Sir Sean’s brother dies at 82
THE younger brother of Sir Sean Connery has died only months after his star sibling.
Neil Connery, who lived in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, died on Monday, at the age of 82, after a long illness.
He gave up his job as a plasterer to join his more famous brother on the silver screen, finding brief stardom in a James Bond spoof, in which he played 007’s sibling.
Two years later, he landed the lead role in another film, The Body Stealers, before opting to return to his trade.
Though he appeared in an episode of TV police drama Taggart in 1989, he generally shunned the limelight.
His death was confirmed by his long-time friend Steve Begg, who wrote on Facebook: ‘My good friend and Edinburgh drinking buddy Neil Connery passed away early this morning, I am sad to report.
‘He considered me a lacklustre challenge when it came to the drinking stakes but I considered him with respect.
‘He looked and sounded like his big bro so going out with him was always interesting, to say the least. Miss you Neil.’
The Connery brothers were close growing up in Edinburgh and remained so once Sir Sean found fame.
Neil Connery once revealed how his Hollywood legend brother – who died in October last year, aged 90 – gave him suits, shoes, a Jaguar sports car and even clothes used in the Bond films. In the 1960s Mr Connery found his way into acting after an appearance on a radio show was heard by Terence Young, the director of three of the first four Bond films.
Italian director Dario Sabatello cast him in his Bond spoof Operation Kid Brother, which also featured real-life Bond stars Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell, who played M and Moneypenny respectively.
Speaking to the Mail in 2007, when the film was released on DVD, Mr Connery said: ‘I had no idea whatsoever how to make a film – but I was going to do it anyway.’
On his acting career, he said: ‘My connection to Sean opened a door but, when I walked through, I had to try twice as hard.’
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor, and daughters Martine and Leone.