There are few actors who have exploited their accent as successfully as Sir Sean Connery.
No matter the role, Sir Sean always sounds the same, whether he’s an Egyptian immortal in Highlander, an English King, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, or a New York beatnik in A Fine Madness, he never alters his lispy Scotch accent.
Here’s a quick trip around the world according to Sir Sean.
Egypt: Who can forget Connery’s wonderful Egyptian Tak Ne (aka Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez), who teaches Christopher Lambert’s Connor MacLeod all he needs to know to be the only one in Highlander (1986)
Russia: Allegedly inspired by the mutiny on the Soviet Baltic Fleet’s ship Storozhevoy, and the salvaging of the Soviet submarine, K-129, Connery gave a masterful performance as Russian submarine captain Marko Ramius in The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Ireland: As Dubliner, Michael McBride in Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), the film that led Connery to win the role of James Bond.
America: Saving a group of travelers in the big screen version of Louis L’Amour’s cowboy Shalako (1968).
North Africa: John Milius wrote and directed this under-rated boy’s own film, The Wind and The Lion (1975). Connery was third choice for the role of Berber brigand, Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli, after Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn.
Greece: As King Agamemnon in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (1981). It’s been claimed the Time Bandits are caricatures of the Python team, the self-appointed leader Randall is John Cleese; the nice one, Fidgit is Michael Palin; Strutter, the sarcastic one, Eric Idle; Og the quiet one, Graham Chapman; Wally, the noisy, rebellious one, Terry Jones; and Vermin, the dirty one, Gilliam.
Irish-American: Another Irishman, this time his Oscar-winning performance in The Untouchables (1987).
American: Perhaps one of the worst film trailers ever made, which is a shame as this quirky feature, A Fine Madness (1966), with Connery as a violent, beatnik poet, alongside Joanne Woodward is much better than the trailer suggests.
Previously on Dangerous Minds
Sean Connery gave TV its first male-to-male kiss