Thomas Connery was born on the 25th of August 1930 in Edinburgh,
Scotland. Sean's father was a truck driver and so his family was not very well off. After
leaving school he joined the Royal Navy, but had to leave due to a medical condition
of ulcers. He had various different jobs from labourer, lifeguard and a model for art
classes. Sean Connery then went on to body building and this lead him to represent
Scotland in the 1953 Mr Universe competion, in which he came third. This lead him onto
stage performances with a touring company South Pacific. He appeared in several shows and
was on television for the first time in 1956. He then went on to sign a contract with MGM
and went on to star in a string of films.
Sean then went on to star in the first James Bond "Dr No" in 1962. He won the role from Cary Grant, Trevor Howard, Rex Harrison, Patric McGoohan and Roger Moore. Ian Fleming was know as quoted "He is not exactly what I envisioned". This film was a success and lead onto three more films. Sean decided to leave the James Bond role as he was tired of being identified as 007. He left after You Only Live Twice, so that he could play more golf, and devote time to his family. Sean Connery was then persuaded to return in "Diamonds are Forever". Prevously George Lazenby had filmed his only film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Sean returned again in 1983 in Never Say Never Again, but this was not a official film. This film did not make Connery's relationship with Cubby Broccoli any better with whom he was feuding.
Sean Connery learnt his taste for golf in the 1964 film "Goldfinger", and in 1996 he won the Lexus Challenge golf tournament with pro Hale Irwin.
Sean was honored by the Film Society in 1997 at the Lincoln Center in New York.
Sean with his wife Micheline 1997
"At first, 1 was worried he was too young to play my father as he was only twelve years older than me. But acting with him was really like building something together. When one of us needed something, the other provided it. Sean knows how to knock the ball back to you, , he also indicates the direction he's hitting it." Harrison Ford
"Perhaps I'm not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else."
"There's one major difference between James Bond and me! He is able to sort out problems!"
"People used to call me Bond in the street. It was impossible to avoid crowds of people all over the place and blinding flashguns. The Beatles had to run the gauntlet as well, but at least there were four of them!"
"As far as I'm concerned, Bond is over and done with. You need a younger actor now, about thirty-five - Mel Gibson perhaps . . ."
"I was in "Zardoz". I took over from Burt Reynolds who, 1 think, took ill after reading the script."
"I met my wife through playing golf. She is French and couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak French, so there was little chance of us getting involved in any boring conversations - that's why we got married really quickly."
"You know, the Oscar I was awarded for "The Untouchables" is a wonderful thing, but I haven't changed and I can honestly say that I'd rather have won the US Open Golf Tournament"
"I originally thought of giving the Oscar statuette to my wife, but then I found out I could get more than $15,000 for it!"
"I am not an Englishman, I was never an Englishman, and 1 don't ever want to be one. I am a Scotsman! I was a Scotsman and I will always be one."