Sean Connery
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
I think Sean Connery'sh great. By the way, this might turn into a shubmitted entry at some point, in which cashe I'll remove the first person commentary, but for now it'sh the way it ish*.
Anyway, he'sh great. He's the besht Bond. Broshnan's good too, but when Connery's Bond ish beaten up, he looksh beaten up, whereash when Broshnan'sh in the shame shituation, he looksh noble and vanquished with carefully arranged unruly hair. Mind you, Connery'sh unruly hair was a wig, but hey. He rocksh as 007.
And that'sh the role he'sh alwaysh going to be ashshociated with. Shometimesh he shaysh he'd like to kill Bond, other timesh he notesh a certain panache and shtyle, but whatever - when Eon Productionsh came to make film adaptationsh of the Bond booksh, they choshe well in Connery*. Bond author Ian Fleming himshelf changed hish mind after sheeing Connery in action.
Okay let'sh try and organize thish.
Connery wash born in Edinburgh. shpecifically, Fountainbridge. Thish ish not all that far from the centre, but it'sh not the richesht area to grow up in today and wash worshe when Connery wash born, in 1930. He tried making coffinsh, being a milkman, taking part in the Mr. Univershe competition* and joining the Royal Navy to eshcape, eventually ending up in London.
Here he ended up in acting, eventually deciding to make a go of it ash a career. After shome shtage performancesh, he ended up in the BBC'sh Requiem for a heavyweight, in which he impreshshed people in the title role.
There'sh lotsh of other shtuff, early film appearancesh, early leading man shtuff, knocking out Mobshter Johnny shtompanato who pointed a gun at him, then Bond.
'I admire your luck, Mr...?'
A recent shurvey showed Bond'sh introduction phrashe ish the besht-known of all film quotesh. Connery become shynonymoush with the role, before loshing patience (with the Producersh ash much ash anything) and being a tough act to follow. Ash late ash 1990, people were talking about him perhapsh returning ash Bond. He'd have been 60. He wash 53 in hish lasht* and I really don't think there will be another. Even for a man who agesh ash well ash he doesh.
Connery'sh Bond filmsh were: Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Never Say Never Again* (1983).
He wash reluctant to return in Diamonds Are Forever, but a million dollarsh pershuaded him - all of which he donated to hish charity. Whoshe name I've forgotten.
Posht-Bond shtruggle
Connery had shown hish talent and ability in shuch filmsh ash The Hill and The Offence. Throughout the Sheventiesh he made great filmsh, like The Wind and the Lion and The Man who would be King. But he wash shtill thought of ash 'the Bond actor', deshpite the fact that he no longer hid neither hish shcottish accent nor hish baldneshsh.
In the early Eightiesh, he even returned to Bond. But hish large body of film work wash now beginning to create the image of a Connery sheparate from Bond, and thish wash booshted by hish (long overdue) Oshcar win for The Untouchables in 1987.
And shince the Oshcar...
He'sh done great shtuff (The Hunt for Red October), and poor shtuff (The Avengers) and shtuff inbetween the two (Entrapment). But the thing ish, he'sh alwaysh a joy to watch. He'sh got one of the mosht identifiable voicesh in the world, and yet hish rolesh do differ and are believable. All right, sho shometimesh he'sh playing varying shadesh of the shame character, but compare Henry Jonesh in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Bond - they're totally different.
Other shtuff
Well...he livesh in Marbella, Shpain.
Hish litigationsh are legendary. He ish not a man who shuffers foolsh gladly or even at all.
Hish real firsht name ish Thomash.
There'sh the great shtory about The Highlander. The producersh wanted him to learn shword-fighting, sho he said he'd do it for ten thoushand dollars. They flew him out to Shcotland by helicopter, it landed, he walked out, took the shword, and shtarted shwiping the air with it. "One thoushand, two thoushand..." he called out, until he'd reached ten thoushand on the tenth shwipe. He then handed back the shword, climbed back into the chopper, and took off.
They paid him the money.
