The story of how Sean Connery became the greatest James Bond of all time

Di Giuseppe GiordanoFri, April 17, 2026 at 7:09 PM UTC

3

How Sean Connery became James BondBettmann - Getty Images

Despite the James Bond franchise having more than sixty years of history, there have not been many actors who have played the Agent 007 on the big screen. The first was Sean Connery in Dr. No in 1962, followed by George Lazenby, but for only one film, then Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. While waiting to find out the name of the next actor chosen to play the character created by Ian Fleming, after a historic transfer of control of the franchise decided by the Broccoli family in favor of Amazon, on Esquire we dug up a ranking of the best actors who have played James Bond. At the top, perhaps a bit predictably, is Sean Connery, star of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice. After leaving the character, concerned that his career was becoming too closely identified with the films in the series, Connery was called back for Diamonds Are Forever, which followed Lazenby's unfortunate stint and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

But how did this exceptional career beginning come about? Below we have tried to reconstruct the story of how Sean Connery was chosen to play Bond, creating an immense precedent with which all subsequent actors would engage.

Connery, the story of how he became secret agent 007

When producers Harry Saltzman and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli went to United Artists, they were already planning more than one adaptation of Ian Fleming's novels. For the lead actor, that meant a long-term commitment, in other words appearing in more than just one feature film. As we read in James Bond. Dr. No, written and edited by Paul Duncan and published by Taschen, Cary Grant, David Niven, Trevor Howard, and James Mason had expressed interest in stepping into the role of James Bond, but Saltzman preferred an unknown actor. Fleming described 007 in his novels like this: 1.80 meters tall, weighing 75 kilos, slim build, irresistible charm. The search for an actor would begin from here.

Patrick McGoohan and James Fox were ruled out because they would not have been comfortable with the sex scenes, while Roger Moore, who would become the third and longest-serving Bond, was considered at the time too buttoned-up and too young.

Advertisement

“While Bond casting was being discussed, one face kept coming back to mind,” Broccoli later said. “It belonged to an actor I had met briefly a few years earlier in London. It was Sean Connery, who at the time was making a film with Lana Turner, Another Time, Another Place (1958). He was a handsome and likable man, who projected a physical virility. He was tall, with a strong physical presence, and there was just the right hint of menace behind that hard smile and that slight Scottish accent”.

It was the producer's wife, Dana, who pushed for the final decision. After seeing Connery in Darby O'Gill and the Little People, a 1959 film, she said bluntly: "He's our Bond." It was Saltzman who got in touch.

Bettmann - Getty Images

At the meeting, the producer was fascinated by Connery's roughness. In the book, Bond has the manners of a member of high society, but the two producers were looking for a more athletic and sexy leading man, whom they imagined would appeal to more people. A delicate moment in the negotiations came when they began talking about money. The budget allocated for Dr. No was not high and Connery had no intention of working for such a low fee: "I want a lot or I won't do the fucking film! I won't work for free!" he said. “It was quite a performance,” the producer recalled, “I think Sean himself admitted some time later that it was all an act. But everything ended amicably. We agreed on his salary and he left happy.”

There was one last obstacle left: the author Ian Fleming, who did not like Sean Connery. He called him an overgrown "stuntman" and despised his manner, which he considered far too unrefined. Once again, it was a woman who encouraged the choice of the man who is now considered the greatest actor in the role of 007: Fleming's girlfriend, Blanche Blackwell, reassured the novelist that Connery had the right appeal. And the author himself changed his mind after the premiere of Dr. No.

You Might Also Like

Here’s What 40 Celebrities Looked Like as Teenagers

Is Collagen Banking the Answer to Younger-Looking Skin?

Trust Us—These Editor-Approved Fragrances Will Have You Smelling Like a Dream

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”