He hails from the Edinburgh, Scotland. He rode milk wagons and polished coffins for living. In 1962 he played the most famous fictional character of all time, James Bond, on the screen. His first Oscar came to him in 1987. And last year he was finally given the Knighthood. I am talking about Wily Fox (of Road Runner fame). Nah! Though the guy actually deserve whatever I mentioned, I was actually talking about Sean Connery.

What happened to Connery, has rarely happened to any present day ageing Hollywood stars, with an exception of another seventy years old, Clint Eastwood. Connery still has the same box office appeal he had thirty years ago. The success of Entrapment will testify that fact. He still chooses and rejects projects, as and when he likes it. And he remains one of the very few stars who can just speak their mind out without the fear of being hoisted out of the community - 'If I have license to kill, I'd kill the producer and the director of The Avengers.' How about that?

If one were to analyse his career in statistics, one might immediately notice the very frequent plunges, especially the long ones in the seventies and early eighties. There were successions of miserable flops - Cuba, Meteor, The Wind and The Lion and Robin and Marion. The last two showcased his immense versatility and ability to portray vulnerable characters, far removed from the debonair he-man image that haunts him till this very day. The public has still not recovered from the James Bond image he had helped to etch in their mind. When Roger Moore was still trying to establish a Bond mould of his own, to many Connery was still the one and only Bond. That made the seventies a trying time for Connery to make out as an actor.

When commercial concern mounted, he finally relented and starred in Never Say Never Again. Bond fans and critics were alike in applauding his return and the film did a big business. It was good for his bank account but did not do much to him as an actor. From then there were many films which he was merely a supporting player but nevertheless boosted the popularity and the grandeur of the films like Highlander 1 & 2 and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. He had a close encounter with Oscar with his performance in The Name of the Rose in 1986. But they just satisfied him with a nomination. And in 1987, things changed.

The Untouchables was a very American film. It dealt with the crusade of Eliot Ness and his gang of 'untouchables' trying to bring down the Notorious Al Capone. The films had it all; A good director in form of Brian De Palma, good looking, up and coming stars like Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia. And yes, the untouchable and arguably one of the greatest actor of all times, Robert De Niro, playing Al Capone. In the midst of all of this was Connery. He chewed and spat the whole film. Just like that. And they awarded him an Oscar.

His cat-like grace and imposing presence usually does the trick, but Connery takes the pain to work on his character. His performance are notable and in case of the era, overlooked, especially in films like The Anderson Tapes, The Man Who would be King, The Offence, The Hill and Outland. Some of the films have long been forgotten and time will come when film fans begin to appreciate them again.

Now, at the twilight of his life, Connery continues to whet the apetites of the critics and the audience alike with his amiable portrayal of a reclusive writer in Finding Forrester. According to Steven Spielberg, Connery is one of the few remaining film legends and he was proud to have worked with this legend. Many are dying to do so.