Still considered by many to be the definitive screen 007. Connery’s panther-like movement and look of an ever-ready sexual predator, made his Bond worthy of the title coined by Italian cinemagoers – Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

After a three-year stint in the British navy, Connery toiled in a series of odd jobs-milkman, bricklayer, lifeguard-before his weight-lifting hobby enabled him to represent Scotland in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest. He eventually approached acting as a lark, an understandable decision for one of workingclass origins, and debuted on-screen in Lilacs in the Spring (1954)

Before James Bond, Sean Connery was a little-known actor at the start of his career. He had some starring roles but suffered from continual miscasting. By the time he finally left the EON produced Bond series after Diamonds Are Forever (1971), he was both a household name and an actor of international repute. Born in Edinburgh, the son of a truck driver, Connery worked at a variety of odd jobs – from milkman to bricklayer – before he landed a part in the chorus of the British stage production of South Pacific, which began his career in showbusiness.

With his leisurely smile, deadpan wit and impassive manner, Connery epitomised the early Bond to such an extent that it seemed a near impossible task to replace him. Worried about typecasting, however, he left the EON series in 1971, after appearing six times in their series of films (returning to the oo7 role in 1983 for the independently produced Never Say Never Again), and continued in a highly successful screen career, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in The Untouchables (1988).

Sean Connery starred as James Bond a total of 7 times in

Dr.No (1962)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Never Say Never Again (1983)