(25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He gained recognition as the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent
James Bond in film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983.
[1][2][3] Originating the role in
Dr. No, Connery played Bond in six
Eon Productions' entries and made his final appearance in the
Jack Schwartzman-produced
Never Say Never Again.
Connery began acting in smaller theatre and television productions until his breakout role as Bond. Although he did not enjoy the off-screen attention the role gave him, the success brought film offers from famed directors such as
Alfred Hitchcock,
Sidney Lumet and
John Huston for dramatic roles. Those films included
Marnie (1964),
The Hill (1965),
Murder on the Orient Express (1974),
The Man Who Would Be King (1975),
A Bridge Too Far (1977),
Highlander (1986),
The Name of the Rose (1986),
The Untouchables (1987),
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989),
The Hunt for Red October (1990),
Dragonheart (1996),
The Rock (1996), and
Finding Forrester (2000). Connery officially retired from acting in 2006, although he briefly returned for voice over roles in 2012.
His achievements in film were recognised with an
Academy Award, two
BAFTA Awards (including the
BAFTA Fellowship), and three
Golden Globes, including the
Cecil B. DeMille Award and a
Henrietta Award. In 1987 he was made a Commander of the
Order of Arts and Letters in France, and he received the US
Kennedy Center Honors lifetime achievement award in 1999. Connery was
knighted in the
2000 New Year Honours for services to film drama.
[4]
In 2004, Connery was polled in the
Sunday Herald as "The Greatest Living Scot"
[5] and in a 2011
EuroMillions survey as "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure".
[6] He was voted by
People magazine as both the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and the "Sexiest Man of the Century" in 1999.
[7]
that should be SIR Sean Connery.
