ABSTRACT
In a career spanning approximately fifty years and nearly seventy films of various genres, Sean Connery’s definitive role is James Bond, seducer and spy extraordinaire from his seven films in the internationally successful series: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Never Say Never Again (1983). As this iconic incarnation of British charm and heterosexual derring-do, Connery performs the necessary masculinity to establish the character’s allure within the film franchise and, by so doing, to construct his star persona for consumer consumption. Because his role as Bond iconically defines Connery, the actor cannot help but to bring to his non-Bond roles certain expectations for these performances congruent with his star persona as Bond. Connery’s star persona, the hybridized constellation of his fictional on-screen identity as Bond that merges with genuine markers of his identity, such as his physique, nationality, and voice, defines his appeal as an actor.
