Sean Connery

Connery was born in Fountainbridge (Edinburgh) Scotland on 25 August 1930 to Joseph Connery and Euphamia 'Effie' MacLean. He claims he was called by his middle name Sean long before he became an actor, explaining he had an Irish friend named Seamus and those who knew them decided to call him by his middle name whenever he was with Seamus, and it stuck.

He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including truck driver, labourer and lifeguard. He competed (under the name Thom Connery) for Scotland in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest won by Bill Pearl and got third place in the tall man's division. Another competitor, Johnny Isaacs, suggested that he try out for a stage production of South Pacific, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film. As a weight lifter, his nickname was "Big Tam".

He was married to Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). With Cilento he had a son, Jason Connery, who also became an actor, and was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England. Since 1975, Sean Connery has been married to French-Tunisian artist Micheline Roquebrune Connery.

Connery was discovered by Harry Saltzman after numerous names as possible contenders for Bond were ruled out or unavailable, including David Niven, Cary Grant, and many others. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond pays tribute to Connery in his 1963 novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service by stating that 007's surname as well as his father, was Scottish. Ironically, Fleming reportedly did not like the casting of Connery on the grounds that the stocky, 6'2" Scotsman was too "unrefined", but with some tutelage from director Terence Young, Connery won Fleming over (the author even went on to introduce a half-Scottish (and half-Swiss) heritage for his literary character in the later books). Young helped to smooth over Connery's rough and tumble edges while utilizing his imposing physicality yet amazingly graceful, cat-like movements during action sequences.

Connery's favorite Bond was From Russia with Love, one of the most critically acclaimed films in the series. He confirmed it in a 2002 interview with Sam Donaldson for ABCNews.com. (American Movie Classics erroneously listed Thunderball as Connery's favorite during its recent Bond retrospectives.)

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 carte blanche to produce two films at United Artists but felt that the only film made under this deal, The Offence, was buried by the studio. Apart from The Man Who Would Be King, most of Connery's successes in the next decade were as part of ensemble casts, in films such as Murder on the Orient Express and A Bridge Too Far. After his 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 critically celebrated 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) – in which he played father to Harrison Ford, actually under 12 years his junior, The Hunt for Red October (1990) and The Rock (1996) secured his place as a bankable leading man. He later received a Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. In more recent years, Connery's filmography has included its fair share of box office and critical disappointments such as The Avengers (1998) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), but he also received positive reviews for films including Finding Forrester (2000).

In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after he pulled out of Josiah's Canon, which is to be released in 2005. However, in a December 2004 interview with The Scotsman newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, the then 74-year-old actor denied he was retiring and said he would like to make another movie, but that he is taking a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his autobiography, but now the book will no longer be written. Just weeks before his 75th birthday, over the weekend of July 30th/31st 2005, it was widely reported in the broadcast media, and again in The Scotsman[2] which credited the source as an interview in an unspecified New Zealand newspaper, that he had decided to retire from film making following disillusionment with the "idiots now in Hollywood" and the turmoil making and box office failure of the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

As a personality he has been accused of being an overbearing bully but has also been praised as a highly professional and polite actor, courteous and supportive of those around him. He made a big impression on actors such as Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, and Christopher Lambert, who considered him a great friend during filming.

He was planning to star in a $80 million movie about Saladin and the Crusades that would be filmed in Jordan before the producer Moustapha Akkad was killed in the 2005 Amman bombings.

Sean Connery (født 25. august 1930, Edinburgh, Skotland) – oprindeligt Thomas Sean Connery – er skuespiller, instruktør og producer.

Han blev gift med Diane Cilento 6. december 1962 og skilt 6. september 1973. I ægteskabet var der et barn (Jason Connery). Gift med Micheline Roquebrune i 1975.

Sean Connery blev berømt som den engelske agent James Bond. Efter seks Bond-film, ønskede Connery at komme væk fra Bond-imaget (han indspillede dog senere en syvende). Han vandt en Oscar for rollen som Chicago-politimanden Jimmy Malone i filmen De Uovervindelige fra 1987. Også hans spil som munken i Rosens navn var fremragende....

Han blev adlet i 1999.