It was the role of his life: As a secret agent James Bond, Sir Sean Connery became world-famous as the first actor of the character. However, Connery, who died at the age of 90, never completely got rid of his Bond image.
Former bodybuilder Thomas Sean Connery, who was born in Edinburgh on August 25, 1930, as the son of a cleaning lady and a worker, started his Bond career with "James Bond chases Dr. No". The third film "Goldfinger" (1964) at the latest triggered a global bond mania; after his fifth agent assignment "You Only Live Twice" (1967) he had enough. In 1971, Connery was surprisingly persuaded to make a comeback in "Diamond Fever".
"Never again Bond", he is supposed to have said afterward - and played him again. "Never say never" was the winking title. The remake of the 1965 Bond flick "Fireball" is not part of the official Bond series and ran in 1983 in competition with "Octopussy" with Roger Moore.
Beyond 007, the actor was convincing as a rebellious soldier in the anti-war drama "A Heap of Great Dogs", alongside his friend Michael Caine as an adventurer in "The Man Who Wanted to Be King" or as a desperate police officer in the psychological thriller "His life in my power" falls apart on a child abuse case. Critics praised these films, but they did not become box office hits.
It wasn't until the mid-1980s that Connery really established himself in Hollywood. He was the cool swordsman Ramirez in the fantasy hit "Highlander", excited as a monk in the medieval thriller "The Name of the Rose" and amused the audience as Indiana Jones' curious father. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in his hometown of Edinburgh. The actor had his last film appearance in 2003 in the film "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Then he withdrew from the public.
He celebrated his 90th birthday in August.