Sean Connery and Jason Connery at the ‘Finding Forester’ film premiere.Photo:Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
Most of the world knewSean Conneryas James Bond but there was one person who knew him simply as “dad.”
The iconic actor — whose career spanned more than six decades — had one child with his first wife Diane Cilento, a son born in 1963 named Jason Joseph Connery. Though Sean would eventuallysplit from Jason’s mother, the actor grew to have a close relationship with his son.
“We are all working at understanding this huge event as it only happened so recently, even though my dad has been unwell for some time,” Jasonsaid to the BBCat the time of his father’s death. “A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”
Here’s everything to know about Sean Connery’s son Jason Connery.
He was born in London
Jason Connery attends a photocall during the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 21, 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland.Roberto Ricciuti/Getty
Roberto Ricciuti/Getty
Sean began dating Australian actress Diane Cilento in 1957, after the two played lovers in a television version of Eugene O’Neill’sAnna Christie,according toThe New York Times.They married in November 1962, and six weeks later, their son Jason Joseph was born on Jan. 11, 1963, in London.
Sean and Diane would later go through a divorce in 1973, and Jason would grow up primarily with his mother in both London and Scotland. In 2017 he told theLos Angeles Timesthat he attended Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun School.
“When I was growing up nobody really explained things to me,” Jasonsaid about his parent’s divorceinThe Sunday Timesin 2004. “I didn’t realize what was going on … Nowadays there is more openness, because there is an understanding that it does have an effect on the child. I can understand what they were going through, though.”
He followed his father’s footsteps into acting
Though both of his parents were actors, Jason initially had no desire to enter the industry.
“I wanted to be a farmer,” he told theLos Angeles Times, recalling how he spent time as a child at his mother’s farm in southern England. But after getting a taste of acting while at Gordonstoun, Jason changed his mind and was accepted into the Bristol Old Vic Theater School (whose famous alumni includeDaniel Day-Lewis,Olivia Colmanand Gene Wilder).
“My dad basically said, ‘Look, the thing about acting is, it’s a tough profession. If you really don’t want to do it, you’ll find out soon,’ ” Jason recalled of telling his father he wanted to be an actor.
He added, “I was very aware of who Dad was and everybody else was. I felt very much like I had to defend myself or I had to say, ‘I’m not just his son. I can act. I am not just riding on his coattails.’ ”
Jason Connery in ‘Secret Life of Ian Fleming’.Courtesy Everett
Courtesy Everett
The character of James Bond was arguably Sean’s most famous role, with the actor portraying the 007 agent in seven films over three decades. In an ironic twist, Jason also appeared in a Bond movie … of sorts. He played the role of Ian Fleming — the novelist who created Bond — in a 1990 cable movie titledThe Secret Life of Ian Fleming.
“Now I can say to the press, ‘Compare me!’ ” Jason told theLos Angeles Timesabout the part, which inevitably drew comparisons to his father. “I realize that I’m always going to be compared to my father. There are innuendoes all the time. Should I spend my whole life justifying myself?”
Despite the potential for criticism, Sean approved of his son taking the part. “I rang Dad and told him, ‘There’s this really good script about Ian Fleming. How do you feel about my playing him?’ He had no objection,” Jason shared.
He shares his father’s passion for golf
Jason Connery and Sean Connery in 1988.Snap/Shutterstock
Snap/Shutterstock
Sean was well known for his passion for golf, evenmoving to Marbella, Spainin the mid-1970s, per theTimes, primarily for its 24 golf courses. The game became one of the ways Jason bonded with his famous father.
“Hecut down a 7-iron for mewhen I was a boy,” Jason toldPage Sixabout golfing with his father. “I graduated to be his caddie, which was great when he was playing well, not so great when he wasn’t.”
As an adult, Jason continued to play with his father, even as the elder Connery was pushing 90 years old. Golf became a way for the pair to have father-son time — and some friendly competition.
“He loves his golf, as everyone knows,” Jason toldThe Sunday Timesin 2004. “When we talk it’s usually about that … he managed to correct my golf grip the other week. He showed me I’d started holding the club all wrong and when he gave me this new grip my game really improved. We had a great round – and yes I beat him, though I gave him a couple of shots.”
He has a son with his first wife
Jason Connery attends “Tommy’s Honour” New York Screening on April 12, 2017 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
“My divorce was a really difficult thing for me, a shock,” Jason said toThe Sunday Times.“I suddenly saw all the parallels between my dad, my mum and me, because they were both actors — like my ex and I. And they had a son, me — like we have Dash.”
He added, “I thought, ‘F—, I’ve done exactly the same thing they did’. Even though I’d sat thinking for years that that was just what I wasn’t going to do.”
Despite the divorce, Jason has remained on good terms with his ex-wife and continued living in Los Angeles at the time to be close to Dash.
“I want to be a constant in my son’s life because my dad wasn’t a constant in mine. I like to be involved,” he said.
He’s an accomplished director
Jason Connery attends the screening Of “Tommy’s Honour” at Cineplex Oakville on April 17, 2017.GP Images/WireImage
GP Images/WireImage
While the majority of his father’s career was spent in front of the camera, Jason made the transition to directing in 2009 with the indie thrillerPandemic. He often spoke with his father about “film stuff,” according to his interview withThe Sunday Times, and had hoped to someday make a movie with him.
“I’ve started directing and maybe one day I’ll direct him in something — who knows,” Jason said to the British newspaper.
The younger Connery went on to direct films includingThe Devil’s Tomb, 51andThe Philly Kid— but his most successful directing effort came with the 2016 period dramaTommy’s Honour, which told the story of father-and-son Scottish golf pioneers in the 1860s. The film went on to win the 2016 Scottish BAFTA for best feature film.
“What I try to do is sort of have a completely set idea of how I want everything to be,” he told theLos Angeles Timesin 2017 about his directing style. “I usually have a plan and then sometimes the plan goes out the window, if something comes up that seems to be better.”
He married Fiona Ufton in 2021
Fiona Ufton and Jason Connery attend the world premiere for ‘England is mine’ during the 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival on July 2, 2017.Roberto Ricciuti/Getty
“The love of my life got down on one knee & asked me to marry him. I said yes, a thousand times yes!!” Ufton wrote in the caption. “And now our next great adventure together begins. WE’RE GETTING MARRIED… in just over THREE WEEKS time.”
On April 11, 2021, the couple — who live in Scotland — wed at Town Hall in Roxburghshire, a small county in southern Scotland, according to theEdinburgh News, who added that Ufton shared several images from the intimate ceremony on her X (formerly Twitter) account and called it “the day the stars aligned.”
He leads a Scottish television and film studio
Sean Connery, Micheline Connery, Jason Connery, and Mira Sara attend the world premiere of “Playing By Heart” on December 10, 1998.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
In March 2020, Jason wastapped to lead First Stage Studiosalong with the Oscar-nominated producer Bob Last. The television and film studio is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the hopes of boosting the country’s screen sector and economy.
“There is no question Scotland needs a film studio — I could not be more excited to be involved in bringing it to fruition,” Jason told U.K. newspaperThe Timesabout the project.
The studio brings a piece of Hollywood to his father’s birthplace. The elder Connery always spoke fondly of Scotland, despite living in New York, the Bahamas and Spain throughout his adult life. “Scotland is my homeand emotionally I’ve never left,” Sean famously toldGQin 2008.
source: people.com
