December 21, 2005

A biography of Sean Connery.

Sean Connery was born Thomas Sean Connery in a working class neighborhood in Fountainbridge, Scotland on August 25, 1930. His parents were hard-working people. Young Sean, the older of two boys, left school at an early age to work full-time to contribute to the household, often working menial jobs that required hard labor. He was a good athlete and played soccer quite well.

At the age of 16, the handsome youth he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Like many of his peers, he got tattoos whilst in the service. One is a tribute to his family and reads “Mum and Dad”; the other shows his patriotic pride – “Scotland Forever”. Sean didn’t enjoy the Navy and, due to a bout with stomach ulcers, left the service after 3 years.

The determined lad continued to work hard, holding jobs such as a bricklayer, lifeguard and coffin polisher. In his spare time, he lifted weights diligently. In 1950, that hobby led him to his professional career. He placed 3rd in the tall men’s division of the Mr. Universe competition.

Sean also did some modeling for art classes and began acting. At one point, the multi-talented young man performed in a chorus that toured the South Pacific. By 1956, he made his first appearance on television. His first big break would come in 1958 after lots of bit parts and such. He appeared in the film, Another Time, Another Place, with screen siren, Lana Turner.

Four years later, in 1962, Connery would become the first screen James Bond, a role that catapulted him to international stardom. He was the suave 007 in Dr. No (1962), Goldfinger (1964), From Russia, With Love (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). During this time, his first marriage to film siren, Dianne Cilento, was breaking up. She is the mother of his son, Jason.

Connery moved beyond Bond and into a wide range of action films throughout the 70s including Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and John Huston’s adaptation of The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Ironically, he also played Robin Hood, a role his son would reprise on television, in Robin and Marian (1976). His final turn as Bond would be in 1983’s Never Say Never Again.

Sean had long since met and married his second wife, Micheline, an accomplished painter. He met her in 1970 while playing golf, which is one of his favorite pastimes. They married in 1975 and remain, to this day, one of showbiz’s longest and most loving unions.

Throughout the 80s, Connery continued to star in a variety of films, including the wildly successful cult-classic, Highlander while maintaining his sex-symbol status. In 1989, at the age of 60, when many actors are well past their prime, he was voted People’s Sexiest Man Alive. That year, he also starred as Harrison Ford’s father in the third installment of the Indiana Jones’ trilogy. During the 90s, he continued to work steadily, playing King Arthur in First Knight (with Richard Gere) and starring in Rising Sun, The Hunt for Red October and 1999’s Entrapment with the gorgeous Catherine Zeta-Jones.

In July of 2000, Connery was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He starred in Finding Forrester that same year and was instrumental in 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. The sexy septuagenarian shows no signs of giving up his box office status and continues to prove that he is a rare combination of determination, sex appeal, and talent that endures the test of time.