Sean Connery
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Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25,1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland) better known simply as Sean Connery, is a Scottish film actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. His birth name was Thomas Connery. The name "Sean" was added later as a stage name.
Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and his good looks, repeatedly being mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines even after he was considerably older than more conventional sex symbols.
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Personal life
Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including labourer and lifeguard. He competed for Scotland in the Mr. Universe competition in 1953, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film.
He has long advocated greater independence for Scotland, and has supported the Scottish National Party, a centre-left nationalist political party, financially and through personal appearances despite himself living in the Bahamas. This support is illustrated by a comment from his official website:
- "While it is generally accepted that his support of Scotland's independence and the Scottish National Party delayed his knighthood for many years, his commitment to Scotland has never wavered. Politics in the United Kingdom often has more intrigue than a James Bond plot. While Scotland is not yet independent, she does have a new parliament. Sir Sean campaigned hard for the yes vote during the Scottish Referendum that created the new Scottish Parliament. He believes firmly that the Scottish Parliament will grow in power and that Scotland will be independent within his lifetime." [1] (http://www.seanconnery.com/biography/knighthood/)
Connery used part of the fees from his work as James Bond to establish a charity to support deprived children in Edinburgh as well as Scottish Film production. These charitable works would have earned him a Knighthood much earlier but it was revealed in 1997 that the award had been declined due to concern over statements that Connery made in interviews that in certain circumstances that physical abuse of a partner was acceptable.
Connery received the Legion D'Honneur in 1991. He received Kennedy Center Honors from the United States in 1999. He was knighted on July 5, 2000, wearing a hunting tartan kilt of the MacLean of Duart clan. Sean Connery received the Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero from Mireya Moscoso, former president of Panama on 11 March 2003.
He was married to Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973; they are the parents of actor Jason Connery. Jason was educated at Millfield School in Somerset. He has been married to French-Moroccan artist Micheline Roquebrune Connery since 1975.
In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire following the production of Josiah's Canon, which is to be released in 2005. However, in a December 2004 interview with The Scotsman newspaper, the 74-year-old actor denied he was retiring and said he still plans to do more movies, but that he is taking a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his autobiography.
James Bond
Connery is well known to audiences around the world for his role as James Bond. He first appeared as agent 007 in Dr. No (1962) and subsequently played Bond in several sequels.
- From Russia With Love (1963)
- Goldfinger (1964)
- Thunderball (1965)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
- Diamonds Are Forever(1971)
In 1967 Connery quit the role of Bond, which lead to Albert R. Broccoli hiring George Lazenby to continue the film franchise 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 $1.25 million plus 12.5% of the film's profits, or about $6 million total to do so, at the time the highest salary of any actor. Connery returned one final official time in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, quiting the role shortly after release.
Due to, and at the height of an ongoing legal battle between Broccoli's EON Productions and Kevin McClory (co-writer of Thunderball), McClory was allowed to create a remake of Thunderball. McClory requested Connery and in 1983 Connery played the role of secret agent James Bond 007 for the seventh and final time in the unofficial film Never Say Never Again. (For the legal battle see the controversy of Thunderball)
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.
In March 2005, it was announced (http://www.commanderbond.net/Public/Stories/2706-1.shtml) that Connery would return to his most famous role one more time, providing the voice of James Bond for an upcoming video game adaptation of From Russia With Love.
Post-James Bond Career
Although his most famous role was that of James Bond, Sean Connery has also maintained a highly successful career since, much more so than the other actors who assumed the role. As part of the agreement to appear in Diamonds are Forever Connery was given a carte blanche to produce two films at United Artists but felt the first film made under this deal The Offence was buried by the studio and Connery spent most of the next decade in minor roles aside from The Man Who Would Be King. After the experience with Never Say Never Again and the following court case Connery became unhappy with the major studios and for two years did not make any films. Following the European production The Name of the Rose Connery's interest in more credible material was revived. His performance as a hard-nosed cop in The Untouchables (1987) earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Subsequent box-office hits such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and The Hunt for Red October (1990) secured his place as a bankable leading man.
Filmography
- Let's Make Up (1955) (unconfirmed role)
- No Road Back (1957)
- Hell Drivers (1957)
- Action of the Tiger (1957)
- Time Lock (1957)
- Another Time, Another Place (1958)
- Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
- Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959)
- On the Fiddle (1961)
- The Frightened City (1961)
- The Longest Day (1962)
- Dr. No (1962)
- From Russia With Love (1963)
- Marnie (1964)
- Woman of Straw (1964)
- Goldfinger (1964)
- The Hill (1965)
- Thunderball (1965)
- A New World (1966) (Cameo)
- A Fine Madness (1966)
- You Only Live Twice (1967)
- Shalako (1968)
- The Bowler and the Bonnet (1969) (documentary) (also director)
- The Molly Maguires (1970)
- The Red Tent (1971)
- The Anderson Tapes (1971)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
- Espana Campo de Golf (1972) (short subject)
- The Offence (1973)
- Zardoz (1974)
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
- Ransom (1975)
- The Dream Factory (1975) (documentary)
- The Wind and the Lion (1975)
- The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
- Robin and Marian (1976)
- The Next Man (1976)
- A Bridge Too Far (1977)
- The Great Train Robbery (1979)
- Meteor (1979)
- Cuba (1979)
- Outland (1981)
- Time Bandits (1981)
- Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1982)
- G'ole! (1982) (documentary) (narrator)
- Five Days One Summer (1982)
- Wrong Is Right (1982)
- Never Say Never Again (1983)
- Highlander (1986)
- The Name of the Rose (1986)
- The Names of the Rose (1987) (documentary)
- The Untouchables (1987)
- The Presidio (1988)
- Memories of Me (1988) (Cameo)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Family Business (1989)
- The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- The Russia House (1990)
- Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
- Medicine Man (1992) (also executive producer)
- Rising Sun (1993) (also executive producer)
- A Good Man in Africa (1994)
- Just Cause (1995)
- First Knight (1995)
- Dragonheart (1996) (voice only)
- The Rock (1996) (also executive producer)
- Sean Connery, an Intimate Portrait (1997) (documentary)
- The Avengers (1998)
- Junket Whore (1998) (documentary)
- Playing by Heart (1998)
- Entrapment (1999) (also producer)
- Finding Forrester (2000) (also producer)
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) (also executive producer)
Trivia
- Sean Connery, as a youth, had a job delivering milk to Fettes College, in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was James Bond's second school.
- After securing the record fee of $6million or £2million for "Diamonds are Forever" Connery arranged for the Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh to stack £2 million in £10 notes in a vault so that he could take his family and childhood friends to see what £2 million looked like.
External links
- His official website (http://www.seanconnery.com/)
- Template:Imdb name
- BBC: 1999 Biography (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/573476.stm)
- Ellen's Sean Connery Page (http://www.conneryfan.org/)de:Sean Connery
es:Sean Connery eo:Sean CONNERY fr:Sean Connery it:Sean Connery nl:Sean Connery ja:ショーン・コネリー no:Sean Connery pl:Sean Connery ru:Коннери, Шон sr:Шон Конери fi:Sean Connery sv:Sean Connery