How much was Sean Connery worth?
| Net Worth: | $250 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | August 25, 1930 (aged 90) |
| Country: | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
About Sean Connery
Connery is best known for starring in many popular movies and television series, as well as winning a long list of prestigious awards. His career began in 1954 and ended in 2006, although he did agree to come out of retirement and do a one-time-only voice role in 2012. In his 50+ years long career, the retired actor has won one Academy, two BAFTA, and three Golden Globes Awards.
He rose to prominence in the early 60s after he became the first of many actors to portray the popular character James Bond in the film series. From 1962 to 1983, Sean Connery portrayed the character in seven different Bond movies.
Even before he agreed to play the role of James Bond seven times, the actor starred in many films at the same time. Among some of the classics that he is known for performing in are Marnie with Tippi Hedren, Murder on the Orient Express with Johnny Depp, The Name of the Rose with Christian Slater, The Untouchables with Kevin Costner, Highlander with Christopher Lambert, and Dragonheart with Dennis Quaid.
At the end of the 20th century, while still working in the film industry and making a name for himself, Sean Connery was named a “heartthrob” and “the sexiest man alive” in many popular magazines. His contribution to the film industry is also the reason why the actor was knighted during the 2000 New Year Honours, earning the title Sir.
He was born in Edinburgh to a cleaning woman and a factory worker/lorry driver. Before he joined the Royal Navy, Connery first worked as a milkman in his hometown. He didn’t stay in the navy for too long as he was discharged due to medical issues. At the age of 18, Sean began bodybuilding and he appeared in many contests, including the 1950 Mr. Universe, where he was supposedly placed third. In his younger days, he was also a keen footballer.
In late 1951, Connery worked as a backstage helper at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. It was during that time that he became more interested in the film industry. While he was still obsessed with bodybuilding, young Sean Connery auditioned and he landed a small role in the movie South Pacific. After he performed for the first time, he became more and more interested in acting and that’s how his career was launched.
During the production of South Pacific, the actor met Michale Caine and the two quickly became close friends. Thanks to his friendly character, the actor became friends with many other people in the industry such as Robert Henderson, Herbert Wilcox, Shelly Winters, and Ian Bannen. Before he committed full-time to acting, in order for him to earn money, the actor continued to work additional jobs such as babysitter, boxer, delivery man, model, lifeguard, laborer, and even coffin polisher.
Among one of the very first roles, he got while working an additional job was that of a hoodlum in the police series Dixon of Dock Green, specifically in the Ladies of the Manor episode. Just a few years after he gained some experience, in early 1957, the actor hired the agent Richard Hatton as his manager. Hatton was the one who got the actor’s first major role – Spike in the crime film No Road Back.
By the late 1950s, Connery received a lot of recognition and took part in many films – Time Lock, Another Time, Another Play, Darby O’Gill and the Little People. The breakthrough of the popular actor came in with the role of James Bond – a British secret agent. Although he was reluctant at first to commit to film series, Connery played the character in the first five James Bond movies, from 1962 to 1967.
As the story goes, the author of the books Jame Bond is based on, Ian Fleming was not happy with the choice of Sean Connery for the role. Reportedly saying privately he was nothing but an “over-developed stunt man” and describing him as “unrefined”. This may have changed after the commercial success of the first five movies however. Sean Connery also did not mind, saying that Fleming never said any of these things to his face, and agreed to star in two more films before moving on to other projects.
After his acting career took off, the actor quickly became a major male sex symbol in the film industry. Simultaneously with filming James Bond, Sean Connery also starred in some popular movies from the late 20th century – Marnie, The Hill, Blowup, and The Man Who Would Be King. Thanks to his role of James Bond, the actor quickly received many prestigious awards, including his first Golden Globe Award.
The last movies that he took part in are Entrapment, Finding Forester, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which he also served as the executive producer.
After his retirement in 2006, the actor agreed to voice the role of Sir Billi in the animated movie Sir Billi the Vet, which was released in 2012. Shortly after the animated movie came out Sean Connery’s final film was released – a documentary titled Ever to Excel, in which the actor narrates his own story.
It’s no secret that Sean Connery became successful because of his amazing acting skills. During the late 80s and 90s, he continued to take part in some of the well-received films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Harrison Ford, The Hunt for Red October with Alec Baldwin, The Russia House with Michelle Pfeiffer, and Entrapment with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
It was at the beginning of the 21st century that Connery decided to slow down and eventually retire from acting. In 1988, Connery was awarded an Academy Award for Best supporting actor for his role as Jim Malone in The Untouchables.
Summing-Up
There is no doubt that Sean Connery was one of the best actors in the world. His awards and achievements prove that he was a lot more than just a sex symbol or a heartthrob. In more than 50 years, this talented actor starred in hundreds of television series and films. His talent was noticed by people from all over the world after he portrayed the character of James Bond and ever since then, he has been named one of the most influential and highest-paid actors of the 20th century.
On 31 October 2020 at his home in the Lyford Cay community of Nassau in The Bahamas, Sean Connery died in his sleep at age 90. He will be deeply missed.
