'Sir Thomas Sean Connery' (born
25 August 1930) is an
Academy Award-winning
Scottish actor and
producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray
James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films.
[1] Sir Sean Connery was knighted by Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in July 2000.
[2]
Connery is known for retaining his
Scottish accent in films, regardless of the nationality of the character played,
[3] and rugged good looks. He has repeatedly been named as one of the most attractive men alive by various magazines, though he is older than most
sex symbols. He is also a vocal and visible supporter of the
Scottish National Party, often campaigning for their cause of
Scottish independence.
Biography
Early life
Connery was born in
Fountainbridge,
Edinburgh to a factory worker and truck driver father and a charwoman mother.
[4] His father, Joseph Connery, was a
Roman Catholic of
Irish descent with roots in
County Wexford, while his mother, Euphamia "Effie" Maclean, was a
Protestant. He claims he was called Sean, his middle name, long before becoming an actor, explaining that he had an Irish friend named Seamus and those who knew them decided to call him by his middle name when with Seamus.
His first job was as a milkman, with
St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society.
[5] He then joined the
Royal Navy, but was later
discharged on medical grounds, because of a stomach
ulcer. Afterwards, he returned to the Co-op, then worked other jobs, including truck driving, labourer,
artist's model for the
Edinburgh College of Art[6], coffin polisher, and
lifeguard.
Under the name Thom Connery, he placed third in the tall man's division of the 1953
Mr. Universe contest. Fellow competitor, Johnny Isaacs, suggested he audition for a stage production of ''
South Pacific'', which led to stage, television, and film work. A prominent television role was in
Rudolph Cartier's 1961 production of ''
Anna Karenina'' for
BBC Television, in which he co-starred with
Claire Bloom.
[7]
He also acted in ''
Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' (1956) starring Albert Sharpe; his first American television role was as a porter in an episode of ''
The Jack Benny Show''.
James Bond (1962-1967, 1971, 1983)
Connery's breakthrough came in the role of secret agent James Bond. He acted in seven Bond films, six produced by
EON, followed by an unofficial
Warner Brothers ''Thunderball''-remake
[8]:
★ ''
Dr. No'' (
1962)
★ ''
From Russia With Love'' (
1963)
★ ''
Goldfinger'' (
1964)
★ ''
Thunderball'' (
1965)
★ ''
You Only Live Twice'' (
1967)
★ ''
Diamonds Are Forever'' (
1971)
★ ''
Never Say Never Again'' (
1983) (unofficial)
The imposing, yet light-footed, actor was co-discovered by
Harry Saltzman, and
Albert R. Broccoli after other aspirants to the Bond role were eliminated, including
David Niven (later to play Bond in the spoof ''
Casino Royale'', in 1967),
Cary Grant, and
James Mason; the latter two refused to commit to a film series. The low budget forced the producers to hire an unknown actor. Studio heads remarked that Connery was 'the richest man in the poor house - or the best of a group no one was jumping up and down about.'
James Bond's creator,
Ian Fleming doubted the 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, 6'2", and a Scot) was unrefined. However, Fleming's girlfriend told him Connery had the requisite sexual charisma. Fleming changed his mind after the successful ''Dr. No'' premiere; he was so impressed, he later created a half-Scottish, half-Swiss heritage for the literary James Bond in the later novels.
Connery's portrayal of Bond owes much to stylistic tutelage from director
Terence Young, polishing the actor while using his physical grace and presence for the action. Robert Cotton wrote in one Connery biography that
Lois Maxwell (the first
Miss Moneypenny) noticed, "Terence took Sean under his wing. He took him to dinner, showed him how to walk, how to talk, even how to eat".
[9] Cotton wrote, "Some cast members remarked that Connery was simply doing a Terence Young impression, but Young and Connery knew they were on the right track."
In June of 1967, after filming ''You Only Live Twice'', Connery quit the role, having tired of repetitive plots, a lack of character development, the public's demands of him, and fear of being
typecast. He also disliked the fantastic direction in which the series was headed, away from the source material. Connery reportedly wanted to be a co-producer of the series, his inspiration being
Dean Martin's role as a co-producer of the
Matt Helm series. Connery noted that ''
The Silencers'' made nowhere near as much money as ''Thunderball'', but Martin made more money than he did.
In 1970, Connery was re-hired by United Artists president David Picker for £1.25 million (then a record salary for an actor), that he donated to charity. United Artists also agreed to finance Connery's production of ''
The Offence''. Connery's final official appearance as 007 was in
1971's ''
Diamonds Are Forever''; he reportedly declined £5 million to make ''
Live And Let Die'' (1973).
In 1978, owing to complex dealings between
EON Productions and
Kevin McClory (co-producer of ''Thunderball'' and co-creator of the story in
Ian Fleming's eponymous novel), the latter obtained the right to re-make ''Thunderball''. McClory and Connery were to write an original Bond film, titled either ''James Bond of the Secret Service'' or ''Warhead'', but EON and
United Artists blocked it in court.
The re-make was revived in the 1980s, and Connery was to play Bond for the seventh, and final, time in the 'unofficial' film ''Never Say Never Again''; its title is said to derive from Connery's comment after filming ''Diamonds Are Forever'' that he'd never again play Bond. Yet, in 2005, Connery again reprised the role with his voice and physical likeness in the
video game adaptation of ''From Russia with Love''.
His favorite Bond film is ''From Russia with Love'', one of the most acclaimed in the series, which he confirmed in a 2002 interview with
Sam Donaldson for ABCNews.com.; (
American Movie Classics mistakenly listed ''Thunderball'' as Connery's favorite during a Bond retrospective).
More than forty years after playing the role, Connery's incarnation remains as the definitive cinema James Bond, despite popular interpretations by
Roger Moore,
Timothy Dalton (often considered akin to the literary Bond), and
Pierce Brosnan. Connery's feelings about James Bond range from resentment to fondness, once saying he hated the character so much that he'd have killed him, but also saying he never hated Bond, but merely wanted to portray other characters. Certainly, when the James Bond series was at its peak in the mid-1960s, his association with James Bond 007 was so great that his performances in films, such as
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Marnie'', ''
A Fine Madness'', and
Sidney Lumet's ''
The Hill'', were ignored. When asked if he'd ever escape the identification, he replied, "Never, it's with me 'til I go to hell".
At another point, he said he still cared about the future of the character and the franchise, having been its icon for too long not to care, and that all Bond films had their good points. In December of 2005, Connery supported
Daniel Craig as the latest James Bond, in ''
Casino Royale''.
Post-James Bond career
Although Bond was his most famous role, Connery has also maintained a successful career since. As part of the agreement to appear in ''Diamonds are Forever'', Connery was given carte blanche to produce two films for United Artists, but felt that the only film made under this deal, ''The Offence'', was buried by the studio. Apart from ''
The Man Who Would Be King'', most of Connery's successes in the next decade were as part of ensemble casts in films such as ''
Murder on the Orient Express'' and ''
A Bridge Too Far'' (in which he acted in a scene opposite
Sir Laurence Olivier). His portrayal of Berber chieftain
Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli in
John Milius's ''
The Wind and the Lion'' (1975) gained him considerable acclaim from critics and audiences and showed his range as an actor.
In 1981, Sean Connery appeared in the film ''
Time Bandits'' as
Agamemnon. The casting choice derives from a joke
Michael Palin included in the script, in which he describes the character as being "Sean Connery (or someone of equal, but cheaper, stature)." However, when shown the script, Connery was happy to play the supporting role. The brevity of his appearance in this film has been hailed by some as refreshing.
After his experience with ''Never Say Never Again'' in 1983 and the following court case, Connery became unhappy with the major studios and for two years did not make any films.
Following the successful European production ''
The Name of the Rose'' (1986), for which he won a
BAFTA award, Connery's interest in more credible material was revived. That same year, a supporting role in ''
Highlander'' showcased his ability to play older mentors to younger leads, which would become a recurring role in many of his later films. The following year, his acclaimed performance as a hard-nosed cop in ''
The Untouchables'' (1987) earned him an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The media reported that the producers wanted him for the movie but could not afford his salary, so he agreed to do the movie for $50,000 with a 10 percent share of the proceeds. The expectation was that the movie would not make much money, but it exceeded all expectations and Sean Connery reaped a large amount of money. It was one of the most publicized times that an actor had benefited so greatly from having "bet" on the future of the movie and since then other actors have parlayed their acting skills into taking less up front for a part of the proceeds.
Subsequent box-office hits such as ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989) (in which he played the father of Harrison Ford, actually only 12 years his junior), ''
The Hunt for Red October'' (1990), (he was not the original actor for the film, and when that actor left the film, the producer/director who were good friends with Connery, called him in desperation and he agreed to do the movie out of friendship with two weeks notice, the media reported.) ''
The Russia House'' (1990), ''
The Rock'' (1996), and ''
Entrapment'' (1999) re-established him as an actor capable of playing major parts. ''
Just Cause'' (1995) drew attention to some of the issues surrounding race and the death penalty in America and controversially, serves as an endorsement for the practice. Both ''Last Crusade'' and ''The Rock'' alluded to his James Bond days.
Steven Spielberg and
George Lucas wanted "the father of Indy" to be Connery since Bond directly inspired the Indiana Jones series, while his character in ''The Rock'', John Patrick Mason, was a British secret service agent imprisoned since the 1960s. In more recent years, Connery's filmography has included several box office and critical disappointments such as ''
The Avengers'' (1998), ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003) and ''
First Knight'' (1995), but he also received positive reviews for films including ''
Finding Forrester'' (2000). He also later received a
Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. He has often been criticised for never losing his accent, even when playing Russian and Irish characters, but he has said this is out of respect for his country.
In 1987-88, Connery was to star in the
British television series ''
Red Dwarf''. Connery was to appear as the captain of the spaceship ''
Red Dwarf''. However, the role was written as being slightly overweight and inept, and so, with the part not being a good fit for Connery, it eventually went to an American comedic actor,
Mac McDonald. This was revealed in the ''Red Dwarf'' Series I DVD commentary.
Retirement
In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after pulling out of ''
Josiah's Canon'', which was set for a 2005 release. However, in a December 2004 interview with ''
The Scotsman'' newspaper from his home in the
Bahamas, Connery explained he had taken a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his
autobiography. However, the book project was later abandoned because the publishers wanted to delve too far into his private life. Connery has long denied accusations from his first wife
Diane Cilento that he physically abused her during their marriage.
About a month before his 75th birthday, over the weekend of July 30th/31st 2005, it was widely reported in the broadcast media (and again in ''The Scotsman'')
[10] that he had decided to retire from film making following disillusionment with the "idiots now in Hollywood", and the turmoil making and subsequent box office failure of the 2003 film ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.'' He stated in interviews for the film included on the DVD release that he was offered roles in both ''
The Matrix'' and ''
The Lord of the Rings'' series, declining both due to "not understanding them." After they went on to become huge hits, he decided to accept the ''League'' role, despite not "understanding" it either. At the
Tartan Day celebrations in
New York in March 2006, Connery again confirmed his retirement from acting, and stated that he is now writing a history book.
He has been accused of being an overbearing bully, as well as a lazy and poor actor. He has also been praised as a highly professional actor, courteous and supportive of those around him. He made big impressions on actors such as
Harrison Ford,
Kevin Costner, Pat Adams, and
Christopher Lambert, who considered him a great friend during filming. He refused to be directed in a movie by
Barbra Streisand, and he did not get along with the director of his last film.
He was planning to star in an $80 million movie about
Saladin and the
Crusades that would be filmed in
Jordan before the producer
Moustapha Akkad was killed in the
2005 Amman bombings. Connery received the
American Film Institute's
Lifetime Achievement Award on
8 June 2006, where he again confirmed his retirement from acting. On
7 June 2007, he denied rumors that he would appear in the
fourth "Indiana Jones" film, stating that "retirement is just too much damned fun".
[11]
Personal life
Allegedly, while filming the movie, ''
Another Time, Another Place'',
Lana Turner was rumoured to have been having an affair with Connery, her co-star.
Johnny Stompanato stormed onto the set, and during a verbal altercation with Connery, Stompanato waved a gun in Connery's face. Connery reacted by taking the gun away from him, physically beating Stompanato and sending him off the film set. After Stompanato's death, there were rumours that
organized crime mobsters had helped Connery bring on the eventual demise of Stompanato, and Connery is alleged to have laid low for a time. There is no evidence that Connery and Turner were having an affair; this sort of behaviour was apparently normal for Stompanato.
[12][13][14][15]
Connery was married to the
Australian-born actress
Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). They have one son,
Jason Connery (born
January 11,
1963), who was educated at
Millfield School in
Somerset,
England, and the rigorous
Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, before going on to become an actor. According to Jason, his parents' divorce was an extremely bitter and painful affair (Diane Cilento has reportedly just written an autobiography that paints an unflattering portrait of her ex-husband). In 1975, Sean Connery married
French artist
Micheline Roquebrune, who is the grandmother of French television journalist Stéphanie Renouvin. He has one grandchild from his son Jason's marriage to actress
Mia Sara, a grandson named Dashiell Quinn Connery (born in June 1997). He holds an honorary shodan in
Kyokushin karate.
Accusations of abuse
In her autobiography ''My Nine Lives''
[16] and subsequent interviews on radio and in print
[17] Diane Cilento claimed that Connery had beaten her on several occasions, accusations that Connery vehemently denied.
He caused an uproar in a December 1987 interview with
Barbara Walters in which he said it was okay for a man to slap a woman with limited force, assuming that it was required to calm her down or "keep her in line".
[18] The interview with Walters referenced remarks Connery had made in a November 1965 interview with ''
Playboy'' magazine on the set of ''Thunderball''.
In ''
Vanity Fair'' in 1993 he said: "There are women who take it to the wire. That's what they are looking for, the ultimate confrontation. They want a smack."
Political causes
Connery has long supported the
Scottish National Party, a left-of-centre political party campaigning for
Scottish independence, both financially and through personal appearances. His involvement in
Scottish politics has attracted considerable criticism, since he has not resided in Scotland for more than fifty years. His support for the SNP is illustrated by a comment from his official website:
Connery has a "Scotland Forever" tatoo on his arm and used his fee from ''
Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971) to establish a
charity to support deprived children in Edinburgh as well as Scottish
film production. He suggested in 1997 that the
Labour government had prevented him being knighted for his charitable work because of his support for the SNP. At the time a Labour Party spokesman stated Connery's knighthood had been blocked because of the numerous remarks that the actor had made in past interviews condoning violence and physical abuse towards women.
Connery received the ''
Légion d'honneur'' in 1991. He received
Kennedy Center Honors from the
United States in 1999, presented to him by President
Bill Clinton. He received a
knighthood on
July 5,
2000, wearing a hunting
tartan kilt of the
MacLean of Duart clan. He also received the
Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero from
Mireya Moscoso, former president of
Panama on
11 March 2003, for his talent and versatility as an actor.
Health
In 1993, news that Connery was undergoing
radiation treatment for an undisclosed throat ailment sparked media reports that the actor was suffering from
throat cancer following years of heavy
smoking, and he was falsely declared dead by the Japanese and South African news agencies. Connery immediately appeared on the
David Letterman show to deny all of this. In a February 1995 interview with ''
Entertainment Weekly'', he claimed the radiation treatment was to remove "nodules" from his vocal cords. His father, a heavy smoker, died from
throat cancer in 1972. In 2003, he had surgery to remove
cataracts from both eyes. On
March 12,
2006, he announced he was recovering from surgery to remove a kidney tumour in January.
Connery in popular culture
Connery's distinctive speaking voice has sometimes made him a target of satire, most notably in the recurring ''
Saturday Night Live'' sketch "
Celebrity Jeopardy!" In the sketches, Connery (as portrayed by
Darrell Hammond) taunts and mocks host
Alex Trebek (played by
Will Ferrell) and makes numerous lewd references and jokes about women sexually. Hammond would also play Connery for a fake trailer for a
live action ''
Smurfs'' movie, where Connery played
Papa Smurf.
Comedian and talk show host
Craig Ferguson has imitated Connery as well as
Michael Caine, sometimes pairing the two together in a spliced sketch.
Connery's role in ''
Finding Forrester'', specifically his line "You're the man now, dog!", became the inspiration for the popular website
YTMND.com.
He was voted to have the worst movie accent by ''
Empire'', for his performance in ''
The Untouchables''. He has been derided, but also applauded, for using the same accent for every character, despite playing roles as diverse as an
Irish American Chicago cop (''The Untouchables''), the English king
Richard I (''), and a
Lithuanian Soviet submarine captain (''
The Hunt for Red October'').
[19]
He has an
asteroid named after him,
13070 Seanconnery.
Filmography
References
1. Profile: Sean Connery
2. http://www.seanconnery.com/biography/knighthood/
3. Connery's accent is UK favourite
4. http://www.filmreference.com/film/58/Sean-Connery.html
5. From the Co-op with love.. the days Sir Sean earned £1 a week
6. Even as an unknown, Sean was still a draw
7. Cartier, Rudolph (1904–1994)
8. Sean Connery filmography
9. http://www.hmss.com/films/young.htm
10. http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=1707662005
11. "Connery bows out of Indiana film", BBC News, June 8, 2007
12. http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/lana_turner/6.html
13. http://www.total-movies.com/content_pages/000710_a.asp
14. http://www.freeinfodirectory.com/Movies/Who_Is_James.htm
15. http://www.granta.com/extracts/2144
16. http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn.ca/Celebs/Bang/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=BSBS40342&feedname=BANG&show=False&number=0&showbyline=False&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc
17. The Scotsman
18. see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FgMLROTqJ0 interview
19. Connery "has worst film accent"
External links
★
Official website
★
Sean Connery Online
★
★
★
★
★
BBC:
Sean Connery Biography (1999)
★
★
Sean Connery fansite in Russia
★
Profile @
Turner Classic Movies
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