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Voted as one of the “Sexiest Man of the Century,” Sir Sean Connery is an actor and a film producer. Here are some interesting facts about the “Greatest Living Scot.”
- He was born as Thomas Sean Connery in Fountainbridge, Edinburg, Scotland on August 25, 1930.
- He was born to Euphemia McBain who was a cleaning woman and Joseph Connery who was a factory worker and a lorry driver.
- He has a younger brother Neil Connery, born in 1938.
- He claimed that he was called Sean long before he became an actor. However he was generally referred to as Tommy in his youth.
- He attained his full height of 6ft 2in at the age of 18. He was called as “Big Tam” in his teens.
- He claims he lost his virginity to an older woman in an ATS uniform at an early age of 14.
- His first job was in Edinburg as a milkman at the St.Cuthberts CO-operative Society. He later joined Royal Navy.
- He was discharged from Navy due to duodenal Ulcer which had affected most of the males in his family in the previous generation.
- He worked as a lorry driver, a labourer, a model and a coffin polisher after returning from Navy.
- He began body building at an age of 18, trained by a former gym instructor at British Army, Ellington.
- He was placed third in 1950’s Mr. Universe although most of the sources claim that he failed to qualify in Tall man classification.
- He was a very good football player and played for Bunnyrigg Rose in his younger days.
- Manchester United’s manger, Matt Busby was impressed by Connery’s play that he offered him a contract for 25 pounds a week.
- About the offer he said, "I realised that a top-class footballer could be over the hill by the age of 30, and I was already 23. I decided to become an actor and it turned out to be one of my more intelligent moves."
- He was targeted by notorious Valdor gang in Edinburg. He once fought six gang members single handed and since then gained his respect and reputation as a hard man.
- He started his acting career with King’s Theatre in 1951, while working backstage for some extra money.
- He auditioned for South Pacific and landed a small part as one of the Seabees chorus boys.
- During the production party of “South Pacific” in 1954, he met Michael Caine and later they became very good friends.
- He played as an extra in Herbert Wilcox’s musical film “Lilac’s in the Spring” in 1954.
- He took a part time job of baby sitter for journalist Peter Noble and his actress wife Mary.
- In an interview with Barbara Walters he stated that it was permissible to slap a woman, which created a big controversy.
- He has a villa in Kranidi, Greece.
- He shares a helicopter platform with his neighbour King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands.
- He was knighted in July 2000. He was nominated for knighthood in 1997 and 1998 but was turned down by Donald Dewar due to his political views.
- He owned “Domaine de Terre Blanche” in France for twenty years. He wanted to build a dream golf course, but sold it to German billionaire Dietmar Hopp in 1999.
- During the sets of “Never Say Never Again” he angered his martial arts instructor who in turn broke his wrist. The instructor was Steven Seagal.
- He has his own film production company “Fountainbridge Films” named after the place he was born.
- He was married to actress Diane Cliento from 1962 to 1973.
- He is now married to Micheline Roquebrune, a Moroccan French painter since 1975.
- He is a member of Scottish National Party campaigning for independence of Scotland.
- He supported the party financially until the UK Parliament passed legislation prohibiting overseas funding of political activities in 2001.
- He played as a boxer in a TV series “The Square Ring”.
- He hired an agent Richard Halton in 1957 who got him a role in “No Road Back.” He played as Spike a gangster with speech impediment.
- He played as a British reporter named Mark Trevor in the movie “Another Time, Another Place” in 1958, alongside Lana Turner and Barry Sullivan. It was about the love affair between the three lead characters.
- During the filming Lana Turner’s gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato mistook it to be a real affair and pointed a gun at Connery. However he was disarmed easily and knocked out flat by Connery.
- Connery later recounted that he had to lie low due to various death threats by members related to Stompanato’s boss Mickey Cohen.
- His breakthrough in film came in 1962 when he accepted the role of James Bond. He was reluctant to sign for a film series but understood that if it succeeded his career would benefit greatly.
- He acted in seven Bond movies: “Dr.No,” “From Russia with Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Never Say Never Again.” All the movies were commercially successful.
- American Film Institute selected Connery’s portrayal of James Bond as the Third Greatest Hero in Cinema History.
- Producer Cubby Broccoli’s wife Dana Broccoli was instrumental in Connery’s selection as James Bond. Initially Ian Fleming was also against the selection of Connery as Bond.
- He said, “He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks and I'm looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man.” He added that Connery (muscular, 6' 2", and a Scot) was unrefined.
- After the success of Dr.No his perception changed. He was so impressed with Connery that he created a half Scottish half Swiss heritage for Bond in his later novels.
- However Connery owes his success as Bond to director Terence Young who taught him how to use his physical grace and presence for action. He took him to dinner and taught him how to walk, talk and even to eat.
- During the filming of “Thunderball” he came dangerously close to death when a shark broke through the separation in the tank. He had to abandon the water immediately.
- Connery wears a toupee in all the Bond movies although it is noticeable in the later movies. He started balding at the age of 21.
- The title “Never Say Never Again” is the conversation between Connery and his wife. Connery had decided never to act in another Bond movie and his wife persuaded him to.
- “Never Say Never Again” was his seventh bond movie after a gap of twelve years. It was released opposite another bond movie “Octopussy” starring Roger Moore.
- Connery was 52 at that time and they decided to make bond as a retired agent for “Never Say Never Again.” However Roger Moore was three years older than Connery when he acted in “Octopussy.”
- He lived in Marbella, Spain. Whenever he was not filming, he played in the golf course near his residence.
- Due to some disagreement with the local press, he left Spain and now resides in the Bahamas.
