“Bond. James Bond” — one immortal dialogue and scores of incredible actors who have said it, but none made it more memorable than the first actor who brought 007 alive on the silver screen, Sean Connery. The Sean Connery you know is practically this legend who lived a life of milestonesm, he acted in an impressive array of films beyond the Bond franchise, winning the Academy Award in 1988, having three Golden Globes to his name, being knighted in 2000 for services to film drama, and so much more.
But it wasn’t just cinema buffs who were taken by Connery and skills as a fine actor, turns out the hunky handsome once earned the respect of a dangerous Mafia gang by beating up 6 of its members at once!
The incident took place in the early 1950s, when young Connery, looking for means to generate more income, took up a job of working as a backstage maintenance man at the King’s Theater in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Young Connery Had, Unknowingly, Just Taken The First Step Towards His Career In Acting
Becoming an actor was never Connery’s first plan, all he wanted to concentrate on was his avid love for bodybuilding and make a career in it. The side gigs he picked were just means to support himself till his dream came true.
But at King’s Theatre, he started becoming interested in acting. In 1953, during a bodybuilding competition in London, one of the competitors told him about auditions that were being held for a production of South Pacific, a Broadway musical. Connery decided to try his luck and landed a small part as one of the Seabees chorus boys. But such was his innate prowess as an actor that he was soon given the part of Marine Cpl Hamilton Steeves.
The production would return the following year, with Connery promoted to the featured role of Lieutenant Buzz Adams. And while many years after that were all about minor roles and Broadway plays for Connery, Hollywood had noticed its future star.
But coming back to 1953, it wasn’t just Broadway lovers that Connery ended up impressing.
Connery Became The Target Of The Most Violent Gang In Scotland
Edinburgh, at the time, was plagued by dangerous mobs and gangs, and listed as one of the most dangerous and ruthless was the Valdor gang. It’s leather-clad members, feared by many in the city, were known for ruling the city's billiard halls with a rod of iron. But maybe it was because they hadn’t met their match, Sean Connery.
The gang members noticed Connery one evening, playing in a billiard hall, and fancied his shiny leather jacket. When they tried to steal it, Connery protested, following which they started threatening him. Not wanting to create a scene and trying to avoid a fight, he walked away, believing that the petty argument would end there. But it wasn’t so.
Six members of the Valdor gang began following him as he walked through the streets of Edinburgh to reach the Palais, a popular dance and theater hall (now demolished). When Connery noticed that he was being followed, he had no choice but to climb the 15-foot-high balcony at the Palais, where having cornered him at last, the gang members attacked him. They were aiming to injure him and teach him a lesson for underestimating their reputation when he had refused to give his jacket to them.
But they were in for a surprise! They had no idea that their target was no ordinary victim- Connery was a trained bodybuilder, who had prior experience in tackling street fights and bar brawls with surprising ease. He managed to single-handedly tackle all six gang members and even knocked two of them out by smacking their heads together. That sounds like one saucy action scene but in real life!
Impressed With Connery, The Gang Even Offered Him To Join Their Ranks
What Connery did was no simple deal. He managed to thwart six members of the most feared gang in the city without sustaining any serious injury himself. And for this exceptional feat, even the high-ranking members of the Valdor gang were beyond impressed! Stunned by Connery’s outstanding fighting skills, they were all praise for the young man who managed to stand his ground against their men.
In fact, a month after the fight, the high-ranking members of the gang even congratulated Connery, letting him know about how amazed they were of what he managed to accomplish all alone while backed into a corner, and extended to him the rare offer of joining their ranks.
Even though Connery politely declined the offer and refused the option to join their ranks, he had, nonetheless, earned their respect.
Given this high-on-adrenaline true story, it is hardly a surprise that he went on to become the best James Bond ever!
