Post by dreamy on Jun 11, 2006 19:01:59 GMT 10
Sir Sean thanks his primary teachers as he picks up top Hollywood award
ALISON HARDIE
SIR Sean Connery has paid tribute to his Edinburgh primary school teachers at a Hollywood ceremony to mark his lifetime of achievement in films.
The former Bond actor told a star-studded audience that he had only realised in his 70s that the gift of reading he had been given aged five had been responsible for his "big break" into showbusiness.
Connery became the 34th person to receive the prestigious lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute at a glittering reception at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, on Thursday.
The Scot, whose portrayal of 007 secret agent James Bond remains the quintessential image of Ian Fleming's iconic character, was feted by Hollywood's elite as they looked back at his career.
Directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and actors Harrison Ford, Andy Garcia and Mike Myers were among the stars who cheered on the legendary actor at the ceremony.
Myers wore a dinner jacket and kilt to honour the Scottish actor.
"Men want to be him, women want him, and in my case I both want to be him and want him," Myers joked.
"He's extremely professional, very talented and has an amazingly strong presence on the screen," Lucas said from the red carpet.
Connery thanked the audience for "one hell of an evening".
And in an emotional tribute to his teachers at his primary school in Fountainbridge, he said: "I got my big break when I was five years old, and it's taken more than 70 years to realise it.
"At five I learned to read, and I would not be standing here without the books, plays and scripts."
Connery was launched to stardom in the 1960s and 1970s, playing agent "Bond, James Bond", as he introduced himself.
He also starred in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, The Hunt For Red October and The Untouchables, which earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor.
Past recipients of the lifetime award include Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and George Lucas.
The honour may persuade Connery to review his promise never to make another movie. His friend, the film critic Barry Norman, told a newspaper yesterday: "Sean keeps insisting he has retired after more than 70 films, but his motto has always been Never Say Never Again - the title of his 1983 Bond film. So when he says he's given up movies I take it with a large pinch of salt."
Connery was born in Edinburgh in 1930 and joined the Navy at the age of 16. A stomach ulcer cut short his career at sea and, while undertaking jobs such as coffin-polishing, he took up bodybuilding.
Connery was talent-spotted when he entered Mr Universe and quickly graduated to Hollywood as a character actor.
Many critics and fans have said that the quality of his acting has only improved with age. Certainly, his personal appeal has. At almost 60 years of age he was voted People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive". When he found out about the award, he replied: "Well there aren't many sexy dead men, are there?"
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=855032006