The Hunt for Red October (1990), the knowledgeable police detective in Rising Sun (1993), an aging attorney in Just Cause (1995), King Arthur in First Knight (1995)-Connery continues to prove his versatility and maturity as an actor. Even as he passed age 65, Connery showed he can hold his own against Hollywood's hottest upstarts with his role as the ex-con who had once escaped from Alcatraz in the 1996 action thriller The Rock, costarring Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris.

Connery has worked hard throughout his career and taken professional risks with his roles. For these efforts, he has become a greatly respected actor, almost a legend in the screen world. Patrick commented that "You suddenly realize [Connery is] the closest thing we now have to Clark Gable, an old-time movie star. Everyone knows him and likes him. It's shocking-every age group, men and women. There's something very likable about him on screen." In 1998 Connery received the Fellowship Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts highest honor. Yet, in spite of this, he remains a very conscientious worker, always trying to improve the movie he's in rather than sabotage others' performances to make himself look better. When asked whether he can now write his own ticket when he decides to star in a movie, he replied in "Premiere": "I have enough power in terms of casting approval and director approval. But I don't think it's something someone can brandish like a sword. I sense myself as much more a responsible filmmaker in terms of what's good for the overall picture, and for the actors as well, because I have had all this experience, and I've seen a lot of waste."

Further Reading

The Film Encyclopedia, Harper, 1990.

American Film, May 1989.

Entertainment Weekly, February 17, 1995.

Interview, July 1989.

Newsweek, June 8, 1987; May 29, 1989.

New York Times, November 12, 1965; June 7, 1987.

Parade, May 20, 1992.

People, October 17, 1983.

Premiere, April, 1990; February 1992; August 1993.

Rolling Stone, October 27, 1983; June 15, 1989.

Time, November 1, 1982; August 2, 1993.

Vanity Fair, June 1993.

Sean Connery

Born: August 25, 1930
Edinburgh, Scotland
Scottish actor

From humble beginnings as a school dropout, Sean Connery became a major movie star at the age of thirty-two, when he was cast as the sophisticated secret agent James Bond. Connery went on to distinguish himself in a number of major motion pictures, including his Oscar-winning performance in The Untouchables. With more than sixty movies to his credit, Connery has become one of the world's most prominent movie stars.

A Depression-era childhood

Thomas Sean Connery, born on August 25, 1930, began his life in the humblest of surroundings. He was the eldest of two sons born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Joseph and Euphamia Connery. His family was so poor that young Thomas had to sleep in the bottom drawer of his parents' dresser. He started working to help support the family at age nine, delivering milk and assisting a butcher. He left school at age thirteen. Connery joined the British Royal Navy in 1946, but received a medical discharge three years later.

In 1953 Connery won third place in the Mr. Universe competition (a contest measuring strength). He also heard about auditions for the musical South Pacific. He decided he wanted to try out, took a course in dancing and singing, and was cast for a role in the chorus.

Becoming an actor

At the time Connery was undecided between becoming an actor and becoming a professional soccer player. He eventually decided to take the advice of actor Robert Henderson, who encouraged him to pursue acting. After South Pacific, Connery got his first television role in Requiem for a Heavyweight. He received critical acclaim for this role, and went on to make a series of B (inexpensively made) movies from 1955 to 1962. During this time Connery met Terence Young, who was to be the director of the James Bond films.

"Bond, James Bond"

Connery was still doing B movies when he was asked to interview for Dr. No, the first James Bond film. Producer Harry Saltzman felt that he had the masculinity the part required because he punctuated his words with physical movement. Connery was signed without a screen test (a short film scene to audition actors for a movie role). Dr. No was an instant success, propelling the little-known Connery into fame virtually overnight. The serious-minded and very private Connery did not like this sudden attention.

In 1962 Connery married actress Diane Cilento. The couple divorced in 1974 and their only son, Jason, is now a movie actor. Connery married Micheline Roquebrune in 1975.

Between 1962 and 1967 Connery made five James Bond movies (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice ). He became tired of the constant publicity and invasion of privacy that came with being a movie star. He also argued with Albert Broccoli, the producer of the Bond movies. Connery wanted to slow the pace of the series and complete a feature every eighteen months instead of each year. But the nation was Bond-crazy and the films were a gold mine. Connery agreed to star in Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, demanding a salary of $1.25 million, plus a percentage. At that time it was an unprecedented sum of money for such a role. After completing the film, Connery said "never again" to Bond roles and donated all of his salary to the Scottish International Education Trust, an organization he had founded to assist young Scots in obtaining an education.

Life after Bond

After the Bond films Connery focused on movie roles he found interesting. He would also do films if he felt his help was needed. With a few exceptions, however, most of the films Connery did in the decade following Diamonds Are Forever were not noteworthy.

In the early 1980s Connery was asked to reprise the James Bond role he had made famous, starring in Never Say Never Again. Connery again drew rave reviews as an aging Bond trying to get back in shape for a daring mission.

Roles increased with age

After Never Say Never Again Connery began acting in more films. He went on to win an Academy Award in 1988 for his supporting role of Malone in The Untouchables. Connery continues to prove his versatility and maturity as an actor. More recent films include The Name of the Rose (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Rising Sun (1993), Just Cause (1995), First Knight (1995), The Rock (1996), and Finding Forrester (2000).

In 1998 Connery received the Fellowship Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts highest honor. In 1999 U.S. president Bill Clinton honored Connery at the Kennedy Center Honors program. The program recognizes the nation's outstanding performers from the world of the arts. On July 5, 2000, Queen Elizabeth II (1926–) knighted Connery. On January 11–12, 2001, Connery won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

For More Information

Callan, Michael Feeney. Sean Connery. New York: Stein and Day, 1983.

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperResource, 2001.

McCabe, Bob. Sean Connery: A Biography. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2000.

Yule, Andrew. Sean Connery: From 007 to Hollywood Icon. New York: D. I. Fine, 1992.

Connery, Sean (1930– ) Scottish film actor. Connery starred in Dr No (1962), the first adaptation of Ian Fleming's James Bond spy stories. He went on to make a further six Bond films. Keen to escape typecasting, Connery established himself as a versatile character actor, in films such as The Name of the Rose (1986). He won an Academy Award as best supporting actor for The Untouchables (1987).