Rest In Peace: Sir Sean Connery (1930 – 2020)

Friends, while obviously this day was intended to share only articles that are in line for the Season – it is with a broken heart that we pass along the news that Sir Sean Connery passed away this morning at the age of 90. Obviously that is a very good run, make no mistake about that, but very much like with Kirk Douglas, Carl Reiner, Diana Rigg, Tim Skelly, Max von Sydow, Stuart Gordon, Sir Ian Holm, Joel Schumacher, John Saxon, and Ennio Morricone among others… I was not ready to see them go. It is the absolute truth that Sir Sean Connery left behind some very memorable films as his legacy – including seven James Bond films – in total he amassed 93 acting credits in film and television during his long career.

Instead of presenting some dry history, I thought that instead I would share five of my favorite films that Sir Sean Connery appeared in – although in the case of one – it was a matter of lending his iconic voice. We are going to start off with the very first movie that I caught that featured Connery, that was 1986’s Highlander. And from the first moment his character of Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez appears in that cult classic – he instantly steals the show from the likes of Christopher Lambert and even Clancy Brown.

A year later Sir Sean Connery would be cast in Brian De Palma’s exceptional The Untouchables. Playing Officer Jimmy Malone of the CPD, who finds himself helping Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) take on Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and his criminal organization during prohibition. A role that would earn Connery the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – which I personally feel the actor rightfully deserved.

It was in 1989 that Connery would land the role of Professor Henry Jones, the Father of none other than Indiana Jones, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. A fitting choice it would seem as the actor would explain to the Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine as reported in a 2019 article on Ultimate Classic Rock:

“Indiana Jones, in some ways, is a Bondian character because he always ends up in terrible situations, which always have to resolved with some invention or humorous action,”

Now another of my all-time favorite films featuring Sir Sean Connery is Dragonheart from 1996 – where he provided his voice to Draco – a noble dragon and the last of his kind. Although not appearing in the film in person, I have read that animators studied his recording sessions to inject some of his mannerisms into the character.

For my fifth choice of favorite movies starring Connery, we are going to go back to 1975, with the adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. Directed by John Huston (The African Queen, Moby Dick) and co-starring Sir Michael Caine – it is an incredible adventure and the camaraderie between the two leads is quite evident. For what it might be worth, the soundtrack by Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia) is also one of my all-time favorites.

In closing out this article, I feel I should add that it seems 2020 has taken far, far too many of our beloved entertainers and celebrities. It is never ‘enjoyable’ to write these rest in peace articles – however it feels important to do so to mark the passing of such a talented individual. We will dim the lights in the auditorium.