Sean Connery, a lion of cinema whose roar went beyond Bond

Writing an appreciation of Sean Connery feels inevitably inadequate compared to experiencing the real thing. Noting his supreme confidence, the late film critic Pauline Kael once wrote, “I don’t know any man since Cary Grant that men have wanted to be so much.” As a more earthy, macho movie-star ideal, Connery was so beloved that he was shared, like folklore, between generations. His Bond heir Daniel Craig on Saturday credited Connery with helping “create the modern blockbuster.” It’s hard to imagine the suave secret-service spy would have ever become a cultural force if the franchise hadn’t from the start traded on its star’s brutal charm. “The Hill” was the first of five films with Sidney Lumet, and while it’s less seen than many of Connery’s, it remains possibly the best expression of the actor’s rugged power. In his Oscar-winning performance in Brian De Palma’s Prohibition-era crime film, “The Untouchables,” he’s alive to Al Capone’s threat, telling Kevin Costner’s Treasury Department agent: “You see what I’m saying is, what are you prepared to do?” Accepting the Academy Award, Connery addressed his wife since 1975, Micheline Roquebrune.