Sean Connery

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  • born: 25/Aug/1930 (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

[edit] Biography

Sir Sean Connery, is an Oscar winning Scottish actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond.

Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and his good looks, repeatedly mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines even though he is considerably older than more conventional sex symbols.

[edit] Personal life

Connery was born in Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a Christian mixed-denomination couple. His father, Joseph Connery, was a Catholic of Irish descent with roots in County Wexford, Ireland and his mother, Euphamia "Effie" Maclean, was Protestant.

He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including truck driver, labourer and lifeguard. He competed (under the name Thom Connery) in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest won by Bill Pearl, coming third in the tall man's division. Another competitor, Johnny Isaacs, suggested that he try out for a stage production of South Pacific, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film. As a weight lifter, his nickname was "Big Tam".

He was married to the Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). With Cilento he had a son, Jason Connery, who also became an actor, and was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England. According to son Jason, the divorce was a very bitter and painful one for both sides. Since 1975, Sean Connery has been married to French-Tunisian artist Michelle Roquebrune Connery.

[edit] James Bond

Connery was discovered by Harry Saltzman after numerous names as possible contenders for Bond were ruled out or unavailable, including most notably David Niven, who later played Bond in the 1967 spoof "Casino Royale", and Cary Grant, who was ruled out after committing to only one film; some sources also suggest that Grant (58) turned the role down, feeling he was too old at that point. Due to the relatively small budget, the producers were forced to go with an unknown; Connery was in part cast for that reason.

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, reportedly had doubts about the casting of Connery, on the grounds that the stocky, 6'2" Scotsman was too "unrefined", but a female companion of Fleming's told him that Connery had 'it', and reportedly that was good enough for Ian. The author even went on to introduce a half-Scottish (and half-Swiss) heritage for his literary character in the later books, presumably in homage to Connery. Connery's on-screen portrayal of Bond is due in part to tutelage from director Terence Young who helped to smooth over Connery's rough edges while utilizing his imposing physicality and graceful, cat-like movements during action sequences.

In 1967, following the unsatisfying experience with "You Only Live Twice", Connery quit the role of Bond, having grown tired of the repetitive plots, lack of character development and the general public's growing demands on him and his privacy (as well as fear of typecasting), which led to the producers hiring George Lazenby to take over the role in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". After the film's release, however, Lazenby backed out of a seven-film contract. Broccoli again asked Connery to return to the role and paid him £1.2 million to do so, at the time the highest salary of any actor. Connery returned one final official time in 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever", quitting the role shortly after release.

Over 40 years since he first played the role, Connery is still widely regarded as the definitive cinematic incarnation of James Bond, despite credible interpretations of the character by the likes of Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and what many believe to be a more authentic literary performance by Timothy Dalton. Connery's own feelings on Bond in interviews has run the gamut from bitter resentment to great fondness. At one point he joked he hated Bond so much that he'd have killed him, but he has also stated that he never hated Bond, he merely wanted to pursue other roles. Certainly, when the James Bond series was at its peak in the mid-1960s, his association with the 007 image was so intense that fine performances in his non-Bond films, such as Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie" and Sidney Lumet's "The Hill", were being virtually ignored. When asked if he'd ever escape the identification, he replied "It's with me till I go in the box."

(Wikipedia)

[edit] Filmography

With Hitchcock...

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[edit] Film Frames

Selection of film frames of Sean Connery (click image to view larger version or refresh thumbnails)...

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Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...

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