orig. Thomas Connery
born Aug. 25, 1930, Edinburgh, Scot.
Scottish actor.
He worked at odd jobs and entered bodybuilding competitions before making his London stage debut in the chorus of South Pacific (1951). After several minor roles, Connery starred as James Bond in the film version of Ian Fleming 's Dr. No (1962) and went on to play secret agent 007 in six other films. A compelling character actor as well as a perennial sex symbol, he acted in films such as The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Name of the Rose (1986), The Untouchables (1987, Academy Award), and Finding Forrester (2000).