Connery is best known for playing James Bond across seven films
A divisive Sean Connery action film that he made one year before his Oscar win is airing on TV tonight (Friday, May 9) for free across the UK.
The beloved Scottish actor died in 2020, at the age of 90, leaving fans of one of the UK’s biggest film stars devastated.
For many, Connery will always be known as the definitive James Bond, appearing as 007 in seven films centred around the character.
Beginning with 1962’s Dr. No and concluding in 1983’s Never Say Never Again, the role made Connery a household name.
Outside of his work as the spy with a licence to kill, Connery has worked with some of cinema’s greatest actors and directors.
Prior to his final performance in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003, Connery appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, Time Bandits and The Hunt for Red October.
On top of this, he worked with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and with Nicolas Cage in Michael Bay’s The Rock.
Out of all the films he appeared in, none have garnered the cult classic status quite like Highlander.
Released in 1986, one year before Connery won Best Supporting Actor for The Untouchables, Highlander chronicles the climax of an age-old war between immortal warriors.
Boasting a storyline that displays interwoven past and present-day storylines, the film is full of action and a nonsensical plot that wins you over in no time.
Leading the film is Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, who is trained by Connery’s swordsman Ramirez to get revenge on the murderous Kurgan, played by Clancy Brown.
Learning that he was born immortal, MacLeod bides his time until 1985 when he takes Kurgan on in a showdown for the ages.
With a production budget of $19 million, the feature grossed just $13 million at the worldwide box office. In spite of also having mixed reviews, it managed to become a cult classic.
Becoming a famous VHS tape, Highlander somehow produced five sequels and three television spin-off series’.
Recalling working with Connery, director Russell Mulcahy told Den of Geek: “The first time I went to meet him was at the Savoy Hotel in London.
“I knocked on the door of his hotel room, nervous, thinking ‘I’m about to meet 007!’ We had the most wonderful afternoon together. Cucumber sandwiches and tea, and just chatting away. We got along from the word go.”
Highlander airs on Friday, May 9, at 12.15am on BBC1 and on the BBC iPlayer
