His movie lines ranged from the iconic "Vodka Martini... shaken, not stirred" to the off-color and still iconic "Your 'best!' Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f--- the prom queen." The passing of Sir Sean Connery on Saturday leaves a hole in the hearts of film fans around the globe. Here's a look at just some of his more memorable performances.
The James Bond Series (1962-1983)
There have been a number of actors who've portrayed British secret agent 007 over the years. They've ranged from the good (Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan) to the ok (Roger Moore) to the forgettable (George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton.) But ask most film afficiandoes and they'll tell you they've all paled behind the man that portrayed him first...Sean Connery. In total, Connery played Bond in seven films from 1962 to 1983. From "Dr. No," "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again. The last of films ironically named because it came after a 12-year hiatus from the role in which Connery reportedly declared he would never play Bond again. As to which Bond film is the best in the Connery run, pick your poison. Everyone has a favorite Connery Bond movie.
The Rock (1996)
At the ripe age of 66 Connery was still badass enough to kick your butt and send you home in a bodybag. His pairing with Nicholas Cage in "The Rock," in which the duo pair up to prevent terrorists from unleashing chemical weapons on San Francisco produced memorable one liners (one in particular that's lived through the ages.)
The Untouchables (1987)
You don't bring a knife to a gunfight. That's the Chicago way. And so it was. "The Untouchables" was one of the first big-budget starring vehicles for Kevin Costner and made headlines at the time for the amount of weight Robert De Niro put on to play Al Capone. But it was Connery who stole the film as retired Chicago cop Jim Malone in the Brian De Palma epic.
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Ask anyone the greatest submarine thriller on film and there are only two acceptable answers. One, the Denzel Washington/Gene Hackman 1995 flick "Crimson Tide" and the other, this film that predates it by five years in which Connery, playing submarine commander Marko Ramius and sporting a fantastic hairpiece, pairs with a svelte Alec Baldwin as he tries to defect with his nuclear submarine to the United States.
Just Cause (1995)
Here's one that may have slipped by your radar. An excellent thriller/whodunit in which Connery, playing a Harvard professor, is lured back into the courtroom after 25 years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child. It co-stars Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris and a practically prepubescent Scarlett Johansson as his daughter in just her second film role.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
By 1989 Connery was more than comfortable playing the father to the action hero, as Professor Henry Jones, dad to Indiana, Connery goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail and the pair team up to battle Nazis of course.
