Editing Sean Connery (section)

=== 1987–2006 ===
In 1987 Connery starred in [[Brian De Palma]]'s ''[[The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables]]'', where he played a hard-nosed Irish-American cop alongside [[Kevin Costner]]'s [[Eliot Ness]]. The film also starred [[Charles Martin Smith]], [[Patricia Clarkson]], [[Andy Garcia]], and [[Robert De Niro]] as [[Al Capone]]. The film was a critical and box-office success. Many critics praised Connery for his performance, including Roger Ebert, who wrote: "The best performance in the movie is Connery{{spaces}}... [he] brings a human element to his character; he seems to have had an existence apart from the legend of the Untouchables, and when he's onscreen we can believe, briefly, that the [[Prohibition Era]] was inhabited by people, not caricatures".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-untouchables-1987 |title=The Untouchables Review|website=rogerebert.com|access-date= 31 October 2020}}</ref> For his performance, Connery received a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|BAFTA]] nomination and won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|title=The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners|access-date=15 March 2019|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004300/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Sean Connery 1999 b.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Connery in 1999]]
Connery starred in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'' (1989), playing [[Henry Jones Sr.]], the title character's father, and received [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe]] nominations. [[Harrison Ford]] said Connery's contributions at the writing stage enhanced the film. "It was amazing for me in how far he got into the script and went after exploiting opportunities for character. His suggestions to [[George Lucas|George]] [Lucas] at the writing stage really gave the character and the picture a lot more complexity and value than it had in the original screenplay".<ref>{{cite news |title=Ford's father figure|url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/ford-s-father-figure-1117341828/|date=5 May 1997|access-date=31 October 2020|magazine=Variety}}</ref> His subsequent box-office hits included ''[[The Hunt for Red October (film)|The Hunt for Red October]]'' (1990), ''[[The Russia House (film)|The Russia House]]'' (1990), ''[[The Rock (film)|The Rock]]'' (1996), and ''[[Entrapment (film)|Entrapment]]'' (1999). In 1996, he voiced the role of Draco the dragon in the film ''[[Dragonheart]]''. He also appeared in a brief cameo as [[King Richard the Lionheart]] at the end of ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pugh|first1=Tison|editor1-last=Coyne Kelly|editor1-first=Kathleen|editor2-last=Pugh|editor2-first=Tison|title=Queer movie medievalisms|date=2009|publisher=Ashgate |location=Farnham|isbn=978-0-7546-7592-1|page=161|chapter=8: Sean Connery's Star Persona and the Queer Middle Ages}}</ref> In 1998, Connery received the [[BAFTA Fellowship]], a lifetime achievement award from the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-names-connery-sean-connery-the-life-of-scotlands-james-bond-dvdclrqfwbb|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=16 March 2019
|title=The name's Connery, Sean Connery: the life of Scotland's James Bond|first=Ben|last=Robson|date=21 August 2008|location=London}}</ref>

Connery's later films included several box-office and critical disappointments such as ''[[First Knight]]'' (1995), ''[[Just Cause (film)|Just Cause]]'' (1995), ''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers]]'' (1998), and ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' (2003); however, he received positive reviews for his performance in ''[[Finding Forrester]]'' (2000). He also received a [[Crystal Globe (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)|Crystal Globe]] for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. In a 2003 UK poll conducted by [[Channel 4]], Connery was ranked eighth on their list of the [[100 Greatest (TV series)|100 Greatest Movie Stars]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2003/05/04/Y09420001/|title=100 Greatest ... (100 Greatest Movie Stars (Part 1))|publisher=ITN Source |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221233723/http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2003/05/04/Y09420001/|archive-date=21 February 2015|access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> The failure of ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' was especially frustrating for Connery. He sensed during shooting that the production was "going off the rails", and announced that the director, [[Stephen Norrington]] should be "locked up for insanity".{{fact|date=February 2025}} Connery spent considerable effort in trying to salvage the film through the editing process, ultimately deciding to retire from acting rather than go through such stress ever again.<ref name="looper">{{cite web|title=An ignominious exit|url=https://www.looper.com/148339/why-you-dont-see-sean-connery-onscreen-anymore/sl/an-ignominious-exit|website=Looper.com|date=21 March 2019|access-date=28 December 2019|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228032102/https://www.looper.com/148339/why-you-dont-see-sean-connery-onscreen-anymore/sl/an-ignominious-exit|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{better|date=February 2025}}

Connery turned down the role of [[Gandalf]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' films, saying he did not understand the script.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4736303.stm|title=Connery 'turning back on movies'|date=1 August 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=6 August 2012}}</ref> He was reportedly offered US$30&nbsp;million along with 15% of the worldwide box office receipts, which would have earned him US$450&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10849037 |title=Sean Connery lost $450m refusing Gandalf role|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=21 November 2012|access-date=22 January 2020|issn=1170-0777}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ransom Riggs |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/10/20/mf.rejected.movies/index.html|title=5&nbsp;million-dollar mistakes by movie stars|publisher=CNN|date=20 October 2008|access-date=10 March 2010}}</ref> He also turned down the opportunity to appear as [[Albus Dumbledore]] in the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series and the [[Architect (The Matrix)|Architect]] in ''[[The Matrix (franchise)|The Matrix]]'' trilogy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/harry-potter-dumbledore-actors-mcgoohan-connery-lee-mckellen/|title=Harry Potter: The Actors Who Almost Played Dumbledore|date=1 January 2020|work=ScreenRant|access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref><ref>Norrington, Stephen (Director) (16 December 2003) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (DVD) United States: 20th Century Fox</ref> In 2005, he recorded voiceovers for the [[From Russia with Love (video game)|''From Russia with Love'' video game]] with the recording producer [[Terry Manning]] in the Bahamas, and provided his likeness.<ref>{{cite web|title=IGN: Sean Connery Back as Bond|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132533/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|archive-date=29 June 2011|access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lipsey|first=Sid|title=Review: Connery brings Bond back to the USSR|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2005-11-10/tech/bond.rwl_1_bond-moves-aston-martin-db5-sean-connery?_s=PM:TECH|publisher=CNN|date=10 November 2005|access-date=6 August 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223005434/http://articles.cnn.com/2005-11-10/tech/bond.rwl_1_bond-moves-aston-martin-db5-sean-connery?_s=PM%3ATECH|archive-date=23 February 2013}}</ref> Connery said he was happy the producers, [[Electronic Arts]], had approached him to voice Bond.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|title=IGN: Sean Connery Back as Bond|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=29 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132533/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/601/601649p1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>