USA TODAY International Edition
Goodnight, Mr. Bond: Connery’s iconic career
Yet his varied career rests on his suave superspy
The rugged Scottish actor, who died Saturday at age 90, epitomized the suave James Bond spy he played seven times in film.
Goodnight, Mr. Bond.
Villain Auric Goldfinger uttered that line in the 1964 James Bond classic “Goldfinger.” The suave 007 managed to escape, of course, playing Bond seven times after debuting as the first Bond in film with 1962’ s “Dr. No.”
The Oscar- winning Connery died at age 90, family spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer confirmed to USA TODAY on Saturday.
“His wife Micheline and his two sons, Jason and Stephane, have confirmed that he died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family,” Seltzer said. “There will be a private ceremony followed by a memorial yet to be planned once the virus has ended.”
Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were “devastated by the news.”
“He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words – ‘ The name’s Bond ... James Bond,’” they said in a statement.
During his 007 tenure, Connery was the epitome of the suave but dangerous spy with a license to kill and the authority to flaunt his famously hairy chest in the process.
The legion of diehard Connery fans would adamantly insist that no one else could truly be referred to as Mr. Bond, not even the actors who followed in Connery’s footsteps.
“Sean Connery was the first and most culturally influential Bond,” says Bill Desowitz, author of “James Bond Unmasked.”
“He combined tough working- class appeal with a smooth sense of refinement. The other Bonds have been chasing his shadow ever since. For a generation, Connery will forever remain the first and only James Bond.”
Director Steven Spielberg summed up the rugged Scotsman’s instanta
neous worldwide impact when presenting Connery with his American Film Institute lifetime achievement award in 2006.
“The moment Sean Connery introduced himself as Bond, he became the man all men wanted to be and all women just wanted,” Spielberg said.
The journey to that screen moment was a long one for Connery, born Aug. 25, 1930, to Joseph and Euphamia Connery, a factory worker/ truck driver and cleaning lady. The young Connery worked in menial jobs such as bricklayer, lifeguard and even a coffin polisher after three years of naval service.
Connery capitalized on his good looks as a bodybuilder and model.
After transitioning into acting, it took nearly eight years of bit parts before the aspiring actor would appear in his first leading role opposite Lana Turner in 1958’ s “Another Time, Another Place,” followed by a singing lead role in Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” ( 1959).
Three years later, he appeared in “Dr. No,” first uttering the immortal 007 introduction, “Bond, James Bond,” while lighting a cigarette in black tie.
Connery learned how to portray the glamorous world of a screen spy under the tutelage of “Dr. No” director and bon vivant Terence Young. Young showed Connery how to eat and walk and fueled Connery’s interest in the fine clothing Bond inhabits.
“You have to work very hard to make something look easy,” Connery told USA TODAY in 2006 of his Bond portrayal. With his clothing, cars and women, Bond was an immediate culture changer in depressed postwar Britain and worldwide. “Connery was fresh and outside of the box. He was a younger, more dangerous Cary Grant,” Desowitz says. “Even his walk conveyed this sense of power and sexiness.”
Connery returned as Bond in 1963’ s “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” 1965’ s “Thunderball” and 1967’ s “You Only Live Twice.” before stepped away from the prime franchise for myriad reasons – including the pursuit of more varied roles and the public pressure playing the instantly iconic character. But the allure was too much to quit. He was coaxed back for 1971’ s “Diamonds Are Forever” and 1983’ s “Never Say Never Again.”
Away from Bond, Connery received the breadth of roles and acting accolades for which he yearned. He played British military officer Colonel Arbuthnot in 1974’ s “Murder on the Orient Express” and adventurer Daniel Dravot in director John Huston’s “The Man Who Would Be King” ( 1975).
Connery played the immortal Juan Sánchez- Villalobos Ramírez in 1986’ s “Highlander” and 1991’ s “Highlander II: The Quickening,” the only character besides Bond he played in more than one film. He was Irish- American officer Jim Malone working for Kevin Costner’s Eliot Ness in 1987’ s “The Untouchables,” which earned Connery an Oscar at age 57. “Patience truly is a virtue,” Connery said in his acceptance speech.
Spielberg cast Connery, then 58, to play Indiana Jones’ cantankerous father alongside Harrison Ford in 1989’ s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
Connery’s celebrity came with controversy: During a 1987 TV interview, Connery held his ground on past inflammatory comments about striking a woman “if it merits it ... I think it’s absolutely right.”
But the actor weathered the outrage. Connery was proclaimed People’s Sexiest Man Alive at 59 in 1989. When he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2000, he declared it “one of the proudest days of my life.”
During a public appearance in August 2017, when the actor showed up at New York’s U. S. Open, Connery beamed when his image was displayed as the loudspeaker blasted the Bond theme. In August 2020, he easily topped all screen Bonds in a Radio Times fan poll, 37 years after his final performance.
“Connery did have that great career he wanted beyond the scope of Bond,” Desowitz says. “But for many, Sean Connery will be remembered as 007. That’s his enduring legacy.”