Line #71 Creator/SeanConnery


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seanconnery_1.jpg]]
2	''[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/SaturdayNightLive I'll take "Famous Titties" for $400!]]]]''
3
4	->''"Perhaps I'm not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else."''
5
6	Not so much an actor as a force of nature, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir]] Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 - 31 October 2020) was a tall and burly UsefulNotes/{{Scot\|land}}tish actor.
7
8	His life took an iconic turn as the first actor to portray Film/JamesBond on the big screen, one of many in a long line of lead roles that he would play over the course of his career. A former milkman, brick layer, truck driver and [[UsefulNotes/{{Bodybuilding}} bodybuilder]] (back in the days when that meant 'big and athletic' rather than 'steroid-fuelled and vein-covered') notable for [[CarpetOfVirility his impressive body hair]], effortless masculinity and unique variation on the Scottish accent, Connery's [[EvenTheGuysWantHim sex-symbol]] status proved [[SilverFox surprisingly durable despite the ravages of time]], the early onset of baldness (he wore a toupee to play Bond - and reputedly wanted to go without for ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain''), and occasional press stories of misogyny on his part notwithstanding.
9
10	Although the Bond films made him a star, after some less than impressive acting ventures, Connery eventually tired of the role and the pressure the franchise put on him, and made not one but two attempts to leave it (barring his return for the non-EON produced ''Never Say Never Again''), which reportedly angered Bond producer Creator/AlbertRBroccoli. Connery continued on, often playing tough guys and the occasional LovableRogue. For a time his career was in a rut due to headlining a string of flops, which eventually led to reinventing himself as a CoolOldGuy type, and spent the latter half of his career playing TheMentor to younger heroes, such as Kevin Costner's street smart teacher in ''The Untouchables'' for which Connery won an Oscar.
11
12	Also played Henry Jones Sr., father of Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/GeorgeLucas had wanted to outdo the ''Film/JamesBond'' films; therefore, Film/JamesBond was both metaphorically and literally Franchise/IndianaJones's father. Clearly, Badass is genetic.
13
14	After starring as Allan Quartermain in the... [[BrokenBase some would say polarizing]] ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie, Connery retired from acting. Some suggest that these facts are related, that the film was so terrible that he just gave up. He steadfastly refused to come out of retirement, including refusing a cameo in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''. The only exceptions were a RoleReprise for the 2005 LicensedGame ''VideoGame/DoubleOhSevenFromRussiaWithLove'' and the voice of the title character in the low-budged Scottish animated film ''WesternAnimation/SirBilli''. His final role was narrating the 2012 documentary ''Ever to Excel'' about the history of St Andrews University in Scotland.
15
16	On October 31, 2020, he eventually passed on in his sleep from natural causes in his Bahamas residence at the age of 90. It was revealed by his widow after his death that he had struggled with dementia prior to his death.
17
18	A major supporter of Scottish independence (though the fact that he hadn't actually lived there for fifty years before his death tended to undermine this a little). Particularly famous for NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent.
19
20	Had a dishtinctive way of shpeaking that everyone on airth believed they can imitate, although Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard (and reportedly Creator/TonyCurran) ish particularly good at it.
21
22	Younger fans may identify with him from ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''s Celebrity ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' recurring sketches, thanks to long-time cast member Creator/DarrellHammond, the anthesis of Creator/WillFerrell's Creator/AlexTrebek and was considered a highlight to said recurring sketch (though in the earlier Celebrity Jeopardy sketches, that honor went to Creator/NormMacDonald as Creator/BurtReynolds). Unlike Trebek, the real Connery never commented on the sketches, and Trebek said he'd never met the actual man.[[note]]In a strange coincidence, the two died within days of each other in 2020.[[/note]]
23
24	Connery was married to the late Australian actress Diane Cilento from 1962 to 1973, and had one son with her, actor Creator/JasonConnery. The marriage did not end well, to put it nicely. Following this failed marriage and her own faltering career as an actress, Cilento said some ''very nasty'' things about Connery in her later years, claims and accusations that Connery himself vehemently denied. Connery was married to Frenchwoman Micheline Roquebrune from 1975 until his death.
25
26	Also notable for [[SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou trying to shoot you in every video store in the world]]. And [[Website/{{YTMND}} YOU'RE THE MAN NOW, DOG!]]
27
28	There was even a website for things Sean Connery should say. Unfortunately, it no longer exists. Thankfully, "[[https://www.reddit.com/r/shubreddit/ Shubreddit]]" on Website/{{Reddit}} gives us things that would sound hilarious with Sean Connery's voice. You can also find the old site [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150509084058/http://www.thingsseanconneryshouldsay.com/ here]].
29
30	He won the 2006 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, with tributes from Creator/MikeMyers (whose ''Film/JamesBond'' films helped inspire ''Film/AustinPowers''), his later [[TheOtherDarrin James Bond successor]] Creator/PierceBrosnan, Creator/HarrisonFord (his onscreen son and fellow AFI Lifetime Achievement Award winner), and Creator/JamesEarlJones.
31
32	Also notable for the "SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery," something that he (and few other people) have been able to accomplish in their lifetimes.
33
34	Click here for the [[SelfDemonstrating/SeanConnery Shelf-Demonshtrating]] version.
35	----
36	!!Works starring Sean Connery include:
37
38	* ''Film/HellDrivers'' (1957) - Johnny Kates; a small appearance, however, one of the most notable ones in a film full of [[invoked]]RetroactiveRecognition.)
39	* ''Film/DarbyOGillAndTheLittlePeople'' (1959) - Michael [=McBride=]; this Creator/{{Disney}} studio classic is where Broccoli discovered Connery.)
40	* ''Film/TheLongestDay'' (1962) - Pvt. Flanagan
41	* ''Franchise/JamesBond'' - Commander Film/JamesBond, Agent 007
42	** ''Film/DrNo'' (1962)
43	** ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' (1963)
44	** ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' (1964)
45	** ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'' (1965)
46	** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' (1967)
47	** ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' (1971)
48	** ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'' (1983)[[note]]Remake of ''Thunderball'' that is not part of the Creator/EonProductions series, unlike the previous ones[[/note]]
49	** ''VideoGame/DoubleOhSevenFromRussiaWithLove'' (2005, voice)
50	* ''Film/{{Marnie}}'' (1964) - Mark Rutland
51	* ''Film/TheHill'' (1965)
52	* ''Film/{{Shalako}}'' (1968) - Moses Zebulan "Shalako" Carlin
53	* ''Film/TheRedTent1969'' - Dr. Roald Amundsen
54	* ''Film/TheMollyMaguires'' (1970) - Jack Kehoe
55	* ''Film/TheAndersonTapes'' (1971) - Robert 'Duke' Anderson
56	* ''Film/{{Zardoz}}'' (1974) - Zed
57	* ''Film/{{Murder on the Orient Express\|1974}}'' (1974) - Colonel Arbuthnot
58	* ''Film/TheManWhoWouldBeKing'' (1975) - Daniel Dravot
59	* ''Film/TheWindAndTheLion'' (1975) - Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni
60	* ''Film/RobinAndMarian'' (1976) - Myth/RobinHood
61	* ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' (1977) - Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart
62	* ''Literature/TheGreatTrainRobbery'' (1978) - Edward Pierce
63	* ''Film/{{Meteor}}'' (1979) - Dr Paul Bradley
64	* ''Film/TimeBandits'' (1981) - King Agamemnon
65	* ''Film/{{Outland\|1981}}'' (1981) - Marshal William T. O'Niel
66	* ''Film/WrongIsRight'' (1982) - Patrick Hale
67	* ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' (1986) - Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
68	* ''Film/TheNameOfTheRose'' (1986) - William of Baskerville
69	* ''Film/{{The Untouchables\|1987}}'' (1987) - Jimmy Malone; Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor
70	* ''Film/ThePresidio'' (1988) - Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell
71	* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' (1989) - Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.
72	* ''Film/FamilyBusiness'' (1989) - Jessie [=McMullen=]
73	* ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) - Capt. Marko Ramius
74	* ''Film/TheRussiaHouse'' (1990) - Barley Blair
75	* ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening'' (1991) - Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
76	* ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' (1991) - King Richard the Lionhearted (uncredited)
77	* ''Film/MedicineMan'' (1992) - Dr. Robert Campbell
78	* ''Film/RisingSun'' (1993) - Capt. John Connor
79	* ''Film/FirstKnight'' (1995) - Myth/KingArthur
80	* ''Film/TheRock'' (1996) - Capt. John Patrick Mason
81	* ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'' (1996) - Draco (voice)
82	* ''Film/{{The Avengers\|1998}}'' (1998) - Sir August de Wynter
83	* ''Film/{{Entrapment}}'' (1999) - Robert [=MacDougal=]
84	* ''Film/FindingForrester'' (2000) - William Forrester
85	* ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' (2003) - [[Literature/KingSolomonsMines Allan Quatermain]]
86	* ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' '': The Recobbled Cut'' (2006) - Provides the otherwise mute Tack's [[SuddenlySpeaking sole line]], "I love you," cut from the [[ExecutiveMeddling studio-mandated released versions]], in which Tack is under a different actor.
87	* ''WesternAnimation/SirBilli'' (2012) - Sir Billi (voice)
88	* ''Ever to Excel'' (2012) - Narrator
89
90	!!Tropes applicable to Sean Connery:
91
92	* AbilityOverAppearance: Connery was cast as James Bond due to the aggressiveness he brought to the role. However, the working-class Scotsman Connery knew next to nothing about the finer things Bond was supposed to be an expert in so Terence Young, ''Film/DrNo'''s director, dragged Connery to tailors and restaurants all over London to give the actor a crash course in how to be a gentleman.
93	* ActorSharedBackground: Among the six actors who've starred as Bond thus far, Connery's the only one who'd served in the Royal Navy like Bond did.
94	* BaritoneOfStrength: His commanding tones combined with his famous accent gave him one of the most famous and recognizable voices in pop culture, fitting for James Bond. He backed it up with experience in martial arts (he was a black belt in Kyokushin Karate) and doing action films even in his sixties.
95	* ChronicallyKilledActor: Got into this in his later career (Draco, Arthur, Allan Quartermain).
96	* FakeNationality: Provides the trope image for a reason. Connery's list of foreign roles include [[Film/TheUntouchables1987 American]] (particularly Irish-American), [[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober Soviet Lithuanian]], [[Film/JamesBond English]], [[Film/{{Highlander}} Egyptian-Spanish]], [[Film/TheWindAndTheLion Arab-Berber]], etc. In fact, the only explicitly Scottish role that he's played was Sir Billi in the animated film of the same name.
97	* HeroicBuild: Had one as Bond, owing to his years as a body builder.
98	* IAmNotSpock: He got swept up in Bond-mania and realized that the role was taking over his career (even though he did do other films while playing Bond) and that led to his decision to retire from that role. [[TenMinuteRetirement Even if he came back to it. Twice]]. He was successful in showing what else he could do for the rest of his long career in a number of very different roles. According to longtime friend Creator/MichaelCaine, James Bond was the one thing you learned to ''never'' talk about in his presence, as it upset him a great deal that many people only thought of him in that role.
99	* NoStuntDouble: You know that long scene from ''The Great Train Robbery'' where Edward Pierce was hopping from train car to train car? ''Connery did that himself.'' [[AwesomeDearBoy Yeah.]]
100	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Connery's foreign characters always have his trademark Scottish accent regardless of their country of origin.
101	* PlayingAgainstType: Often cast as tough cunning heroes (and later wise mentors), Connery sometimes goes in the opposite direction:
102	** In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', he plays a bumbling, tweedy, mildly absent-minded professor not prepared for his son's more adventurous escapades. And he is absolutely '''HILARIOUS''' in the film.
103	** ''Singing'' Against Type: In hindsight, singing in ''Film/DarbyOGillAndTheLittlePeople'', and a single line of "Underneath the Mango Tree" in ''Film/DrNo''.
104	** In ''Film/{{Outland}}'' he seems at first to be playing a very typical character, but is eventually revealed to be plagued by self-doubt in perhaps the most emotionally vulnerable scene in his career.
105	* PrematurelyBald: Connery started losing his hair at age 21. He wore a toupee in his Film/JamesBond flicks and various other roles but never when acting.
106	* SelfMadeMan: Connery was born into a working class family in Edinburgh, Scotland, dropped out of school at 13, and worked many jobs including as a milkman, a coffin polisher, a lorry driver, a lifeguard, served in the Royal Navy, then worked as a [[PublicExposure nude model for art students]] before entering bodybuilding, which led him to acting and eventually his breakthrough role of Film/JamesBond, and his portrayal of the sophisticated secret agent propelled him into international superstardom.
107	* SilverFox: He was still admired for his rugged good looks even in his seventies.
108	* ThereAreNoCoincidences: If you add up the individual digits in the date of Sean Connery's death [10-31-20; one + zero + three + one + two + zero], they add up to... "007."
109	* {{Trope Namer\|s}}: For SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou and [[invoked]]SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery.
110	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
111	** He turned down both the roles of Gandalf in Creator/PeterJackson's adaptation of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' and the role of Albus Dumbledore in the ''Film/HarryPotter'' film series due to a dislike of the fantasy genre. Madnessh!
112	** He also turned down the role of the Architect in ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' and ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''. He said that both the Matrix and ''Lord of the Rings'' scripts made absolutely no sense to him when he read them. This gets weirder when you consider the film he did instead was ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen''. There are rumors that he had also been offered and turned down the role of Morpheus, but they are unconfirmed.
113	** Creator/IanFleming, the creator of the Franchise/JamesBond character which made Connery famous, reportedly disliked Connery being chosen for the role at first because he happened to be a big, stocky Scottish guy with a rough and rugged face as opposed to the more ''refined'' look Fleming imagined for the character.[[note]]His own preferred choice for the role was Creator/DavidNiven, famous for playing witty and urbane characters.[[/note]] Fleming later changed his mind after actually seeing Connery in action and, before he died, he even retconned Bond's origin to give him Scottish heritage (possibly just to make sure the cinematic and literary incarnations would match since he undoubtedly realized that the films would reach more people than the books).
114	** He was also considered for the voice of Cassim in ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', though the role ended up being played by Creator/JohnRhysDavies.
115	** Was considered for the voice of Professor Hale in the English dub of ''Anime/Pokemon3'', but turned it down (by which point the producers decided that celebrity voices would distract from the appeal of the franchise's world-building)[[note]]Ironically, Creator/VincentDOnofrio would very nearly be cast as the voice of Arceus in ''Anime/PokemonArceusAndTheJewelOfLife'' before being replaced at the last minute. Not to mention Creator/RyanReynolds as the titular character in ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu''[[/note]].
116	** Connery turned down an appearance in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', stating "Retirement is just too much damned fun." As a result, Henry Jones Sr. [[ActorLeavesCharacterDies was mentioned to have died between films]].
117	** Kincade in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' was written as a RemakeCameo for Connery, but it was decided that Connery's presence would have been too distracting, and it didn't seem right to make a Bond movie with Connery where he's not Bond (though given he didn't return for Indy 4 it's doubtful Connery would have accepted the part).

Context Creator / SeanConnery