Sean Connery
Sean Connery / Actor
- Name : Connery
- Born : 1930
- Died :
- Category : Actors
- Finest Moment : Being present at the official opening of Scotland's first Parliament since 1707
Award winning actor, sex symbol, passionate Scot and now a Knight of the British realm - Sean Connery has certainly made his mark since his humble beginnings in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge area.
After giving up a career in the Royal Navy due to health problems, he tried his hand at a number of occupations including milk man, coffin polisher, lifeguard and artists model.
In the early 1950s his enthusiasm for bodybuilding saw him represent Scotland in the Mr Universe contest where he finished an impressive third. His physique also won him a role in the chorus line of the musical South Pacific.
Some stage and television work followed but it was not until 1962 when he was cast as Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond in the first 007 film Dr No that he began his rise to international superstardom.
Connery played Bond seven times. His last appearance was in the 1983 Never Say Never Again. Although a number of actors have taken on the Bond mantle, notably Roger Moore and more recently Pierce Brosnan, Connery remains for many film fans the definitive 007.
Some of his finest performances though have been in other roles. In 1956 he played an army prisoner in the dark and brutal film The Hill while in 1975 he starred alongside Michael Caine in The Man Who Would Be King.
His 1986 performance in The Name Of The Rose won him a BAFTA award for Best Actor and in 1987 he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of an Irish policeman in The Untouchables.
He has also starred alongside Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, opposite Catherine Zeta Douglas in Entrapment and as the voice of the dragon in the children's film Dragonheart.
In 1998 Connery hit the headlines again after he was left out of the UK's New Year's Honours List. His support for Scottish independence and his financial support for the SNP was said to be the reason.
He was eventually awarded a knighthood in July 2000 and became Sir Sean Connery. That same month he returned to his hometown to witness the official opening of Scotland's first Parliament in nearly 300 years.