Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Originating the role in "Dr. No", Connery played Bond in six of Eon Productions' entries and made his final appearance in the Jack Schwartzman-produced "Never Say Never Again".
Connery was a keen footballer, having played for Bonnyrigg Rose in his younger days. He was offered a trial with East Fife. While on tour with South Pacific, Connery played in a football match against a local team that Matt Busby, manager of Manchester United, happened to be scouting. According to reports, Busby was impressed with his physical prowess and offered Connery a contract worth £25 a week (equivalent to £703 in 2019) immediately after the game. Connery said he was tempted to accept, but he recalls, "I realized that a top-class footballer could be over the hill by the age of 30, and I was already 23. I decided to become an actor and it turned out to be one of my more intelligent moves".
His achievements in film were recognised with an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (including the BAFTA Fellowship), and three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award. In 1987, he was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, and he received the US Kennedy Center Honors lifetime achievement award in 1999. Connery was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to film drama.
In 2004, a poll in the UK Sunday Herald recognized Connery as "The Greatest Living Scot" and a 2011 EuroMillions survey named him "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". He was voted by People magazine as the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and the "Sexiest Man of the Century" in 1999.
Connery's first job was as a milkman in Edinburgh with St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society. In 2009, Connery recalled a conversation in a taxi:
In 1946, at the age of 16, Connery joined the Royal Navy, during which time he acquired two tattoos, of which his official website says "unlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous — his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. ... One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads 'Mum and Dad', and the other is self-explanatory, 'Scotland Forever'".
He trained in Portsmouth at the naval gunnery school and in an anti-aircraft crew. He was later assigned as an Able Seaman on HMS Formidable. Connery was discharged from the navy at the age of 19 on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family.
Afterwards, he returned to the co-op, then worked as, among other things, a lorry driver, a lifeguard at Portobello swimming baths, a labourer, an artist's model for the Edinburgh College of Art, and after a suggestion by former Mr. Scotland, Archie Brennan, a coffin polisher. The modelling earned him 15 shillings an hour. Artist Richard Demarco, at the time a student who painted several early pictures of Connery, described him as "very straight, slightly shy, too, too beautiful for words, a virtual Adonis".
Connery began bodybuilding at the age of 18, and from 1951 trained heavily with Ellington, a former gym instructor in the British Army. While his official website states he was third in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest, most sources place him in the 1953 competition, either third in the Junior class or failing to place in the Tall Man classification. Connery said he was soon deterred from bodybuilding when he found that Americans frequently beat him in competitions because of sheer muscle size and, unlike Connery, refused to participate in athletic activity which could make them lose muscle mass.
Connery's breakthrough came in the role of British secret agent James Bond. He was reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the films succeeded, his career would greatly benefit. Between 1962 and 1967, Connery played 007 in Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice, the first five Bond films produced by Eon Productions. After departing from the role, Connery returned for the seventh film, Diamonds Are Forever, in 1971. Connery made his final appearance as Bond in Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of Thunderball produced by Jack Schwartzman's Taliafilm. All seven films were commercially successful. James Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute.
Connery died in his sleep on 31 October 2020, aged 90, at his home in the Lyford Cay community of Nassau in The Bahamas. His death was announced by his family and Eon Productions; although they did not disclose the cause of death, his son Jason said he had been unwell for some time. A day later, Connery's wife Micheline Roquebrune explained he had dementia in his final years. Connery's death certificate was obtained by TMZ a month after his death, showing that he died of pneumonia and heart failure, and the time of death was listed as 1:30 a.m. He was cremated after his death, and his ashes scattered in Scotland.
If you want to read a whole lot more about him, go here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 (4-serving-size) package instant vanilla pudding and pie filling mix
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
- 1 (6-ounce) prepared chocolate cookie pie crust
- 1 tube black decorating frosting, optional
- Halloween candies for decorating, optional
- In a large bowl, combine milk and pudding mix, and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add cream cheese, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice; beat until smooth. Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie crust and spread remaining whipped topping over pie.
- Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight until firm. If desired, decorate pie as shown in photo. Pipe frosting in circles, and starting in the center of the circle, drag a knife to the outside, creating a web design. Garnish with Halloween candies, if desired.
Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re in a rush to serve this, go ahead and pop the pie in the freezer, rather than overnight in the fridge until it firms up. When ready to serve, leave it out at room temperature for 15 minutes and dig in.
2008 – Delta Air Lines merges with Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest airline and reducing the number of US legacy carriers to five.
2012 – Hurricane Sandy hits the east coast of the United States, killing 148 directly and 138 indirectly, while leaving nearly $70 billion in damages and causing major power outages.
1948 – Kate Jackson, American actress
1971 – Winona Ryder, American actress
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