I liked Him Best When He Wasn’t 007

I woke up this morning with every intention to have a bit of fun during this dreary, rainy day. Not even the latest news of the turbulent US Presidential elections was going to perturb me, nor the controversial opening of Berlin’s new old and long-overdue BER airport. The day began as planned, with our traditional and abundant Saturday morning breakfast, complete with candlelight, funky jazz music, and happy cats.

Then the news broke about the death of Sir Sean Connery.

When I was born, Sean Connery was already James Bond, thereby setting the standard in my life for two things:
1. The definition of debonair
2. What James Bond really should be like.
My parents were both admirers of this brilliant Scottish actor, and my father in particular, who never followed the career of any other actor, was always keen to watch the latest movie staring Sean Connery. Over time, when other actors took over the role of the dashing 007 agent, my eyes followed the path of a versatile actor who had the ability to captivate the audience not only with his voice, but also a piercing look that had you hooked on the script from the very beginning.

I was too young to appreciate The Man Who Would Be King when it came out, but I watched it later on and fell head over heals with the Connery – Hepburn tandem. It was undoubtedly The Name of The Rose that had me hooked on the non-James Bond roles Sean Connery portrayed. The Hunt for Red October, Entrapment, and of course The Untouchables were reason to sit up and pay attention. He had the uncanny ability to elevate an otherwise ordinary script into something extraordinary – a classic example being his role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He was positively adorable as Henry Jones Sr. and was perfectly matched to Harrison Ford. That was the other thing, whoever he was paired with in the movie paled in comparison, but also had the opportunity to shine brightly.

Sean Connery fades out on the last day of October, surrendering his hunt. He leaves behind a legacy of elegance, commitment, and perfection of craft that many can only dream of ever attaining.