Sir Thomas Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh on 25 August 1930 from a farmer father and then a truck driver of Irish origins and from his mother Euphemia McBain, a Scottish waitress. He left his studies at an early age, at 16, to enlist in the British Navy but at the age of 20 he was discharged due to a severe stomach ulcer. Tall (almost 1.90 m), good-looking and endowed with a bewitching charm, at the age of 23 he took part in the Mister Universe competition as a representative of Scotland, finishing in third place.
The big break in cinema comes in the early 1960s: Italian-American producer Albert R. Broccoli chooses Sean Connery to play secret agent James Bond, star of a popular series of novels written by the English Ian Fleming.
Here begins his career, which leads him to act in great films such as The longest day, The Straw Woman e Murder on the Orient Express. However, we will talk about the roles that made him an unforgettable icon of cinema, starting with the first, which he will reprise 5 more times.
James Bond, Agent 007
Agent 007 – License to Kill (1962);
Agent 007 – From Russia with Love (1963);
Agent 007 – Goldfinger Mission (1964);
Agent 007 – Thunderball (Operation Thunder,1965);
Agent 007 – You only live twice (1967);
Agent 007 – A cascade of diamonds (1971);
Never say never (1983).
In a world split by the Iron Curtain that divides the Soviet bloc from the Atlantic bloc, James Bond aka 007 is the best agent of MI6, the British Majesty’s secret service. With sagacity and contempt of danger he manages on several occasions to save the world, not only from the Soviet Union but also from the criminal organization known as SPECTER. beautiful women, especially dangerous ones. Thanks to its charm, it conquers almost all of them, starting with Ursula Andress, up to the debutant Kim Basinger. The definition of ‘Bond Girl‘, still used today.
Mark Rutland (Marnie 1964)
Marnie from Alfred Hitchcock it represents an opportunity to get out of the role of James Bond of which, although it had made him rich and famous, Connery felt a prisoner. Tall and handsome, Connery physically resembles the English director’s favorite actors, James Stewart e Cary Grant, but it comes with a much more aggressive appeal than the two. Apparently it was the screenwriter of the film, Jay Presson Allen who suggested him for the role. Mark Rutland is a powerful widowed businessman who falls in love with the kleptomaniac and frigid Marnie and is committed to resolving her psychological traumas. In this part Sean Connery proves all his worth and reputation – although the film addresses itchy themes that make it a failure – it comes out well established.
Joe Roberts (The hill of dishonor 1965)
This Sidney Lumet film marks Connery’s debut in the prison film genre. Joe Roberts is a soldier accused of cowardice and demoted for assaulting an officer. In reality, the altercation had arisen from Roberts’ refusal to attempt a second assault on the enemy after his company had been decimated in the first sortie. Joe Roberts is a highly dramatic character, harassed during his captivity by the sinister Sergeant Williams: initially despised by the other prisoners because he was considered a coward, Roberts does not shy away from the clashes, winning their loyalty to the point of extreme sacrifice.
William of Baskerville (The name of the Rose, 1986)
Russell Mulcahy (Highlander – the last immortal 1986)
Henry Jones Sr. (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989)
William of Baskerville (The Name of the Rose 1986)
Commander 1 rank Marko Ramius (Hunt for Red October 1990)
Jimmy Malone (The Untouchables 1987)
William Forrester (Discovering Forrester 2000)
