“Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile.” Sir Sean Connery (1930-2020)
As we mentioned in our recent newsletter, the Wenches were all very sad to learn about the loss of the wonderful actor Sir Sean Connery, the inspiration for many romantic heroes. We started to reminisce about our favourite memories of the roles he had played, and felt it would be a fitting tribute to this real-life Scottish hero if we shared them here:-
Mary Jo – Sean Connery was one of the most charismatic and compelling actors ever, and while his recent death at 90 wasn't cutting him off prematurely, he will certainly be missed.
I've seen him in any number of movies, including various James Bond films and a memorable turn as Indiana Jones Senior in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where he was the father of the younger Indiana Jones, memorably played by Harrison Ford. But perhaps my favorite movie role of Connery was a brief, uncredited appearance as King Richard in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. When he appears at the end to Robin Hood and his men, it's as much a surprise to movie viewers to see that unmistakable face as it would have been for the forest bandits to see the real Richard. It's quite a moment, and Sean Connery played it to the hilt!
Nicola – I’ve enjoyed Sean Connery in many different roles, especially as Indiana Jones Senior where I loved the humour and banter. One of his more serious roles was as Russian Submarine Captain Ramius in The Hunt for Red October, a nail-biting thriller which I still adore watching and which still makes me feel tense even when I know what happens.
Like Mary Jo, though, my all time favourite Sean Connery moment is the cameo as Richard the Lionheart at the end of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. It’s a great movie moment!
Anne – I admired Sean Connery for a number of reasons. Firstly because he grew up poor, in a tough environment, and left school at 13 — and he never forgot his roots. But more of that later. As an actor he was, for me at any rate, the quintessential James Bond, and he brought to the role a dry subtle humor, as well as being very sexy. I also loved him in a range of other movies, especially in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and as Indiana Jones's father, where the humor really showed. And apart from acting, the man really knows how to wear a kilt! <g>
I also admire the way he remembered where he came from. He was a proud Scotsman and supported Scottish independence. He did a lot for charity and good causes, mostly quietly and without fanfare. He donated his $250,000 salary from his role as King Richard in 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to charity. He co-founded the Scottish International Education Trust, which has helped thousands of young Scots with their education—a very fine legacy to leave for a man who had very little formal education.
It's no wonder he was given the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh in 1990. The day after he received the Freedom he went unannounced to Milestone House, the hospice for HIV-AIDS victims, and spoke to all the patients. Lord Provost McLaughlin asked him why he chose to become the first major Hollywood star to visit such an establishment in Britain. He replied: “I have lost friends to this b*stard of a disease.”
Vale Sean Connery.
Christina – I enjoyed all the Bond films very much, and there was no denying that Sean Connery had great presence on screen and a wonderful voice (with that very special accent) which I could listen to forever! When I saw him in the first two Highlander films (also starring Christopher Lambert), I absolutely loved him! He played the role of Ramirez, an immortal of Egyptian/Spanish origin, who was the young highlander’s mentor. Sir Sean’s swarthy good looks seemed made for that role and I found him extremely charismatic. Later, like the other Wenches, I also loved him in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, playing Harrison Ford’s father (even though he wasn’t all that much older than him!). It’s one of my all-time favourite films and the banter between the two men was fantastic. He will be a great loss to the world of cinema.
Susan – He was sometimes the bad boy, sometimes the good one, always wickedly charming, wickedly funny, incredibly sexy, intelligent, charismatic – and most often, all that wrapped into a very, very skilled and savvy spy. No matter what role he played, Sean Connery always came across as strongly masculine, confident, centered and capable. I've seen every movie he ever made, from Dr. No to The Rock to Marnie to Highlander and more, and yes, even Zardoz. He was unfailingly brilliant no matter the movie, and could elevate excellent material (Entrapment, The Rock, Bond) and rise above in any role (the aforementioned Zardoz).
My favorites include his 007 movies (my husband loves Bond movies, and over the decades we've seen them countless times) - and Entrapment, Medicine Man, The Rock, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade - so many more. I particularly adored the characters he played who were irritable, intelligent, rebellious men with a solid core of hidden integrity, as in Medicine Man and Entrapment (high on my list of favoritest movies ever). Not only was he devastatingly handsome in a rough and rugged and charming way, he had extraordinary presence and deeply masculine traits that could serve as template and inspiration for heroes who were tough, tender men of real substance.
Of course I never met the man (oh but so wish I could have), though I have two friends who actually have – according to the six degrees of separation theory, in a way I have met him! One friend gave a talk on Scottish history at a celebration of Scotland where Connery was a special guest, and Sir Sean – dressed in a kilt, no less – stayed behind to talk to her, sincere, focused, gracious, and bigger than life. Another friend appeared with Connery onstage on the occasion of another celebration of Scotland – and no matter how many stars might have shown up there, Sir Sean Connery was the biggest star of all. And to add to all that was magnificent about him, he loved Scotland intensely.
He was simply unforgettable.
Andrea – Tall, dark and handsome . . . If ever a man embodied that classic description, it was Sean Connery. (Fluttery sigh.) But for me he was more than just a drop-dead gorgeous leading man. He radiated an elemental magnetism – that "je ne sais quoi” that we call charisma – that captivated audiences for well over half a century. He had grace, wit and style. But most of all he had a sense of humor, and one sensed that he didn’t take his superstardom too seriously. That shone so brightly in his later years, when he embraced playing roles that made him far more human than the debonair secret agent 007. I loved him as James Bond. But I loved him even more as Dr. Henry Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He was excruciatingly funny as the foil for Harrison Ford’s archeologist action hero, and yet he still had that sly swagger and dazzling good looks that made it VERY believable that the hot babe villainess was trysting with him before she seduced Indiana. (Ford: Dad, how did you know she was a Nazi? Connery: “She talks in her sleep.”) I have a feeling a good many women who left the movie theaters after the show were thinking that if given a choice of which hero to take home . . . ummm, did I mention Sean Connery loved wearing a kilt?
He was not only a matinee idol, but a very special man who lived life with joy, humor, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit. That’s the stuff of heroes. The Wenches will all miss him.
How about you – were you a fan, and if so, what was your favourite Sean Connery role?
