On the silver screen, the legendary Sir Sean Connery was known to play tough guys who never suffered fools and always got their way.  Few will be surprised to learn that Sir Sean was no different in real life.

In Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987), Sir Sean played James Malone, a tough veteran Irish cop who was part of the team that brought down the dreaded Chicago mobster, Al Capone.

During the film’s most famous scene, Malone offers his advice to the team’s young leader on how to get Capone.  “They pull a knife, you pull a gun.  He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.  That’s the Chicago way!  And that’s how you get Capone.”

In real life, Sir Sean also took on a mobster.

In 1958, Sir Sean was filming one of his rare mediocre pictures, called Another Time, Another Place in London.  His co-star was the legendary Lana Turner, whose notorious boyfriend was mob enforcer Johnny Stompanato. 

The nefarious British tabloids, known for fabricating, carried news of Sir Sean having a passionate affair with Turner.  To support their claims, they published pictures of Sir Sean escorting Turner to shows on the West End and dining out at London’s fanciest restaurants.

Gossip of this nature usually gets traction, and this story was not at all different.  The news was picked up by Hollywood papers, and soon Turner’s volatile boyfriend learned of the “affair.”

Stompanato was a mob bodyguard and enforcer known for his foul temper and being unhesitant to engage in violence.  Stompanato was livid upon learning of Turner’s and Sir Sean’s off-screen coupling.

The lout first called Turner and threatened to kill or disfigure her.  Next, he boarded a plane for London to “deal with Connery.”  Despite Turner urging him to stay away from the set, Stompanato showed up at the studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

It so happened that Turner and Connery were filming a romantic scene, where the pair were embracing on a couch.  This caused Stompanato to simmer with rage.  What made it worse is that the director, unsatisfied with the scene, demanded a few retakes.

Finally, Stompanato could not tolerate this display anymore.  He walked into the frame, pointed a pistol at Connery, and ordered him to take his hands off Turner.

Most men in showbiz would have been startled by the experience, petrified of the gun and shuddering that their life may be in peril.  They probably would have groveled before Stompanato and followed his order.  But not Sir Sean.

The future 007 grabbed the enforcer’s wrist in a swift move, twisted it until the gun fell out of his grip, and then knocked him down with one hard punch.

Turner called Scotland Yard to escort Stompanato from the set, and he was deported for breaking England’s gun laws.  The whole incident was supposedly caught on camera; alas, the footage was never made public.

This wasn’t the only encounter Sir Sean had with gangsters.

During his youth in Edinburgh, Sir Sean had a run-in with the dreaded Valdor gang.  The story goes that Sir Sean was in a billiard hall when thugs of the Valdor gang noticed him and his shiny leather jacket.  The brutes attempted to bully him and snatch his jacket.  Sir Sean avoided engaging in a fight but successfully prevented them from stealing his jacket.

Subsequently, the thugs followed him down the streets of Edinburgh towards the Palais, a popular dance and theater hall at the time.  When Sir Sean noticed, he decided he had to do something about it.  He had experience with bar brawls and street fights and was also an amateur boxer.

Connery singlehandedly launched a fierce, swift, and simultaneous attack on the gang members.  He grabbed one by the throat and another by the biceps and slammed their heads together.  The thugs took to their heels and disappeared into the night.

The news spread across the town and earned him a reputation as a no-nonsense man.  Nobody dared touch him ever again.

Sir Sean used his fist on another occasion.

The legendary Sir Michael Caine narrated a story about Sir Sean from the fifties.  Caine said:

In my early 20s I was running around with Sean and Terence Stamp. Every girl in London was running after us. Sean used to have parties called ‘Bring a Bottle and a Bird’. I couldn’t afford a bottle then, so I took two birds!

I was 23 and Sean was 26 and he had just got into the chorus of South Pacific. He was Mr. Edinburgh at that time and built like Arnie Schwarzenegger.

One Saturday night he walked into a party where I was with two beautiful girls. He saw me and we became friends.

Caine revealed that during one night at a club, some girls were singing on the stage, but some unruly, inebriated men were heckling the performers and giving them a hard time.  Both Caine and Connery urged the rowdies to restrain themselves and allow the performers to do their job, but the men brushed Connery and Caine aside and attempted to ascend the stage.

Caine revealed that Sir Sean resolved the situation quite immediately: “he just got up and beat all four of them up.  I just held his coat!”

Sean wasn’t just quick with his fists.  He was also known to be forthright with opinions.

Sir Michael narrated another experience with Sir Sean.  It so happened that a very famous actress, rumored to be Barbara Streisand, had invited Sir Sean and Sir Michael with their respective spouses to a dinner party.  As the main course was being served, the diva hostess proposed that Sir Sean be part of a film she intended to direct.

Sir Michael revealed that it was at that moment that he comprehended the purpose of the invite.  The diva hostess wasn’t even remotely interested in socializing with Caine.  The aim was to convince Sir Sean to be in her film.

Sir Michael revealed that had he been asked the question, he would have made excuses and probably postponed answering the question.  But Sir Sean was different.

Caine revealed that Sir Sean looked at him and responded rather directly.  He told the diva that he had made more pictures than her and had no interest in working with her and asked him why she would even make such a proposal.

Caine revealed that he was astounded by the directness, considering that the lady was their host.  Caine revealed that the hostess was fuming all night, due to Sir Sean’s blunt rejection.

Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman revealed how Sir Sean valued punctuality.

Like others of my generation, I didn’t admire Sean Connery; I worshiped him.  Getting to work with him as both a producer and an actor was a singular high point of my entire career.  He taught me so much.  If you are on time for a meeting with the incomparable, unimaginably cool, mega-talented Sir Sean, you are five minutes late.

But Connery wasn’t just a tough guy who didn’t suffer fools.  He also had a kind heart.

Sir Sean donated his entire salary from his final official Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, to the Scottish International Educational Trust that he co-founded.

The sum was a record $1.25 million back in 1971, which would be roughly $8 million today.  This generous grant has benefited the lives of thousands of regular Scots, granting them an affordable education.

Finally, it wasn’t just acting that Sir Sean excelled in.  He also was part of a Beatles cover album.

Sir Sean in his distinctive and rich baritone voice recited the lyrics of the famous Beatles track “In My Life,” accompanied by an orchestral arrangement of George Martin.  The result was nothing short of spectacular.

The track is even more poignant now, as we remember Sir Sean on his 94th heavenly birthday.

Image: Mieremet, Rob / Anefo via the Dutch National Archives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DL.