Scottish actor Sean Connery behind a film camera in 'Goldfinger', 1964.
Sir Thomas Sean Connery is a retired Scottish actor and producer, who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award and three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award.
Though he was already established as an actor on the rise, Sean Connery blasted into international stardom when he surpassed several other name actors to become James Bond for the first installment of the decades-long spy franchise, "Dr. No" (1962). Suave and debonair, but also deadly, Connery exuded charm and appeal as MI6 agent 007, which helped make "Dr. No" a giant box office hit in both its native England and the United States. With cool sophistication and a touch of humor, Connery transformed the violent character into a warmer personage, which turned the actor into a major 1960s icon. Unknown at the time, the success of the first Bond film helped launch one of the single longest-running franchises in cinema history, spanning several decades - well into the 21st century - and featuring over six actors playing the role. But it would be Connery who would remain the prototypical Bond for the majority of moviegoers.
With the catchphrase "Bond.James Bond" fully enshrined in the cultural lexicon, Connery followed up with his second James Bond film, "From Russia with Love" (1963), which many agreed typified what a Bond film was all about - high-tech gadgetry, femme fatales, suave humor and exhilarating action sequences. Looking back, some considered "From Russia with Love" to be one of the best Bond films ever made. Others, however, pointed to his next turn as 007, "Goldfinger" (1964), as being the best of the bunch. Full of heart-stopping action, flashy gadgets - including an Aston-Martin complete with ejector seat - and an alluring femme fatale dubiously name Pussy Galore, "Goldfinger" surpassed its predecessor to set the standard for all other Bond films to follow. In fact, the movie remained culturally relevant throughout the years, thanks in part to the perhaps the most famous line in the entire series, with Bond asking Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) while strapped to a table being cut in two by a red laser beam, "Do you expect me to talk?," and the villain responding, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."
Though he bowed out of the role in 1967 following "You Only Live Twice," he returned for a big payday with "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), after which he famously vowed never to play the role again. While he appeared in numerous films in the ensuing years - "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974), "A Bridge Too Far" (1977) and "Time Bandits" (1981) chief among them - Connery had trouble reaching the heights of success he enjoyed as Bond. Going back on his word, he reprised the role one last time for the unofficial Bond movie, "Never Say Never Again" (1983), which was, as usual, a giant box office hit. Connery was primed to take his career to the next level, which he did when he won an Academy Award for his role as a gruff old Irish cop in "The Untouchables" (1987). He followed with a memorable performance as the senior Dr. Henry Jones in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989) while turning in a fine performance as a defecting Russian submarine commander in "The Hunt for Red October" (1990).
