Sean Connery: the original James Bond

In his breakthrough role, Connery achieved that rare instance of acting perfection, becoming synonymous with the globetrotting, womanising secret agent with a licence to kill in a flawless marriage between actor and role.

It was a character that catapulted Connery from a little known actor to a pop culture icon and saw his portrayal of 007 voted the third greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute behind Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch and Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. Born in Fountainbridge on August 25, 1930, Connery’s ascent to stardom came from relatively humble beginnings. At 13, he earned 21 shillings (a guinea) a week as a barrow work at what was then known as the St Cuthbert’s Co-operative Society’s Corstorphine Dairy. He also worked as a labourer, a lorry driver, a coffin polisher and a lifeguard at the former open air swimming baths at Portobello, however it wasn’t until Connery took a part time role backstage at the King’s Theatre that the idea of becoming an actor appealed to him.