Jason Connery is a British actor and director best known for portraying Robin Hood in ITV’s ‘Robin of Sherwood’ and directing the award-winning historical drama film ‘Tommy’s Honour.’ Despite his accomplishments, many people remember him because of his famous parents, Sir Sean Connery and Diane Cilento. Being the son of famous performers, he claims, did not make his path as an actor any easier. He was awestruck by his father’s media image, and when he finally decided to pursue acting professionally, he felt compelled to adopt a defensive demeanor, as if he needed to persuade others that he can act and is not in the industry because of his celebrity parents. He’s appeared in a number of TV episodes and films, including ‘Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming,’ ‘The Other Side of Paradise,’ ‘Bullet to Beijing,’ ‘Casualty,’ ‘Urban Ghost Story,’ ‘Merlin: The Quest Begins,’ ‘Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell,’ and others. In recent years, he has preferred to work behind rather than in front of the camera, and he has established himself as a successful director by earning a Scottish BAFTA.
Childhood and Adolescence
Jason Joseph Connery was born in London on January 11, 1963, and grew up there as well as in Scotland. He is the only child of Sir Sean Connery, a famed Scottish actor, and his first wife, Australian actress Diane Cilento. He went to Millfield School, a co-educational independent boarding school in the Somerset village of Street. He also obtained a half scholarship while there and held the under-16 freestyle swimming record for the south of England.
He went on to the Gordonstoun School for Boys in the north of Scotland, where he developed an interest in acting. During his stay there, he devised the idea for the Inter-House Players Group, which would see the girls’ and boys’ houses collaborate on one play each term. Even today, the custom exists.
He directed ‘Hotel Paradiso,’ starring his classmate Edward Wessex, while still in school (aka Prince Edward). Despite his acting and directing experience, he was afraid to tell his famous actor parents about it, and only told them when he was admitted into the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
After a year, he joined Perth Repertory Company in Scotland, where, in addition to his weekly repertory job, he worked as an assistant stage manager and acted to acquire his Equity card. He trained for one play during the day while while performing another at night for six months.
Career of Jason Connery
Jason Connery began his acting career on stage, appearing in a number of theatre performances before moving on to a number of B-grade films. In 1983, he made his film debut in the film ‘The Lords of Discipline.’ He starred in a number of films in 1984, including ‘The Boy Who Had It All,’ ‘The First Olympics: Athens 1896,’ and ‘Nemo.’ The next year, he appeared in two episodes of the ‘Doctor Who’ serial ‘Vengeance on Varos.’
His breakout role came in the final season of the popular UK television series ‘Robin of Sherwood,’ which aired in 1986, when he was cast as Robin Hood. After Michael Praed, who initially played Robert Hood, left the program after season two, he took over as the character.
In 1987, he appeared as a guest star on the television series ‘Worlds Beyond.’ In the years that followed, he appeared in films such as ‘Bye Bye Baby’ (1988), ‘Puss in Boots’ (1988), ‘Tank Malling’ (1989), and ‘Casablanca Express’ (1989).
While his father, Sean Connery, was the first actor to play James Bond in a film, in 1990 he played Ian Fleming, the fictional Secret Service agent’s inventor. ‘Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming,’ a biographical television drama, chronicled the author’s early carefree life and subsequent employment with the British intelligence organization during World War II.
He appeared on TV in shows including ‘Lenin: The Train,’ ‘Mountain of Diamonds,’ ‘The Other Side of Paradise,’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ and voiced the character of Beast in ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ He also appeared in television movies including “Bullet to Beijing” and “Midnight in Saint Petersburg.”
He participated in the long-running British medical drama series ‘Casualty’ and acted in the film adaption of ‘Macbeth’ in 1997. He starred in the horror film ‘Urban Ghost Story’ from 1998, as well as the pilot for a new TV series that was eventually turned into the fantasy feature ‘Merlin: The Quest Begins.’
He made his acting and voice acting debut in the comedy film ‘Shanghai Noon’ in the new decade, and later had recurring appearances in TV shows such as ‘Smallville,’ ‘Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!,’ ‘Shoebox Zoo,’ and ‘Trollz.’ ‘Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell’ (2001), ‘Lightspeed’ (2006), ‘Night Skies’ (2007), and ‘Brotherhood of Blood’ (2008) were among the horror films he appeared in at this time (2007).
He subsequently moved on to film direction, making his directorial debut in the 2008 picture ‘Pandemic,’ which was followed by ‘The Devil’s Tomb’ the following year. He went on to direct two ‘After Dark Films’ productions: ’51’ in 2011 for ‘After Dark Originals’ and ‘Philly Kid’ the following year for ‘After Dark Action.’
He was hired to helm the film ‘Tommy’s Honour’ in 2014, which is based on the lives of golf pioneers Old Tom Morris and his son Young Tom Morris. The film, which was released in 2016, was well-received and garnered him a ‘BAFTA Scotland Award.’
Major Projects of Jason
Jason Connery is best known for his portrayal as Robert of Huntingdon in the television series “Robin of Sherwood.” ‘Tommy’s Honour,’ a critically praised historical drama film, is his best work to date as a director.
Achievements & Awards
‘Tommy’s Honour,’ a film starring Jason Connery, won the ‘Best Feature Film’ category at the 2016 ‘British Academy Scotland Awards.’ The film was also nominated for a ‘Edinburgh International Film Festival’ award.
Personal History and Legacy
Jason Connery married American actress Mia Sara in 1996, whom he met in Russia while filming ‘Bullet to Beijing.’ Dashiell Quinn Connery, their son, was born in June 1997. In 2002, the couple divorced.
In 2008, his mother reported that he and his father had a strained relationship, and that Sr. Connery was considering preventing him from inheriting his riches. He later issued a public statement, claiming that stories regarding his tense relationship with his father are untrue.
Estimated Net Worth
Jason Connery net worth and salary: Jason Connery is a TV Actor who has a net worth of $46 million. Jason Connery was born in in January 11, 1963. He portrayed Sean Tolkey on the TV series The Big C with Oliver Platt. He played Arthur in the Tony Award-winning play, Love! Valour! Compassion!
Trivia
During their respective acting careers, Jason Connery and his father each played two movie roles. At some point in their lives, they’ve both performed the roles of Macbeth and Robin Hood. Jason, who portrays golfer Old Tom Morris and his son in ‘Tommy’s Honour,’ is a passionate golf lover, just like his father. He remarked after the film’s premiere that he treasures his memories of playing golf with his father in Spain.