There Are 23 Things You Didn’t Know About Sir Sean Connery.

By John C. Barnard Last updated Jun 3, 2022 0

His first employment in Edinburgh was as a milkman. He carried milk to Fettes School, which is the same school that James Bond went to in the books.

Before becoming an actor, he worked as a bricklayer and a coffin polisher.
He used to be a bodybuilder and even finished third in the Mr. Universe competition in 1953.

He was also talented at football and was offered a contract by Manchester United, but he declined, arguing that whereas sports careers are fleeting, acting careers may last a lifetime.
Sean took 11 years of Scottish dancing lessons.

His favorite Bond film was From Russia with Love (1963).
Connery was given the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he declined due to a misunderstanding of the script. Connery also declined the role of the Architect in The Matrix trilogy due to the same reasons.
Sean was pulled over once for speeding. James Bond was revealed to be the cop’s name.

Connery was born in the Edinburgh suburb of Fountainbridge. He was born Thomas Connery but later changed his stage name to Sean, which is how most people refer to him. Euphemia “Effie” McBain McLean, his mother, worked as a maid.

Private life, From 1962 until 1973, Connery was married to Diane Cilento, whom he divorced in 1973. Jason Connery, an actor, is their son. In 1975, Sean Connery married Micheline Roquebrune.

Connery enlisted in the Royal Navy at the age of 16 in 1946. He received his training at the naval gunnery school and on an anti-aircraft crew at Portsmouth. Due to an ulcer, he was released from the navy three years later.

1. Despite his surname, Sean, the actor’s given name is Thomas, and he was once known as Tommy.

2. His first employment was as a milkman for the Edinburgh-based St Cuthbert’s Co-Operative Society.

3. Prior to becoming an actor, Sir Sean worked as a coffin cleaner.

4. In 1953, he supposedly finished third in the Mr. Universe contest, albeit there is considerable debate about whether he finished third in the Junior class or failed to place in the ‘Tall Man’ category.

5. As a kid, he played for Bonnyrigg Rose, an Edinburgh junior team.

6. He has a tattoo that says “Scotland forever,” which he obtained when he enlisted in the Royal Navy at the age of 16.

7. For 11 years, Connery studied dance under the instruction of Swedish dancer Yat Malmgren.

8. He gave his $250,000 salary from the 1991 picture Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in which he played King Richard to charity.

9. Fountainbridge Films, his film production company, is named after the Edinburgh neighborhood where he was born and raised.

10. He worked as a nude model for art students in Edinburgh after being discharged from the Merchant Navy due to stomach ulcers.

11. In 1991, he was awarded the Freedom of Edinburgh.

12. He turned down a chance to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films because he couldn’t grasp the books and didn’t want to spend 18 months filming in New Zealand.

13. According to ABC News in 2002, his favorite Bond film is From Russia with Love.

14. In The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Connery turned down the opportunity to play the Architect. Helmut Bakaitis was eventually cast in the role.

15. Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond, was reportedly opposed to the ‘unrefined’ Scots actor portraying 007 and preferred Cary Grant. After watching Connery’s performance in Dr. No, he altered his mind, acknowledging that Connery was “perfect” for the role, and rewrote future novels to give Bond a Scots background.

16. In the early 1950s, Sir Matt Busby is claimed to have offered Connery a contract with Manchester United, but Connery declined, feeling that acting would provide him with a longer career than football.

17. In 1954, at a party for the King’s Theatre production of South Pacific, he met fellow actor Michael Caine. Since then, the two have remained friends.

18. He was once pulled over by a cop for speeding. What is the name of the cop? James Bond is a Sergeant.

19. During his tenure as a milkman, he delivered milk to Fettes School in Edinburgh, the same school that James Bond attended after being expelled from Eton in Ian Fleming’s novels.

20. Sean Connery was considered for a cameo in the 2012 Bond film ‘Skyfall,’ but director Sam Mendes and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli decided it would be ‘too distracting for the audience. Instead, Albert Finney was chosen.

21. During the making of Never Say Never Again, Steven Seagal shattered Connery’s wrist in martial arts training.

22. Connery was approached to play King Edward I in Braveheart, but he was too preoccupied with Just Cause. Instead, Patrick McGoohan was cast in the role.

23. His 93rd and final film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, was released in 2003, and he officially retired in 2006.