|
Trivia
Birth name: Thomas Sean Connery
Date of birth: 25 August 1930
Place of birth: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Nickname: Sean Spouse:
Height: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Spouse: Micheline Roquebrune (6 May 1975 - present),
Diane Cilento (6 December 1962 - 6 September 1973) (divorced) 1 child.
Was offered the role of
Robert Elliott by Brian De Palma in Dressed to Kill (1980) and was
enthusiastic about it, but declined on account of previously acquired
commitments.
Ranked #14 in Empire (UK)
magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
[October 1997]
In 1953, he entered the
Mr. Universe contest, finishing third in the tall man's division.
He was voted People
magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989.
Father of Jason Connery.
Wears a toupee in all the
James Bond movies. He started losing his hair at the age of 21.
Privately and in most other movies, he wears none.
He has two small tattoos
on his right arm. One says "Scotland forever", the other
"Mum and Dad." He got them when he enlisted in the British
Navy at the age of 16.
Took dancing lessons for
11 years. His teacher was the Swedish dancer Yat Malmgren.
Had radiation therapy for
an undisclosed throat ailment. [1993]
Donated his salary from
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) to charity.
Formerly worked as a
coffin polisher.
Brother of Neil Connery.
Formerly worked as a milk
delivery man.
Major contributor to the
Scottish National Party (SNP). This was stopped for a while when the
ruling Labour government said people living outside of the United
Kingdom would not be allowed to donate money to British political
parties.
Voted 'Sexiest Man of the
Century' by People Magazine. [1999]
Said in an interview that
during the filming of Never Say Never Again (1983), he was taking
martial arts lessons and in the process angered the instructor who in
turn broke his wrist. Connery stayed with the wrist broken for a number
of years thinking it was only a minor pain... the instructor was Steven
Seagal.
Recipient of 22nd Annual
Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture,
presented by President Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C. on December 5,
1999.
Used to live in Marbella,
Spain, near a golf course where he played daily when not filming. He
left following disagreements with the local press, and now resides in
the Bahamas where he plays golf much less frequently.
He has his own film
production company (Fountainbridge Films). Fountainbridge is an area of
Edinburgh where he was born.
Awarded a Knighthood on
New Year's Eve, 1999. Formally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in an
hour-long ceremony at Edinburgh's Holyrood Palace. His wife Micheline
and brother Neil were by his side. (5 July 2000)
Noted to be one of James
Bond's favorite actors in the novel "Scorpius." Connery
previously played James Bond in seven films.
Chosen by Empire magazine
as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#7). [1995]
Grandson, Dashiell Quinn,
born. [1997]
Gert Günther Hoffmann was
his German voice for years and even though his voice was very low it
fitted the charismatic and charming part of Connery perfectly. G.G.
Hoffmann died in 1997. The following dubber's deep voice was incredibly
equal to Connery's real one...Manfred Wagner died after dubbing two Sean
Connery films, First Knight (1995) and The Rock (1996).
He joined the Merchant
Navy as a teenager but stomach ulcers forced him to leave. He received a
disability pension for a period after this.
After his service with the
Merchant Navy, he worked as a nude model for Edinburgh art students.
During his time as a
milkman, Connery delivered to Fettes School in Edinburgh - the same
school which James Bond attended in Ian Fleming's novels following his
expulsion from Eton.
Received the Freedom of
the City of Edinburgh in 1991.
Was paid a huge sum to
return as James Bond for Diamonds Are Forever (1971), setting a record.
It was donated to his Scottish charity.
Caused an uproar in a
December 1987 interview with Barbara Walters in which he said it was OK
to hit a woman if they deserved it or needed it to keep them in line. He
had said similar things in a November 1965 interview with Playboy
magazine.
He had a brief
relationship with Lynsey De Paul.
He is a life-long
supporter of (Glasgow) Celtic Football Club, but attends the occasional
Rangers game because he is a close personal friend of David Murray, the
Rangers owner.
He ranked first among the
Male British movie actors in the Orange Film Survey of 10,000 voters.
Actress Mia Sara is his
ex-daughter-in-law.
Received the honorary
degree of DLitt from St Andrews University in 1988.
Turned down the role of
Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings series (The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(2002), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003))
because he didn't want to film down in New Zealand for 18 months, and
could not understand the novels.
Declared in 2003 that he
would not return home until Scotland is an independent country. He
believes this can still happen during his lifetime.
Parodied on "Saturday
Night Live" (1975) by Darrell Hammond.
Said that
Thunderball
(1965) was his favorite Bond film.
Has played four kings:
'King' Daniel Dravot in The Man Who Would Be King (1975), King Agamemnon
in Time Bandits (1981), King Richard in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
(1991) and King Arthur in First Knight (1995).
Whilst filming Playing by
Heart (1998) he loved playing and even made a friendship with three and
a half year old Piper Maru Anderson; daughter of an actress Gillian
Anderson who played Meredith (a daughter of Sean's character).
According to a poll,
conducted by British film magazine Empire, he created the worst accent
in the history of cinema in the movie The Untouchables (1987).
Ian Fleming, the creator
of James Bond, originally did not like him being cast as Bond for Dr. No
(1962) because he felt that he was too "unrefined". The actor
whom Fleming embodied Bond in Fleming's mind was 'Cary Grant (I)' .
Fleming later changed his mind and admitted he was ideally cast in the
role.
Turned down the role of
the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions
(2003).
Won the role of James Bond
after producer Albert R. Broccoli attended a screening of Sean in Darby
O'Gill and the Little People (1959). He was particularly impressed with
the fistfight Sean has with a village bully at the climax of the film.
Cubby later had his wife, writer Dana Broccoli, see the film and she
confirmed his sex appeal.
He was voted the 24th
Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
He says that his two
favorite Bond films are From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball
(1965).
He and his son, actor
Jason Connery, have both played Robin Hood. Sean played an aging Robin
Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in Robin and Marian (1976). Jason played
Robin Hood, AKA: Robert of Huntingten, in the television series
"Robin of Sherwood" (1984). Jason also played Ian Fleming in
the television movie The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990) (TV). Fleming
was the author of the James Bond novels that made Sean famous in 1962.
Connery received excellent
notices for his 1961 TV portrayal of Macbeth and longed to make a film
of "The Scottish Play." His plans for a film in the early
1970s were terminated by the production of the 1971 Roman Polanski-Kenneth
Tynan film of the play.
Had a difficult time
getting work after he abandoned the James Bond role a second time after
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) for which he received a record salary.
Director John Boorman thus was able to hire him very cheaply for his
low-budget production of Zardoz (1974).
Voted Best British Actor
of all time in a poll for Sky TV [Feb 2005].
Harry Saltzman and Albert
R. Broccoli, the original producers of the James Bond films, cast him
because they liked how he was a big, tough-looking man who nonetheless
moved gracefully ("like a cat").
He was voted the 36th
Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
Had cataracts removed from
both eyes in 2003.
Played James Bond in
Thunderball
(1965). 18 years later, he reprised the role in the film's remake, Never
Say Never Again (1983).
Turned down the title role
in the original The
Thomas Crown Affair (1968), which he later admitted was a huge
mistake on his part.
In 1998, he received a
Tony Award for co-producing the play "Art" by Yasmina Reza.
He pulled out of a film in
September 2004, sparking rumors that he was going to retire. However
three months later in an interview with "The Scotsman"
newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, he said he is taking a year out
to write his autobiography (something he had previously vowed never to
do), and hopes to make another film.
Was a good friend of Sir
Michael
Caine and the late Richard
Harris.
Pulled out of a
seven-figure deal for a planned autobiography for the second time, in
March 2005. The actor signed a deal in 2004 with ghostwriter Hunter
Davies to produce an account of his life from Edinburgh milkman to
international film superstar. Six months prior to his hook-up with
Davies, Connery also canceled a similar deal with Scottish writer Meg
Henderson, who said later: "He isn't the man I thought he
was."
Panama's President Mireya
Moscoso presented him with a Manuel Amador Guerrero award, named after
the country's first president. She said he was given the award for his
"talent and versatility." Sir Sean was on a trip to Panama to
visit various humanitarian programs conducted by the government. (10
March 2003)
Was the original choice to
play Sybock in Star Trek
V: The Final Frontier (1989). The words in the film "Sha Ka Ree"
are a play on of his name.
Shares his birthday with
American director Tim
Burton.
Terry
Gilliam did not intend to cast him as King Agamemnon in Time
Bandits (1981), he simply wrote in the screenplay that when
Agamemnon took off his helmet he looked "exactly like Sean Connery."
To Gilliam's surprise, the script found its way into Connery's hands and
Connery subsequently expressed interest in doing the film.
Was once stopped for
speeding by an officer named Sergeant James Bond.
Marnie
(1964) co-star Tippi
Hedren named one of her house cats after him.
His accent was the model
for the voice of Stratos in the 2002 remake of He-Man & The Masters
of the Universe.
The Edinburgh Filmhouse
rejected a proposal to rename itself "The Sean Connery Filmhouse"
in November 2005 following complaints over Connery's status as a tax
exile.
His original idol was
Welsh actor Stanley Baker
because he played believable tough guys in quality British movies which
he produced himself.
He was presented with a
lifetime achievement award at the European Film Awards in Berlin,
presented to him by Jean-Jacques Annaud, who directed Connery in Name
der Rose, Der (1986). (3 December 2005)
Was seriously considered
for the role of King Philip of Macedonia in Oliver Stone's Alexander
(2004).
Underwent surgery at a New
York hospital to remove a tumour from his kidney in January 2006.
Connery's brother Neil said, "As far as I'm led to believe the
tumour was benign. He seems to be quite upbeat about it."
Was delighted to be
honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award,
which he will receive on June 8 2006 in Los Angeles, as he was honored
despite his reputation as a harsh critic of the movie industry. "It
means a tremendous amount, especially because of some of the things I
have said about Hollywood."
Announced his retirement
in an interview in New York City during the Tartan Week 2006
celebrations. "I have retired for good," he said.
Presented with the
Marrakech International Film Festival Award in Morocco by his friend and
Just Cause (1995) co-star Laurence
Fishburne. (8 December 2004)
In 1999 he called on the
Scottish parliament to ban all handguns in the country.
Started smoking when he
was nine years old.
His performance as James
Bond in the 007 films is ranked #5 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest
Movie Characters of All Time.
|
