Sean Connery's Real Name: Thomas Sean Connery

Quick answer: Sean Connery was born Thomas Sean Connery on August 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He used his middle name, Sean, professionally. He was the first screen James Bond, in Dr. No (1962), won an Academy Award for The Untouchables (1987), and was knighted in 2000. He died on October 31, 2020, in Nassau, Bahamas (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Connery, Sean" and lists "Connery, Thomas" as a variant. One citation reads "Connery, Sean (Sir Sean Connery); b. Thomas Sean Connery, Aug. 25, 1930, Edinburgh, Scotland." Another gives "Birth Name: Thomas Sean Connery; Nickname: Big Tam." An older record listed a 1929 birth year, but later LOC citations and Britannica give 1930.

Britannica says he grew up in a working-class family. He served three years in the Royal Navy and worked odd jobs. He then took up bodybuilding and modeled for art students and men's fashion catalogs. He competed in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest, which led to work as a stage extra. In 1954 he joined a touring production of South Pacific and eventually took the lead.

Career highlights

His performance as boxer Mountain Rivera in the BBC's Requiem for a Heavyweight (1957) won praise. Early films included Lilacs in the Spring (1954), Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), and The Longest Day (1962). Cast as Agent 007 in Dr. No (1962), he became an international star with From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. He also made Hitchcock's Marnie (1964). After Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, he left the role, then returned for Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and later Never Say Never Again (1983).

His 1970s films include The Man Who Would Be King, Murder on the Orient Express, and Robin and Marian. He won a BAFTA for The Name of the Rose (1986) and the best supporting actor Oscar as a Chicago cop chasing Al Capone in The Untouchables. He played Indiana Jones's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), a Soviet captain in The Hunt for Red October, and starred in The Rock and Entrapment. He retired after The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).

He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. Britannica notes his strong support for Scottish independence and the Scottish National Party.

Name notes for searchers

Thomas was his legal first name, and Sean was his middle name. LOC also records his nickname, "Big Tam." After 2000 he was formally Sir Sean Connery.