If we’re going to talk about male cinema stars with overpowering magnetism and studly charisma, we’re going to start with Sean Connery, who has died at age 90.
No screen actor has more personally defined a role than did Connery with James Bond. The character of James Bond in Ian Fleming’s source novels is nothing special; Bond was made iconic by Connery’s gifts.
The Bond movies are cartoonish, but Connery’s James Bond never is. Connery’s Bond is hunky, but he’s not just a hunk. He is supremely confident. He is cunning. He always assesses a risk before he takes it.
Several actors, some very talented, have also played the James Bond role that Connery originated. Only Daniel Craig has approached the mix of rugged charm and resourceful physicality that that Connery delivered.
I learned a lot about the crushing childhood poverty that formed Connery in this insightful NYT obit. There’s also a great Sydney Lumet admonition against underestimating an actor’s charm.
My favorite Connery performance (and the best movie he was in) is The Man Who Would Be King (1975). It’s a great Rudyard Kipling adventure yarn, gloriously brought to the screen by director John Huston.
Connery stars with Michael Caine as a pair of reprobates mustered out of the Queen’s army in colonial India. Rather than return to menial prospects in England, these cheeky and lovable scoundrels seek to make their fortune as mercenaries in the outskirts of the Raj. Fortune smiles, and they reach unforeseeable success – and then Connery’s character overreaches…
The Man Who Would Be King, which is widely available to stream, is unforgettable, and so is Sean Connery.
