Post by andi on Jan 29, 2006 4:07:52 GMT 10
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Oscar winning Scottish actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. His birth name was Thomas Connery. The name "Sean" was added later as a stage name.
Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and his good looks, repeatedly mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines even after he was considerably older than more conventional sex symbols. Some consider him more handsome now than when he was younger.
Personal Life:
Connery was born in Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a Christian mixed-denomination couple. His father, Joseph Connery, was a Catholic of Irish descent with roots in County Wexford, Ireland and his mother, Euphamia "Effie" Maclean, was Protestant. Neither Tommy (Sean) nor his brother, Neil, were raised Catholic. He claims that he was called by his middle name of Sean long before he became an actor, explaining that he had an Irish friend named Seamus (pronounced Sha-mus) and those who knew them decided to call him by his middle name, which started with an "S", whenever he was with Seamus, and it stuck. He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including truck driver, labourer and lifeguard. He competed for Scotland in the Mr. Universe competition in 1950, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film. As a weight lifter, his nickname was "Big Tam".
He has long advocated Scottish independence, and has supported the Scottish National Party, a political party campaigning for Scottish self-government, financially and through personal appearances. This support is illustrated by a comment from his official website:
"While it is generally accepted that his support of Scotland's independence and the Scottish National Party delayed his knighthood for many years, his commitment to Scotland has never wavered. Politics in the United Kingdom often has more intrigue than a James Bond plot. While Scotland is not yet independent, she does have a new parliament. Sir Sean campaigned hard for the yes vote during the Scottish Referendum that created the new Scottish Parliament. He believes firmly that the Scottish Parliament will grow in power and that Scotland will be independent within his lifetime."
Connery used part of the fees from his work as James Bond to establish a charity to support deprived children in Edinburgh as well as Scottish Film production. These charitable works may have earned him a Knighthood earlier, but it was revealed in 1997 that the award had been declined by the Labour government due to his support for the SNP.
Connery received the Légion d'honneur in 1991. He received Kennedy Center Honors from the United States in 1999, presented to him by President Bill Clinton. He received a knighthood on July 5, 2000, wearing a hunting tartan kilt of the MacLean of Duart clan. Sean Connery received the Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero from Mireya Moscoso, former president of Panama on 11 March 2003, for his talent and versatility as an actor.
He was married to Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). Since 1975, he has been married to French-Moroccan artist Micheline Roquebrune Connery. With Cilento he had a son, Jason Connery, who also became an actor, and was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England.
In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after he pulled out of Josiah's Canon, which is to be released in 2005. However, in a December 2004 interview with The Scotsman newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, the then-74 year-old actor denied he was retiring and said he would like to make another movie, but that he is taking a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his autobiography, but now the book will no longer be written. Just weeks before his 75th birthday, over the weekend of July 30th/31st 2005, it was widely reported in the broadcast media, and again in The Scotsman which credited the source as an interview in an unspecified New Zealand newspaper, that he had decided to retire from film making following disillusionment with the "idiots now in Hollywood" and the turmoil making and box office failure of the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
As a personality he has been accused of being an overbearing bully but has also been praised as a highly professional and polite actor courteous and supportive of those around him. He made a big impression on actors such as Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, and Christopher Lambert, who considered him a great friend during filming.
Filmography:
Lilacs in the Spring(1955) (role unconfirmed)
No Road Back (1957)
Hell Drivers (1957)
Action of the Tiger (1957)
Time Lock (1957)
Another Time, Another Place (1958)
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959)
On the Fiddle (1961)
The Frightened City (1961)
The Longest Day (1962)
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Women of Straw (1964)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Hill (1965)
Thunderball (1965)
A New World (1966) (Cameo)
A Fine Madness (1966)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Shalako (1968)
The Bowler and the Bonnet (1969) (documentary) (also director)
The Molly Maguires (1970)
The Red Tent (1971)
The Anderson Tapes (1971)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
A Spain Golf Course (1972) (short subject)
The Offence (1973)
Zardoz (1974)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
The Terrorists (1975)
The Dream Factory (1975) (documentary)
The Wind and the Lion (1975)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Robin and Marian (1976)
The Next Man (1976)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
The Great Train Robbery (1979)
Meteor (1979)
Cuba (1979)
Outland (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
G'ole! (1982) (documentary) (narrator)
Five Days One Summer (1982)
Wrong Is Right (1982)
Sean Connery's Edinburgh (1983) (short subject)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984)
Highlander (1986)
The Name of the Rose (1986)
The Untouchables (1987) as Jim Malone
The Presidio (1988)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
The Russia House (1990)
Family Business (1991)
Medicine Man (1992) (also executive producer)
Rising Sun (1993) (also executive producer)
A Good Man in Africa (1994)
Just Cause (1995)
First Knight (1995)
Dragonheart (1996) (voice)
The Rock (1996) (also executive producer)
The Avengers (1998)
Entrapment (1999) (also producer)
Finding Forrester (2000)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
James Bond 007: From Russia with Love (2005) (voice)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Oscar winning Scottish actor who has starred in many films and is best known as the original cinematic James Bond. His birth name was Thomas Connery. The name "Sean" was added later as a stage name.
Connery is known for his trademark Scottish accent and his good looks, repeatedly mentioned as one of the most attractive men alive by magazines even after he was considerably older than more conventional sex symbols. Some consider him more handsome now than when he was younger.
Personal Life:
Connery was born in Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a Christian mixed-denomination couple. His father, Joseph Connery, was a Catholic of Irish descent with roots in County Wexford, Ireland and his mother, Euphamia "Effie" Maclean, was Protestant. Neither Tommy (Sean) nor his brother, Neil, were raised Catholic. He claims that he was called by his middle name of Sean long before he became an actor, explaining that he had an Irish friend named Seamus (pronounced Sha-mus) and those who knew them decided to call him by his middle name, which started with an "S", whenever he was with Seamus, and it stuck. He joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, and after being discharged on medical grounds went on to a succession of jobs, including truck driver, labourer and lifeguard. He competed for Scotland in the Mr. Universe competition in 1950, which led to work on the stage, TV, and eventually film. As a weight lifter, his nickname was "Big Tam".
He has long advocated Scottish independence, and has supported the Scottish National Party, a political party campaigning for Scottish self-government, financially and through personal appearances. This support is illustrated by a comment from his official website:
"While it is generally accepted that his support of Scotland's independence and the Scottish National Party delayed his knighthood for many years, his commitment to Scotland has never wavered. Politics in the United Kingdom often has more intrigue than a James Bond plot. While Scotland is not yet independent, she does have a new parliament. Sir Sean campaigned hard for the yes vote during the Scottish Referendum that created the new Scottish Parliament. He believes firmly that the Scottish Parliament will grow in power and that Scotland will be independent within his lifetime."
Connery used part of the fees from his work as James Bond to establish a charity to support deprived children in Edinburgh as well as Scottish Film production. These charitable works may have earned him a Knighthood earlier, but it was revealed in 1997 that the award had been declined by the Labour government due to his support for the SNP.
Connery received the Légion d'honneur in 1991. He received Kennedy Center Honors from the United States in 1999, presented to him by President Bill Clinton. He received a knighthood on July 5, 2000, wearing a hunting tartan kilt of the MacLean of Duart clan. Sean Connery received the Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero from Mireya Moscoso, former president of Panama on 11 March 2003, for his talent and versatility as an actor.
He was married to Australian-born actress Diane Cilento from 1962 until 1973 (he was her second husband). Since 1975, he has been married to French-Moroccan artist Micheline Roquebrune Connery. With Cilento he had a son, Jason Connery, who also became an actor, and was educated at Millfield School in Somerset, England.
In September 2004, media reports indicated that Connery intended to retire after he pulled out of Josiah's Canon, which is to be released in 2005. However, in a December 2004 interview with The Scotsman newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, the then-74 year-old actor denied he was retiring and said he would like to make another movie, but that he is taking a break from acting in order to concentrate on writing his autobiography, but now the book will no longer be written. Just weeks before his 75th birthday, over the weekend of July 30th/31st 2005, it was widely reported in the broadcast media, and again in The Scotsman which credited the source as an interview in an unspecified New Zealand newspaper, that he had decided to retire from film making following disillusionment with the "idiots now in Hollywood" and the turmoil making and box office failure of the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
As a personality he has been accused of being an overbearing bully but has also been praised as a highly professional and polite actor courteous and supportive of those around him. He made a big impression on actors such as Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, and Christopher Lambert, who considered him a great friend during filming.
Filmography:
Lilacs in the Spring(1955) (role unconfirmed)
No Road Back (1957)
Hell Drivers (1957)
Action of the Tiger (1957)
Time Lock (1957)
Another Time, Another Place (1958)
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959)
On the Fiddle (1961)
The Frightened City (1961)
The Longest Day (1962)
Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Women of Straw (1964)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Hill (1965)
Thunderball (1965)
A New World (1966) (Cameo)
A Fine Madness (1966)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Shalako (1968)
The Bowler and the Bonnet (1969) (documentary) (also director)
The Molly Maguires (1970)
The Red Tent (1971)
The Anderson Tapes (1971)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
A Spain Golf Course (1972) (short subject)
The Offence (1973)
Zardoz (1974)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
The Terrorists (1975)
The Dream Factory (1975) (documentary)
The Wind and the Lion (1975)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Robin and Marian (1976)
The Next Man (1976)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
The Great Train Robbery (1979)
Meteor (1979)
Cuba (1979)
Outland (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
G'ole! (1982) (documentary) (narrator)
Five Days One Summer (1982)
Wrong Is Right (1982)
Sean Connery's Edinburgh (1983) (short subject)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984)
Highlander (1986)
The Name of the Rose (1986)
The Untouchables (1987) as Jim Malone
The Presidio (1988)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
The Russia House (1990)
Family Business (1991)
Medicine Man (1992) (also executive producer)
Rising Sun (1993) (also executive producer)
A Good Man in Africa (1994)
Just Cause (1995)
First Knight (1995)
Dragonheart (1996) (voice)
The Rock (1996) (also executive producer)
The Avengers (1998)
Entrapment (1999) (also producer)
Finding Forrester (2000)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
James Bond 007: From Russia with Love (2005) (voice)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery