“Shurely shum mishtake Mish Moneypenny,” as Sir Sean Connery might have said is his oft-imitated lispy Scottish accent, but we are sad to report that the famous James Bond actor has died at the age of 90.
Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. and started his professional life as a boy milkman before later becoming an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy, leaving three years later on medical grounds due to a duodenal ulcer. After trying other jobs including being a coffin polisher and a male artist’s model (an obvious choice given his six foot two frame had been honed by building since the age of 18), he ventured into acting. He appeared in variety of roles on theatre and on screen including employing a bizarre Irish accent (something he would use later in The Untouchables) while playing a likeable soldier in the D-Day war movie The Longest Day (1962).
Also of interest is the wartime-set comedy action film On the Fiddle (1961) in which he plays a slightly dim sidekick to a clever petty criminal spiv type as played by Alfred Lynch. Interestingly, very late in the film Connery’s character suddenly seems to transform from a dimbo reluctant airman into a cool action hero – almost like a James Bond in waiting.
Sean Connery finally achieved world fame playing Her Majesty’s secret agent 007, aka James Bond, in the film versions of Ian Fleming written adventures, first appearing in 1962. Connery went on to appear – off and on – in six “official” Bond films, Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) You Only Live Twice (1967), and, after a rest, Diamonds are Forever (1971) for which he gave his fee to a Scottish Educational Trust. He also appeared as James Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983) which was made independently of Eon Productions, the main producer of James Bond films.
Of these, while Goldfinger (1964) and the others have their share of excellent moments, this writer’s favourite remains You Only Live Twice (1967) with its Blofeld supervillain, the well armed autogyro aircraft Little Nellie, its Royal Navy elements, and, of course its space content involving vertical landing rocket stages and a Japanese Volcano.
Sean Connery as James Bond in his No.1 full dress Royal Navy uniform aboard a submarine in “You Only Live Twice” (1967). Courtesy: Eon Productions
While other actors were more affable in the Bond role – like the jesting and likeable Sir Roger Moore (a personal friend of Connery) – and while others were closer to the character in the books, including the sardonic and lecherous Daniel Craig (even if he is just a tad too short), for many Connery remains the best ever Bond. For Connery was easily the toughest and most masculine of the James Bonds, one who was ruthless and powerful killer, a man you would not like to tangle with in a fight, even if he could deliver a drily witty quip after dispatching you. Robert Shaw’s Red Grant psycho-killer character found this out in the surprisingly violent fight-on-a-train scene in From Russia with Love (1963) – see it here. Connery’s Bond was also a man who was intensely attractive to women – another reason to fear him lest he stole your girl.
While Connery did appear in other films including Hitchcock’s psychological thriller Marnie (1964), Connery became tired of his main Bond role, and during the 1970s he tried to break away from being typecast by appearing in the bizarrely mystical Zardoz (1974) which has our Sean jumping around in what looks like a swimsuit while shooting off a rare Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver. Connery later appeared in the entertaining early 20th Century set adventure The Wind and the Lion (1975) and, along with his friend Michael Caine, in John Huston’s excellent Rudyard Kipling epic, The Man Who Would Be King (1975). His other critical success during the 1970s was when he starred with Audrey Hepburn in the low budget but touching love story Robin and Marian (1976).
After a relatively quiet patch with few hits, a time when he was in the forgettable Outland (1981) as his only space movie, in the late 1980s Connery’s career really picked up again when he appeared in the the medieval mystery The Name of the Rose (1986), and as an immortal in the fantasy adventure Highlander (1986). His high point was when he played an old Irish-American cop in the anti-gangster film The Untouchables (1987) for which he won an Oscar as best supporting actor.
Sean Connery’s career did not falter again and he had a series of successes in the 1990s, albeit that by this time he was playing “experienced older man types” such as a Russian Naval Captain in the submarine-set adventure, The Hunt for Red October (1990), or former convict types in The Rock (1996) and Entrapment (1999). While these were mainly adventure or caper movies aimed at grabbing box office takings, earlier in his career he did take on – and was lauded for – more serious less commercial roles including The Hill (1965) and The Offence (1972). Connery also showed an ability for comedy such as in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Sean Connery finally retired from acting and voice over roles in 2012.
Connery was married twice. His first marriage to actress Diane Cilento was dissolved in 1973. They had a son together, Jason Connery, who also went into acting. Cilento later claimed that Sean Connery had been guilty of moments of mental and physical abuse during their time together. In 1975 Sean Connery married the French artist Micheline Roquebrune.
Sean Connery was often criticised for being a tax exile and for not living in Scotland despite being a noted proponent of Scottish independence. Despite these issues, they did not prevent Connery being offered (and him accepting) a knighthood by Her Majesty the Queen in 2000.
We thus end by giving our salute to Sir Sean Connery for his enjoyable performances noted above – well – possibly with the exception Zardoz. For many of us, he is the “he man” we always wanted to be. We also give our condolences to his family and friends.
