Wishing Sir Sean Connery a very happy 80th birthday today. Even though he's retired from acting (can you believe his last starring role was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?), it's a great time to come up with our own top 10 Sean Connery roles. Amazon's Sean Connery Essentials list has the following (in no particular order):
The Man Who Would be KingThe Untouchables
The Hunt for Red October
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Robin and Marian
Goldfinger
The Name of the Rose
The Russia House
The Rock
The Hill
If you made a list of Sean Connery's best roles, what would they be? --Ellen
Sarah Rolph on August 25, 2010 at 06:07 PM
Hunt for Red October, with Untouchables a very, very close second ("I like him!").
donny brook on August 25, 2010 at 06:13 PM
What? No ZARDOZ?
thales on August 25, 2010 at 06:36 PM
And what about "The Wind and the Lion?"
Tony on August 25, 2010 at 06:37 PM
Connery's finest role was in Milius' masterful "The Wind and the Lion," where he played a cultured, conflicted Berber sheik
M. Python on August 25, 2010 at 06:43 PM
He does a credible job of singing in "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (Disney 1959).
Other favorites:
Outland
Zardoz
Never Say Never
From Russia with Love
Robin and Marian
Time Bandits
The Name of the Rose
Jim O'Sullivan on August 25, 2010 at 06:48 PM
Any Top Ten list that does not include at least three Bond films can't be right. As they said in the ads in the sixties, "Sean Connery is James Bond."
The Mollie McGuires and The Anderson Tapes also belong on the list. Wrong is Right is badly underrated. What about The Wind and the Lion? Marnie? Entrapment?
ben on August 25, 2010 at 06:52 PM
Do parodies count? SNL Celebrity Jeopardy was priceless: "I'll take 'The Rapist' for 500." "That's therapist!"
JohnMc on August 25, 2010 at 07:05 PM
Gosh, some of his earlier work was so much better
The Great Train Robbery
The Wind and the Lion
The Anderson Tapes
The Hill
The Offence
Just to name a few.
Tony on August 25, 2010 at 07:08 PM
"Any Top Ten list that does not include at least three Bond films can't be right."
The early Bond films, "From Russia With Love," "Dr. No," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," were fairly faithful to Flemming and otherwise well crafted, and Connery was certainly serviceable but somehow not quite believable in the lead roll. I always thought his genial portrayal lacked the utter single-minded ruthlessness of the James Bond depicted in the novels.
Military guy on August 25, 2010 at 08:04 PM
Are you kidding me:
"The Wind and the Lion"
with a young and gorgeous Candice Bergen, Must see movie
Tony on August 25, 2010 at 09:23 PM
"'The Wind and the Lion'
with a young and gorgeous Candice Bergen"
Interestingly, Millius wanted Faye Dunnaway for that role (maybe the idea of his mentor Huston who worked with her in "Chinatown") but she was unable to take the part due to illness. Would have been interesting to see the cool, aloof Dunnaway interact with Connery.
Bergen was quite good, though. I always thought that she and Brian Keith should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actors, with a Oscar for Connery as well.
Davideo on August 25, 2010 at 10:01 PM
IMHO, I don't think "The Rock" deserves going on this top-10 list. In the movie, the character seemed to deserve a more cruel/tough actor personality than the gentlemanly Mr. Connery brings. His "I hope they had insurance" line was perhaps Sean's lamest line ever, and the s-word early on in the movie was delivered too much class to be believable.
Davideo on August 25, 2010 at 10:02 PM
Oh...and HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY, Sean. You are among the best.
Georgiaboy61 on August 25, 2010 at 10:45 PM
Any takers for "A Bridge Too Far," or perhaps "Outland"? Any Connery James Bond film, is classic, just by his presence. Including "Never Say Never Again"... and he steals "The Untouchables."
Karl Spence on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 PM
Does anyone remember "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure"? Sean was one of the baddies. in a gang led by Anthony Quayle. He catches an arrow in the chest, courtesy of Gordon Scott's Tarzan. By far the best of the non-Weismuller Tarzan movies.
Xcontra on August 26, 2010 at 02:10 AM
Here are the top four:
1. The Russia House
2. You Only Live Twice
3. The Hunt for Krasny Oktyabr Красный Октябрь Red October
Why is it only spy movies are my favorites?
4. All the rest of his movies. :D
Roger Sylver on August 26, 2010 at 04:27 AM
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, SEAN!!!
Okay... I can't believe NO ONE has posted this one yet!!!
His role as the ONE AND ONLY Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez in the '86 cult classic,
Highlander!!! http://mysite.verizon.net/vzn05r14/id17.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_%28film%29
SDN on August 26, 2010 at 04:34 AM
And of course, there's the short list of "Films so BAD not even Sean Connery could save them!" My personal pick: "Highlander II" aka "The Sickening: There Should Have Been Only One!"
I'd almost nominate Highlander 1 for his best film, because watching the Scottish Connery pretend he doesn't know what a haggis is with a straight face is hilarious. "How revolting!"
James Felix on August 26, 2010 at 06:38 AM
"Any takers for "A Bridge Too Far," or perhaps "Outland"?"
Seconded, absolutely.
Jonno on August 26, 2010 at 08:49 AM
1. The Man Who Would Be King
2. The Untouchables
3. Goldfinger
4. The Hunt For Red October
5. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
6. The Russia House
7. Marnie
8. Dr No
9. Thunderball
10. The Name of the Rose
11. Everything else he's done. A class act.
Debra on August 26, 2010 at 09:58 AM
Darby O'Gill
jum1801 on August 26, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Oh, I must agree that a place has to be found for the greatly under-appreciated "The Wind and The Lion". Not only does it contain a bravura performance by Connery, but it boasts an equally robust performance by Brian Keith as a definitive President Teddy Roosevelt. And to make room on the list I would drop the dreck-laden "The Rock" to do it.
Really, "The Rock" is an embarrassingly badly written exploder, and is wasted on Connery. Even in a movie which wastes Connery's skills, he overshadows Nicholas Cage to the point we don't even realize Cage is there. I think Cage is a total tool, but even I feel sorry for him after Connery has sucked up every bit of life-force and vitality that will ever exist in this movie. Can it, and bring on TWATL! "Pedicaris alive, or Raisuli dead!"
JEC on August 26, 2010 at 11:08 AM
"Finding Forrester." Maybe not his best, but a really really good film. It deserves honorable mention.
Donald Liebenson on August 26, 2010 at 12:39 PM
Not to date myself here, but "A Fine Madness" boasts one of Connery's great, roaring performances as Samson Shillitoe, a poet raging against the machine. It also boasts a delectable Sue Ann Langdon frolicking in the sauna!
Donald Liebenson on August 26, 2010 at 06:33 PM
My mistake. That wasn't Sue Ann Langdon in the sauna. She was in the carpet cleaning scene.