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Sean ConneryActor
Date of Birth: 25.08.1930
Country:  Great Britain |
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Biography of Sean Connery
Sean Connery was born on August 25, 1930, in Fountainbridge, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, to a working-class family. Acting was never Sean's passion, and he had no idea that he would achieve great success in this profession. He dropped out of school at the age of 13 and joined the navy at 16. During his time in the British Legion courses, he learned furniture polishing, which later helped him get a job as a coffin polisher. The future movie star also tried his hand at being a milkman. While serving in the navy, Connery got tattoos with the inscriptions "Scotland forever" and "Mum and Dad," which adorn his right arm. He ended his naval service prematurely due to a duodenal ulcer, an illness that many men in the Connery family suffered from. After leaving the service, Sean became interested in bodybuilding, but it did not bring him income, so he started looking for work. Connery got a job as a backstage worker at the Edinburgh Royal Theatre, where he enjoyed the process of staging plays. Some time later, he managed to make it onto the stage and began combining supporting roles in the theater with bodybuilding. In 1953, he became a bronze medalist in the "Mr. Universe" bodybuilding competition, after which he made the choice to pursue acting.
Breakthrough in Acting
Connery's first role in a film came in 1954 in the short film "Simon," which did not bring the budding actor fame. After a cameo appearance in the film "Lilacs in the Spring," released in the same year, he didn't even get mentioned in the credits. From 1956 to 1962, Sean appeared in numerous projects, including "No Road Back" (1957), "Hell Drivers" (1957), "BBC Sunday-Night Theatre" (1960), "The Frightened City" (1961), "Macbeth" (1961), "The Longest Day" (1962), and some other films that did not gain great fame. The breakthrough in Connery's career came in 1962 when the spy action film "Dr. No" was released, which was the first part of the famous saga about the British secret agent James Bond, based on the novels by writer Ian Fleming. Connery perfectly fit the role of the super-agent, capable of accomplishing any mission, even those related to saving the world. Sean appeared in seven Bond films—besides "Dr. No," he starred in "From Russia with Love" (1963), "Goldfinger" (1964), "Thunderball" (1965), "You Only Live Twice" (1967), "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), and "Never Say Never Again" (1983). The Bond franchise made Sean Connery a top-tier star, and renowned Hollywood filmmakers were eager to collaborate with him.
Other Notable Roles
In addition to James Bond, Sean portrayed numerous other iconic characters in films such as "The Hill" (1965), "The Red Tent" (1969), "The Highlander" (1986), "The Name of the Rose" (1986), "The Untouchables" (1987), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), "Dragonheart" (1996), "Entrapment" (1999), and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003). His role in "The Name of the Rose" earned him the 1988 British Academy Award for Best Actor, and his performance in "The Untouchables" received a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 1988 for Best Supporting Actor.
Personal Life and Legacy
On December 6, 1962, Sean Connery married Australian actress Diane Cilento. On January 11, 1963, the couple welcomed their son Jason Connery, who later followed in his father's footsteps and became an actor. Jason achieved success similar to his father's, mainly appearing in low-budget films and television projects. In June 1997, Sean and Cilento divorced. On May 6, 1975, Sean married artist Micheline Roquebrune, with whom he is still married today. In July 2000, Connery was knighted, allowing him to use the title "Sir" before his name. Sean ended his career after his brilliant portrayal of Allan Quatermain in the fantasy-action film "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." It was only eight years after the film's release, in 2011, that he announced to the world that he no longer wanted to appear in public. Despite his clear stance on his film career, some Hollywood filmmakers tried to entice Connery into their projects. In the early 2000s, the actor turned down the role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003), and after retiring from the profession, he declined offers to appear in the action films "Skyfall" (2012) and "The Expendables 3" (2014). In the twenty-third Bond film, "Skyfall," where the crown role of Agent 007 was played by Daniel Craig, the veteran actor was offered to portray Kincade, but he declined. On October 31, 2020, Sean Connery passed away at the age of 90. The tragic news was shared with the media by his son. Connery had been ill in recent times and peacefully passed away in his sleep at his estate in the Bahamas. The exact cause of the artist's death has not been officially announced.
