The Time A Young Sean Connery Took Down 6 Gang Members With A Bond-Like Ease
Before there was the Most Interesting Man in the World commercial character, we had someone who may have actually been the most interesting man in the world, and he didn't need to hold a fancy beer to look cool. The Late Sir Sean Connery (1930-2020) was a monolith of traditional masculine energy and one of the greatest actors of our time. Even and especially off-screen, the James Bond actor lived a life of exceptional grit. He was a bonafide bad boy in every sense of the term, and there are a myriad of stories that attest to this fact.
According to Edinburgh Live, the "Hunt for Red October" star once fought off six members of a Scottish razor gang who used to terrorize his local neighborhood. Imagine that movie — James Bond vs. the Peaky Blinders. Place your bets and take your seats, folks, because it's about to get bloody.
Sean Connery the bouncer
Before he was a renowned star of the silver screen, Sean Connery held a series of different jobs as a young man growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland. According to Britannica, he started practicing bodybuilding at a young age and even spent time in the Royal Navy. He also worked as a milkman for a time. However, Connery's true talents shined through when he became a bouncer for local restaurants, clubs, and dance halls across Edinburgh (via Edinburgh Live).
According to Edinburgh Live, the most demanding bouncing positioned he ever held was at the Palais de Danse at Fountainbridge, a popular dance hall that drew significant crowds nightly. The young Connery was no stranger to refusing entry to unruly bystanders or kicking someone out who was causing a ruckus, but when he was descended upon one evening by six members of the notorious Valdor Gang, he nearly found himself in over his head.
Sean Connery vs. the Valdor Gang
At the time, everybody in Edinburgh knew who the infamous Valdor Gang was. According to Edinburgh Live, the gang's members would actually sew razor blades into their clothing to use as weapons and to prevent being seized by assailants (anyone who attempted to grab them was liable to slice their hand wide open). One night, after following Connery to work at the Palais de Danse, six members of the Valdor Gang cornered him on a balcony in the upper section of the dance hall with the intention of killing or seriously maiming him.
However, the gang wasn't aware of how proficient of a fighter Connery actually was. He routinely trained at a local weightlifting hall and, suffice it to say, could hold his own in a fight. The Vandor Gang learned this the hard way. Apparently, after landing a few blows, Connery was able to turn the tables and seize two of the thugs — one in either hand. He then smashed their heads together, and after watching their compatriots crumble to the floor like limp scarecrows, the other members ran off and never bothered ol' Sean ever again.