Will actor Sean Connery appear in another movie, or is he officially retired? The legendary Scottish actor is best known for portraying James Bond in seven films over the course of 20 years. Connery is an Oscar winner and a legitimate movie icon, but he hasn't appeared on-screen in nearly 20 years.
Connery's movie career spans seven decades. By 1962, he was known for epics like Anna Karenina and MacBeth, and even the war classic The Longest Day. But it was the first adaptation of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, Dr. No, that transformed Connery into an international superstar. Within a decade, six proper James Bond films were released, and Connery later reprised his role for the unofficial 1983 adaptation Never Say Never Again.
Even though Connery will forever be James Bond to many moviegoers, some may know him most for appearing in '80s classics like The Untouchables and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. During the '90s, Connery boosted his legacy with high-octane action flicks such as The Hunt for Red October and The Rock, which made many fans forget about his portrayal of Sir August de Wynter in the fiasco that was The Avengers. This century, Connery has only appeared in the literary-themed hit Finding Forrester and the 2003 superhero film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That marked the final movie in his career.
Connery is reportedly done with acting. In 2011, friend and fellow actor Michael Caine told The Telegraph that "He [Connery] won't make another film now. I just asked him. He said, 'No, I'll never do it." This appears to stem from Connery's distaste for the Hollywood machine, evidenced by a 2005 interview with Scotsman, in which he referenced industry "idiots" with poor filmmaking abilities. In 2006, Connery had surgery for a kidney tumor and then made his retirement official, stating at the AFI, "I have retired for good. It’s been a bit rough since Christmas but I’m perfectly OK and I feel well.” Now, at 89 years old, it seems unlikely that Connery would suddenly return for a big screen movie.
With Connery, there's a "what if?" factor that keeps fans talking. Of course, the Bond franchise always sparks conversations about the greatest performances and character portrayals, but it's also fascinating to think about the roles Connery turned down. For example, he was reportedly asked to portray Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which would have given him $10 million per movie and 15 percent of the overall box office take. Sean Connery did voice the title character for the 2012 film Sir Billi, but now apparently seems to be enjoying life in the Bahamas.