Since 2014, The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series has presented several James Bond events in partnership with the Ian Fleming Foundation. Prior to the COVID pandemic, discussions had been underway about a possible event honoring Sean Connery’s 90th birthday in 2020. That event never happened. This has been a difficult year for many reasons, but it has become a little more difficult with the sad news that Sir Sean Connery passed away on October 31.
Sean Connery was the first and, for many, the best James Bond. His unforgettable introduction— “Bond, James Bond”– launched a billion dollar franchise and propelled Connery to the status of screen legend.
As James Bond…
Fellow Bond Daniel Craig released a statement calling Connery “one of the true greats of cinema,” adding, “Sir Sean Connery will be remembered as Bond and so much more. He defined an era and a style. The wit and charm he portrayed on screen could be measured in megawatts; he helped create the modern blockbuster. He will continue to influence actors and film-makers alike for years to come.”
Connery almost didn’t play 007. Bond creator Ian Fleming was not a fan of Connery’s casting—at least, initially. He once called him an “overdeveloped stuntman.” At the time, Fleming envisioned David Niven or Cary Grant in the role. Eventually, though, with the success of 1962’s Dr. No, Connery grew on the novelist. Connery would play James Bond a total of seven times, including his swansong in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. But fans acknowledge that the best films in the series remain the early ones, particularly 1963’s From Russia With Love and 1964’s Goldfinger.
Sean Connery in Goldfinger
The son of a factory worker from Scotland, Connery joined the Royal Navy at 16. His rugged good looks got him noticed. His career began with a “Mr. Universe” competition, which opened the door into acting. Although James Bond made him an international superstar in the 1960s, he grew weary of the role. His career extended well beyond Bond– from winning an Oscar for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop in 1987’s The Untouchables to playing a Russian submarine commander in 1990’s The Hunt for Red October. He was a commanding presence and usually the best thing in many of his later films. His voice was instantly recognizable– always with that signature Scottish accent.
One of Connery’s favorite roles was that of Daniel Dravot in John Huston’s The Man Who Would Be King (1975), based on the story by Rudyard Kipling. In it, Connery and co-star Michael Caine played a couple of British sergeants with a plan to create their own empire in faraway Kafiristan. The film remains one of the best from Connery’s post-‘60s Bond period.
However, movie fans who grew up in the 1980s will always cherish his role as Harrison Ford’s distant father, Professor Henry Jones, Sr., in Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989.
A Hollywood heartthrob, he was voted People Magazine‘s “Sexiest Man of the Year” in 1989 (at age 59), although that’s not how he saw himself! Connery would be honored by presidents and knighted by the Queen of England, and he would even be parodied on Saturday Night Live in a recurring “Jeopardy!” skit!
Connery’s final appearance in a live-action film was 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen—a film so dismal it was a major factor in his decision to leave Hollywood. After half a century on the screen, he retired to the Bahamas. In his last years, Connery battled dementia and was rarely seen in public. He died at age 90 peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Micheline, and his son, Jason Connery.
To the world, he will forever live on as the suave secret agent– the one and only Bond, James Bond.
With Harrison Ford
