Sean Connery

He was offered the role of Robert Elliott by Brian De Palma in Dressed to Kill and was enthusiastic about it, but declined on account of previously acquired commitments.

In October 1997, he was ranked #14 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

In 1953, he entered the Mr. Universe contest, finishing third in the tall mans division.

He was voted People magazines "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989.

He is the father of Jason Connery.

He wore a toupee in all the James Bond movies. He started losing his hair at the age of 17, and began wearing a hairpiece in films in 1958. Privately and in most of his post-Bond movies he did not wear a toupee.

He has two small tattoos on his right arm. One says "Scotland forever", the other "Mum and Dad." He got them when he enlisted in the Royal Navy at the age of 16.

He took dancing lessons for 11 years. His teacher was the Swedish dancer Yat Malmgren.

He had radiation therapy for an undisclosed throat ailment in 1993. In a February 1995 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Connery said the treatment had been to remove benign tumors from his vocal chords after he found himself losing his voice while filming Rising Sun .

He donated his salary from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to charity.

He formerly worked as a coffin polisher.

He is the older brother of Neil Connery.

He formerly worked as a milk delivery man.

He is a major contributor to the Scottish National Party (SNP). This was stopped for a while when the ruling Labour government said people living outside of the United Kingdom would not be allowed to donate money to British political parties.

In 1999, he was voted Sexiest Man of the Century by People Magazine.

He said in an interview that during the filming of Never Say Never Again , he was taking martial arts lessons and in the process angered the instructor who in turn broke his wrist. Connery stayed with the wrist broken for a number of years thinking it was only a minor pain... the instructor was Steven Seagal.

He is the recipient of 22nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture, presented by President Bill Clinton in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1999.

He used to live in Marbella, Spain, near a golf course where he played daily when not filming. He left following disagreements with the local press, and now resides in the Bahamas where he plays golf much less frequently.

He has his own film production company (Fountainbridge Films). Fountainbridge is an area of Edinburgh where he was born.

He was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2000 Queens Millennium Honors List for his services to Film Drama. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in an hour-long investiture ceremony at Edinburghs Holyrood Palace in Scotland on July 5, 2000 accompanied by his wife, Micheline, and brother, Neil, were by his side.

He is noted to be one of writer John Gardner favorite actors in mind when he wrote the novel "Scorpius", one of his total of 16 novels about James Bond.

In 1995, he was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#7).

In 1997, his grandson, Dashiell Connery (Dashiell Quinn Connery), was born.

Gert Gnther Hoffmann was his German voice for years and even though his voice was very low it fitted the charismatic and charming part of Connery perfectly. Gert Gunther Hoffmann died in 1997. The following dubbers deep voice was incredibly equal to Connerys real one...Manfred Wagner died after dubbing two Sean Connery films, First Knight and The Rock .

He joined the Merchant Navy as a teenager but stomach ulcers forced him to leave. He received a disability pension for a period after this.

After his service with the Merchant Navy, he worked as a nude model for Edinburgh art students.

During his time as a milkman, Connery delivered to Fettes School in Edinburgh - the same school which James Bond attended in Ian Fleming s novels following his expulsion from Eton.

He received the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh in 1991.

He was paid a huge sum to return as James Bond for Diamonds Are Forever , setting a record. It was donated to his Scottish charity.

He caused an uproar in a December 1987 interview with Barbara Walters in which he said it was OK to hit a woman if she deserved it or needed it to keep her in line. He had said similar things in a November 1965 interview with Playboy magazine.

He ranked first among the Male British movie actors in the Orange Film Survey of 10,000 voters.

Actress Mia Sara is his ex-daughter-in-law.

He received the honorary degree of DLitt from St Andrews University in 1988.

He turned down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings series ( The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ) because he didnt want to film down in New Zealand for 18 months, and could not understand the novels.

He declared in March 2003 that he would not return home until Scotland is an independent country. He believes this can still happen during his lifetime.

He was parodied on "Saturday Night Live" by Darrell Hammond , most famously as a bumbling contestant on the TV game show "Jeopardy!" .

His favorite Bond film is From Russia with Love .

He has played four kings: King Daniel Dravot in The Man Who Would Be King , King Agamemnon in Time Bandits , King Richard in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and King Arthur in First Knight .

Whilst filming Playing by Heart he loved playing and even made a friendship with three and a half year old Piper Maru Anderson; daughter of an actress Gillian Anderson who played Meredith (a daughter of Seans character).

According to a poll, conducted by British film magazine Empire, he created the worst accent in the history of cinema in the movie The Untouchables .

Ian Fleming , the creator of James Bond, originally did not like him being cast as Bond for Dr. No because he felt that he was too "unrefined". The actor whom Fleming embodied Bond in Flemings mind was Cary Grant. Fleming later changed his mind and admitted he was ideally cast in the role.

He turned down the role of the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions .

He won the role of James Bond after producer Albert R. Broccoli attended a screening of Sean in Darby OGill and the Little People . He was particularly impressed with the fistfight Sean has with a village bully at the climax of the film. Cubby later had his wife, writer Dana Broccoli , see the film and she confirmed his sex appeal.

He was voted the 24th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

He and his son, actor Jason Connery , have both played Robin Hood. Sean played an aging Robin Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in Robin and Marian . Jason played Robin Hood, AKA: Robert of Huntingdon, in the television series "Robin of Sherwood" . Jason also played Ian Fleming in the television movie The Secret Life of Ian Fleming . Fleming was the author of the James Bond novels that made Sean famous in 1962.

Connery received excellent notices for his starring role in Macbeth and longed to make a film of "The Scottish Play." His plans for a film in the early 1970s were terminated by the production of Roman Polanski s The Tragedy of Macbeth .

He had a difficult time getting work after he abandoned the James Bond role a second time after Diamonds Are Forever for which he received a record salary. Director John Boorman thus was able to hire him very cheaply for his low-budget production of Zardoz .

He was voted Best British Actor of all time in a poll for Sky TV [Feb 2005].

Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli , the original producers of the James Bond films, cast him because they liked how he was a big, tough-looking man who nonetheless moved gracefully ("like a cat").

Premiere Magazine ranked him as #36 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.

He had cataracts removed from both eyes in 2003.

He played James Bond in Thunderball . 18 years later, he reprized the role in the films remake, Never Say Never Again . He is the only Bond actor to appear in both EON and non EON productions of Bond.

He turned down the title role in the original The Thomas Crown Affair , which he later admitted was a huge mistake on his part.

In 1998, he received a Tony Award for co-producing the play "Art" by Yasmina Reza.

He pulled out of a film in September 2004, sparking rumors that he was going to retire. However three months later in an interview with "The Scotsman" newspaper from his home in the Bahamas, he said he is taking a year out to write his autobiography (something he had previously vowed never to do), and hopes to make another film.

He is a good friend of Michael Caine and the late Richard Harris and Roger Moore.

He pulled out of a seven-figure deal for a planned autobiography for the second time, in March 2005. The actor signed a deal in 2004 with ghostwriter Hunter Davies to produce an account of his life from Edinburgh milkman to international film superstar. Six months prior to his hook-up with Davies, Connery also canceled a similar deal with Scottish writer Meg Henderson, who said later: "He isnt the man I thought he was.".

Panamas President Mireya Moscoso presented him with a Manuel Amador Guerrero award, named after the countrys first president. She said he was given the award for his "talent and versatility." Sir Sean was on a trip to Panama to visit various humanitarian programs conducted by the government. (10 March 2003)

He was the original choice to play Sybock in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , but he was busy with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade . The words in the film "Sha Ka Ree" are a play on his name.

Terry Gilliam did not intend to cast him as King Agamemnon in Time Bandits , he simply wrote in the screenplay that when Agamemnon took off his helmet he looked "exactly like Sean Connery." To Gilliams surprise, the script found its way into Connerys hands and Connery subsequently expressed interest in doing the film.

He was once stopped for speeding by an officer named Sergeant James Bond.

Marnie co-star Tippi Hedren named one of her house cats after him.

His accent was the model for the voice of Stratos in the 2002 remake of He-Man & The Masters of the Universe.

The Edinburgh Filmhouse rejected a proposal to rename itself "The Sean Connery Filmhouse" in November 2005 following complaints over Connerys status as a tax exile.

His original idol was Welsh actor Stanley Baker because he played believable tough guys in quality British movies which he produced himself.

He was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the European Film Awards in Berlin, presented to him by Jean-Jacques Annaud , who directed Connery in Der Name der Rose . (3 December 2005)

He was seriously considered for the role of King Philip of Macedonia in Oliver Stones Alexander .

He underwent surgery at a New York hospital to remove a tumor from his kidney in January 2006. Connerys brother Neil said, "As far as Im led to believe the tumor was benign. He seems to be quite upbeat about it.".

He was delighted to be honored with the American Film Institutes Lifetime Achievement Award, which he will receive on June 8 2006 in Los Angeles, as he was honored despite his reputation as a harsh critic of the movie industry. "It means a tremendous amount, especially because of some of the things I have said about Hollywood.".

He announced his retirement in an interview in New York City during the Tartan Week 2006 celebrations. "I have retired for good," he said.

He was presented with the Marrakech International Film Festival Award in Morocco by his friend and Just Cause co-star Laurence Fishburne. (8 December 2004).

He once appeared in a BBC advertisement stating he was anti-gun, and in 1999 he called on the Scottish parliament to ban all handguns in the country. When he found out that members of the National Rifle Association in America had blacklisted him as a star to boycott, Connery said he was more than happy to be on their list.

He started smoking when he was nine years old.

His performance as James Bond in the 007 films is ranked #5 on Premiere Magazines 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

He was the original voice of Tack the Cobbler, the hero of Richard Williams s animated cult masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler . In the original version (from the work print and the resulting "Recobbled" fan-restoration), Tack was mute until the very end, when he spoke in Sean Connerys voice.

Of his career choices in the 90s (pretty much his last decade in film), The Rock and Entrapment are the films he liked the most. On the other hand, The Avengers was a film he regretted doing at all.

He turned down the role of John Hammond in Jurassic Park . Coincidentally, his Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade co-star, Harrison Ford , was offered the role of Dr. Alan Grant. Not to mention, it wouldve reunited both of them with director Steven Spielberg.

He turned down the role of Simon Gruber in Die Hard with a Vengeance due to the diabolical nature of the character. Director John McTiernan , who directed Connery in The Hunt for Red October and Medicine Man , said he was the very first choice for that role.

He pulled out of an interview for the Edinburgh Festival of Politics in August 2006 after George Reid, the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, vowed to ask him why he once told a magazine that some women want a "smack". Sir Sean, the Scottish National Partys most famous supporter, said it was "unacceptable" and it would have compromised the interview.

He presented with the American Film Institutes Lifetime Achievement Award by his Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade co-star Harrison Ford , who told him, "John Wayne gave us the old West. James Stewart gave us our town. You gave us the world." (8 June 2006).

He is the first (and as of 2006 the only) actor that played "James Bond" to win an Oscar.

He has never appeared in a "Skiing" James Bond picture. Though Goldfinger came close as it has sequences set in the lower Swiss mountains, all the ski, snow and ice Bond films belong to the other James Bond actors: George Lazenby ( On Her Majestys Secret Service ); Roger Moore ( The Spy Who Loved Me ; For Your Eyes Only ; A View to a Kill ); Timothy Dalton ( The Living Daylights ); Pierce Brosnan ( The World Is Not Enough ; Die Another Day .

He has two roles in common with Pierce Brosnan : (1) Connery played James Bond in Dr. No , From Russia with Love , Goldfinger , Thunderball , You Only Live Twice , Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again while Brosnan played him in GoldenEye , Tomorrow Never Dies , The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day and Connery played King Arthur in First Knight while Brosnan played him in in Quest for Camelot .

His father Joseph Connery died of throat cancer at the age of sixty-nine in August 1972.

He received a lifetime achievement award at the opening night of the Festa del Cinema, Romes inaugural film festival. Connery was presented with the Marco Aurelio award in recognition of "his numerous cinematic endeavours over the years". (13 October 2006).

In December 2002, he was voted "The Male Celebrity With The Sexiest Voice" in a survey carried out by a mobile phone company. Kylie Minogue topped the female category.

He brought future James Bond, Roger Moore to a press screening in Paris for Diamonds Are Forever .

The extraordinary success of Goldfinger , which was released in December 1964, and of 1965s Thunderball propelled Connery to the top of Quigley Publications annual Top Ten Money Making Stars poll in 1965. He remains the only British male star to be the #1 box office star in America.

He measured at exactly 6 2.4" back in his body-building days, he is still the tallest actor to have played James Bond to date, George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton both being exactly 6 2".

He turned down Richard Chamberlain s role in "Shogun" because he would not act on television.

He said his favorite memory from A Bridge Too Far was working with Dirk Bogarde , whom he had long admired.

In June 2008, he injured his shoulder in a fall while playing golf.

He received a Bafta Scotland Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cineworld complex in Edinburgh, Scotland. (25 August 2006).

He turned down Patrick McGoohan s role as King Edward I in Braveheart because he was filming Just Cause .

With the death of Kieron Moore on July 15, 2007, he is the last surviving cast member of Darby OGill and the Little People .

He hinted in an interview that he may return to live in Scotland for the first time in more than fifty years. He reaffirmed his belief that the country can achieve full independence within his lifetime. (February 2008).

If Never Say Never Again can be included as an official 007 installment, then Connery ties with Roger Moore for the most portrayals of James Bond - a total of 7 each. Otherwise Moore holds the record.

He was awarded made a Knight Bachelor in the 2000 Queens Millennium New Years Honours List for his services to the Film Industry.

Of the six actors who have played James Bond, he is the only one who, like Bond, served in the Royal Navy.

He is one of four Scottish actors to have received an Academy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are Deborah Kerr , Mary Ure and Tom Conti. As of 2011 he is the only one to have won an Academy Award (for his performance in The Untouchables ).

He once worked as a bricklayer.

He won the Variety Club of Great Britain film Actor Award for 1965 for his performances in The Hill and Goldfinger.

He won the Variety Club of Great Britain Special Award in 1963 for his portrayal of James Bond in Dr No and From Russia With Love.

Connery and Albert R. Broccoli were on bad terms after he left the series. He declined to attend Broccolis funeral.

His father was of half Irish and half Scottish descent, and his mother was of Scottish ancestry.

He scheduled the release of his autobiography, "Being a Scot", on his birthday of August 25, 2008 in his hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland.

(May 2008) He and his wife are living in the Bahamas.

Along with Robert Rietty , he is one of only two actors to appear in both Thunderball and the remake Never Say Never Again .

Although he played Dustin Hoffman s father in Family Business , he is only seven years his senior.

He played Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez in Highlander and Highlander II: The Quickening . Other than James Bond, this is the only character that he has played in more than one film.

He played Robert Shaw s adversary in both From Russia with Love and Robin and Marian .

He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of the super-villain Vartox (created in 1974), one of the Supermans foes. Connery was 44 years old at the time. Vartox was modeled after Connerys appearance in Zardoz .

Before he was cast as James Bond in Dr. No , Cary Grant , David Niven , Patrick McGoohan , Laurence Harvey , Richard Todd , Trevor Howard , Rex Harrison , James Mason , Steve Reeves , Richard Johnson , William Franklyn , Stanley Baker , Ian Hendry , Richard Burton , Rod Taylor and George Baker were considered for the role.

Time Bandits originally called for Connery to return during the climax as King Agamemnon leading a group of Greek soldiers in the fight against Evil and being killed, but the scene could not be worked around Connerys schedule. A compromise was devised to provide closure in the film between Connery and the boy hero Kevin played by Craig Warnock.

In the 1960 television adaptation of Colombe, Connerys character Julien believes his brother Paul (Richard Pasco ) is having an affair with his wife Colombe (Dorothy Tutin ), and kisses Pasco on the mouth to find out what makes him such a good kisser. Even though, this was a non-sexual kiss, it is still believed to be one of the first male-on-male kisses on television.

Although he was 60 years old when he played Richard the Lionheart in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves , the King was only 41 when he was killed on April 6, 1199.

His son Jason Connery almost signed the Bollywood film Namastey London . He was to play a major role but Producer Vipul Shah and Jason could not come to agreement terms.

He was almost killed filming the helicopter chase scene in From Russia with Love when the inexperienced helicopter pilot flew in too close and almost decapitated him.

He was offered the role of Professor Waldman in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein but he turned it down. His Time Bandits co-star John Cleese was eventually cast.

In Italy, fans called him Mr. Kisskiss Bangbang.

He has two roles in common with his son Jason Connery : (1) Sean played the title character in Macbeth while Jason played him in Macbeth and Sean played Robin Hood in Robin and Marian while Jason played him in "Robin of Sherwood" .

He played Major General R.E. Urquhart in A Bridge Too Far . The real Urquhart served as a military consultant on the film. Although he had been friends with David Niven since 1920, Urquhart had no interest in films. As such, he had no idea who Connery was or why his daughters were so excited that he was playing him in the film.

He was considered to appear in a surprise cameo in the 007 film Skyfall . Director Sam Mendes and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli almost approached him but decided it would be too distracting for the audience. The role was went to Albert Finney , who had been considered for roles in 007 movies with Connery himself.

He was offered the role of Dr Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs , but turned it down because he thought it was too violent.

The role of Mufasa in The Lion King was written with him in mind.

Along with Wolfgang Preiss , he is one of only two actors to appear in both films based on books by Cornelius Ryan : The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far .

He appeared in five films directed by Sidney Lumet : The Hill , The Anderson Tapes , The Offence , Murder on the Orient Express and Family Business .

He appeared in four films with Denholm Elliott : Robin and Marian , A Bridge Too Far , Cuba and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade .

Tippi Hedren , his leading lady from Marnie , devoted a full page of photographs on him in her memoir "Tippi". She wrote that she was stunned that her director Alfred Hitchcock had cast the sexiest man alive to play opposite her, since she was supposed to play a frigid woman in the film. She asked Hitchcock how she can play such a role, when the iciest of women would melt in Seans presence. He told her "Its called acting, my dear." He did order Sean not to touch her, just as he had ordered Rod Taylor not to touch her during The Birds . Many people have asked her whether she had an affair with Sean after seeing their amazing onscreen chemistry, and she said she didnt, because she was too dedicated to acting. In 2006, she met with Sean when he was awarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. He kissed her on the cheek sweetly and mentioned how he wasnt allowed to do that on the set of Marnie . Their friendship lasted more than 50 years.

He was voted #8 in an online poll for Channel 4s 100 Greatest Movie Stars in 2003.

He regards the character he played in The Man Who Would Be King as his favorite movie role.

He is the godfather of Dimitri Hamlin.

His longstanding marriage to Micheline has survived a well-documented love affair with the late singer/songwriter Lynsey de Paul.

Contrary to some reports, Connery did not appear in A Night to Remember . The character he supposedly played was in fact played by Larry Taylor.

He was involved with Jill St. John and Lana Wood at the same time while filming Diamonds Are Forever .

He gave Nicola Sturgeon advice on how to project her voice.

Sleeping with the Enemy was originally slated to star Kim Basinger as the mistreated wife, with Connery as her psycho husband and Aidan Quinn as the gentle professor she falls for -- roles that were ultimately played by Julia Roberts , Patrick Bergin and Kevin Anderson , respectively.

Named a Commandeur des Artes et des Lettres by the French government.

I was called Sean long before I was an actor, I had an Irish buddy when,I was 12 named Seamus -- pronounced Shay-mus. So they nicknamed us,Seamus and Shawn and it stuck.

Some age, others mature.

I care about Bond and what happens to him. You cannot be connected with,a character for this long and not have an interest. All the Bond films,had their good points.

[on why he resigned the role of James Bond while filming,You Only Live Twice (1967) ] One of the reasons I stopped doing,it was because I got really fed up with the space stuff and special,effects. I just found it getting more and more influential in the,movies.

[during his speech after receiving the AFI Life Achievement award],Though my feet are tired, my heart is not.

Dealing with this financial stuff was too much for me. It was back to,education and I had to learn to understand it all myself.

You have nothing to compare it to.

"The time came for me to retire because of my rather unfortunate last,movie . . . The cost to me in terms of frustration and avoiding going,to jail for murder cannot have continued.

I still pay full tax when I work in England and the same when I work in,America.

I realised 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.

I was going upstairs when I heard my own voice coming from one of the,rooms. My grandchildren were watching Goldfinger (1964) . So, I,sat down with them and watched it for a bit. It was interesting. There,was a certain elegance, a certain assurance to it that was quite,comforting. There was a leisureliness that made you not want to rush to,the next scene. Of course, I also saw things that could have been,improved.

[on his salary in the Bond films] I know what it is to be without money,and know exactly what money is to me. I dislike intensely injustice,and Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli were frightfully greedy people.

[on receiving his knighthood from the Queen] It was one of the greatest,days of my life.

I hope to work support my children and die quietly without pain.

I hope to work support my children and die quietly without pain.

There is nothing like a challenge to bring out the best in man.

Laughter kills fear, and without fear there can be no faith. For without fear of the devil there is no need for God. .