Sean Connery

Sean Connery, born in 1930, British motion-picture actor, best known for his portrayal of James Bond, secret agent 007, in the films based on the spy novels of British writer Ian Fleming. Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Scotland, he was employed in various manual jobs until his appearances in body-building competitions led to a job in the chorus of the London theater production of South Pacific (1951). In 1956 Connery began taking small roles in motion pictures. He played his first leading role in the film Another Time Another Place in 1958.

Connery gained wide popularity as a result of his performance in the role of James Bond in Doctor No (1962). Lead roles in five more Bond films followed: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). In attempts to escape being typecast, or repeatedly cast, as Bond, he took on more varied roles in such films as Marnie (1964), directed by American filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock; The Hill (1965), by American director Sydney Lumet; The Anderson Tapes (1972); Murder on the Orient Express (1974), based on the novel by English writer Agatha Christie; and The Man Who Would Be King (1975), directed by American filmmaker John Huston. He returned in the role of James Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983).

In 1988 Connery won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in The Untouchables (1987). He went on to star as the hero's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Connery also starred in the popular films The Name of the Rose (1986), Highlander (1986), The Russia House (1990), Medicine Man (1992), Rising Sun (1993), First Knight (1995), Just Cause (1995), The Rock (1996), The Avengers (1998), Finding Forrester (2000), and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).

Connery has been a dedicated supporter of Scottish independence, and he campaigned for the referendum that gave Scotland its own parliament in 1997. In 2000 he was knighted for his services to film drama.