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Sean Connery Dies at Age 90. Remembered as 'The Best of Many' James Bonds (chicagotribune.com) 140

In 1962 Sean Connery became the first actor to appear in movies as secret agent James Bond, and according to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 was "The best of the many Bonds, by far."

An anonymous reader writes: Connery influenced the character deeply. The Huffington Post once wrote that James Bond wasn't Scottish until Sean Connery played the role. Ian Fleming was still writing his series of James Bond novels, and "After seeing Connery in Dr. No and thinking the actor did a superb job, Fleming wrote Connery's heritage into the character. In the book You Only Live Twice, Fleming wrote that James Bond's father was Scottish and was from the town of Glencoe. Coincidentally, Connery would film Highlander in Glencoe decades later."

Sir Sean Connery — he was also knighted in the year 2000 — performed many other iconic roles throught his long career, even playing the father of Harrison Ford's character in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Leaving Bond behind, Connery appeared in many historical dramas, including the World War II movies The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, as well as The Man Who Would Be King, The Name of the Rose, and (in 2003) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But throughout his life he was always in demand for high-quality action films, from The Hunt for Red October to The Rock, even co-starring with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the romantic caper film Entrapment at the age of 69.

And in Terry Gilliam's movie Time Bandits, Connery appears as more than one character, hinting that beneath the individual roles lay some timeless embodiment of strength and goodness itself.

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Sean Connery Dies at Age 90. Remembered as 'The Best of Many' James Bonds

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  • by mckwant ( 65143 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @01:00PM (#60669374)

    This happened in You Only Live Twice.

    Fool me once...

  • Sad (Score:5, Funny)

    by NewtonsLaw ( 409638 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @01:03PM (#60669382)

    I am both shaken and stirred by this sad news.

  • by rednip ( 186217 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @01:06PM (#60669390) Journal
    He famously hated being James Bond. The fact that most headlines id him as 'James Bond' actor, is actually a little sad. Sure he got his start as Bond, but his career, like him was so much more. Thanks Highlander.
    • He was in The Longest Day well before he starred in James Bond. I dont even know if his character had a name, but he had a couple memorable lines over 2 scenes and worked essentially as comedic relief for the film.

    • Uhhhh, he wasn't the Highlander.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      He played a good Russian.

    • by dwywit ( 1109409 )

      I like Bond, but I prefer The Man who would be King, and The Name of the Rose.

      • Good luck finding The Name of the rose in North America to purchase (or even rent digitally), I've found it on windows rentals but no purchase available. Apparently I read its about that love scene with the girl and Slater, Slater was under 18 when he filmed that, so most places wont carry it.

        I agree though, to me its one of his top 5 movies.

        • by dwywit ( 1109409 )

          I have it on DVD, region 4 (Australia). There's some behind-the-scenes stuff, interviews, etc.

          I believe Slater's mother was present during filming of "that" scene.

          • Well that must have been awkward...I read that they didn't tell him what was going to happen and wanted his genuine surprised response. I'll have to look for a hard copy since its getting so hard to find.

            Sort of strange they can't just cut that scene a little short, its not like we need to know what happened any further with a properly placed cut.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by diems ( 6396892 )

      Fun fact, in the 1996 film "The Rock" his character was a British agent for Her Majesty's Secret Service who had been secretly jailed in the US for 30 years so he was basically playing James Bond again. I dont think he would have taken the part and that backstory if he still hated the character. Same as Leonard Nimoy who named a book "I am not Spock" then years later changed his mind and wrote the book "I am Spock".

  • by nagora ( 177841 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @01:14PM (#60669428)

    In his luxury house in the Bahamas ranting about how much he loved Scotland.

    • They make a big deal about how wonderful the country they left is and try and make their new country Just Like Home. I don't understand the mentality - if their country of origin is that wonderful why did they leave? Go back and pay your fucking taxes if you like it so much.

      • Why do you think "he left his cluntry"?
        He made "vacation" on the bahamas - because it is getting cold in Shottland, at that age I would do the same in winter.
        And with COVID and such he probably could not get home with out quarantine anyway.

        • by N1AK ( 864906 )

          He made "vacation" on the bahamas

          Bollocks. Why would you post a lie about something so well known and easy to validate. He stopped donating to the Scottish Nationalists in 2001 exactly because he wasn't eligible under new laws restricting overseas funding.

          • Why do you think I wrote "vacation" in quotes?
            You have a mental problem?
            I'm not lying, just for your interest :P I don't need to know anything or google anything about Sir Sean.

      • >They make a big deal about how wonderful the country they left is and
        >try and make their new country Just Like Home.

        This is why I want to build a wall.

        On the western border of Nevada . . .

        hawk

    • In his luxury house in the Bahamas ranting about how much he loved Scotland.

      Scotland is best admired from a distance.

    • by beckett ( 27524 )
      The problem with Scotland is that it's full of Scots
  • RIP - While I do certainly appreciate his competence and contribution to film overall, I can't understate his influence on my perception of the character of Bond, despite my having grown up with mainly Brosnan in the new films. Managed to subvert Goldfinger's expectations for some 56 years.
  • by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @01:40PM (#60669510) Homepage

    To me it always seemed like he was reading off a cheat board just off camera and if you watch his bonds now they seem fairly wooden though for the era his acting was par for the course. Personally I'd rate Dalton as the best Bond actor (though not the best Bond films by a long way) followed by Craig who has had the best films IMO.

    • Dalton and especially Craig are gritty, which is especially fitting for spy movies. Connery also portrayed grit as well as being a suave romantic lead appropriate to the time. Brosnan and Moore were pretty boys, good for drawing an audience but less effective at being believable undercover agents.
  • man now dog! Honestly I thought that movie was a joke but it's actually pretty good. Spawned a million memes too at ytmnd.org

  • Sir Sean Connery was one of the great ones. Fortunately his work will live on. rip

  • Possibly his best (sci-fi) role, super underrated flick. Always seemed like an unofficial Alien spin-off. He killed it in this.

    https://youtu.be/mYc2GQyrAlw [youtu.be]

    • "Possibly his best (sci-fi) role"

      you're forgetting about zardoz of course!

      • Zardoz is absurdist, something that could have come from a collaboration with a Python. Outland looks more like hard SF.
        • Absurdist sci-fi. It is horrible and brilliant, a rambling mess of perfect nonsense yet all the more engaging for it. Zardoz is a perfectly bad movie, and it is glorious.

  • by n3r0.m4dski11z ( 447312 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @02:34PM (#60669654) Homepage Journal

    Sean Connery: I've got to ask you about the Penis Mightier.

    Alex Trebek: What? No. No, no, that is The Pen is Mightier.

    Sean Connery: Gussy it up however you want, Trebek. What matters is does it work? Will it really mighty my penis, man?

    Alex Trebek: It's not a product, Mr. Connery.

    Sean Connery: Because I've ordered devices like that before â" wasted a pretty penny, I don't mind telling you. And if The Penis Mightier works, I'll order a dozen.

    Alex Trebek: It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery. There's no such thing!

    Nicholas Cage: Wait, wait, wait.. are you selling Penis Mightiers?

    Alex Trebek: No! No, I'm not.

    Sean Connery: Well, you're sitting on a gold mine, Trebek!

    RIP

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday October 31, 2020 @02:37PM (#60669666)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Vale old mate
  • Hollywood usually throws actors out to dry when they get around 45. He's one of the few who "was allowed" to stay on.

    Kind of like coders.

  • Sean Connery was such a badass, such a remarkable screen presence, that he could play a Russian submarine commander with a Scottish accent and nobody batted an eye.

    https://youtu.be/DWjJlErBPX4 [youtu.be]

  • Let's not forget his other roles. RIP.

  • In 1962 Sean Connery became the first actor to appear in movies as secret agent James Bond, and according to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 was "The best of the many Bonds, by far."

    Editor David needs to do some research.

    David Niven was James Bond before Sean Connery became Bond.

    • Sorry, I was wrong. I just seemed to recall that that version Casino Royale was older because it had that weird vibe that didn't fit with anything else.

  • It's a shame that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen essentially ended his career. Of course it didn't literally end it - Connery was offered many other roles and could pretty chose any project he wanted to participate in. However it left such a bad taste in his mouth - Connery clashed with the director during production, and the film was not received well by critics or the public - that he decided to retire for good. That film was supposed to have been a franchise, but like The Mummy (2017), the initi

    • by Megane ( 129182 )
      I don't think I could handle a Scottish Gandalf. The best was John Huston, but unfortunately he passed in 1987. It was a voice role only, but he would have done well in a movie role too.
  • Not to speak ill of the dead, but Daniel Craig is actually a better James Bond. His body language says "I am a dangerous man" without him even opening his mouth.

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