Connery, Sean (1930-2020), was a Scottish motion-picture actor who became famous as the dashing spy James Bond in a series of internationally popular movies. After leaving the Bond role, Connery broadened his film career to take a variety of dramatic roles. He won the 1987 Academy Award as best supporting actor for his performance in The Untouchables.
Thomas Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh on Aug. 25, 1930. He left school at the age of 13 to work. From 1946 to 1949, he served in the Royal Navy. He then worked in a number of jobs until he took an interest in bodybuilding. That interest led to his representing Scotland in the 1953 Mister Universe contest, the year he began his acting career with a small part in the musical South Pacific. He then worked on the English stage and in television. His break came when United Artists selected him from several candidates to play the role of James Bond in Dr. No (1962). Connery played Bond in six more films, becoming a superstar. His other Bond films were From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Never Say Never Again (1983).
Connery also starred in a number of historical movies and modern action films. They include The Hill (1965), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Highlander (1986), The Name of the Rose (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Rock (1996), Entrapment (1999), and Finding Forrester (2000). In 2000, Connery was knighted and thus became known as Sir Sean Connery. He died on Oct. 31, 2020.
