Harrison Ford's Sean Connery Tribute Has People Talking

The announcement of Sean Connery's passing on October 31, 2020 had film fans looking back on his iconic roles over the decades. The nonagenarian Scotsman's tenure as James Bond understandably took the spotlight, but just shy of 50 years spent constantly on the screen left fans and colleagues with plenty of other memorable work to look back on. Kevin Costner tweeted about their time working together on The Untouchables and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote fondly of his time as a bodybuilder in the Mr. Universe competition.

Commemorating one of Connery's most memorable turns, Harrison Ford gave a statement to Today reflecting on their time co-starring in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

"He was my father, not in life, but in Indy 3. You don't know pleasure until someone pays you to take Sean Connery for a ride in the side car of a Russian motorcycle bouncing along a bumpy, twisty mountain trail and getting to watch him squirm," Ford stated, referring to one of Last Crusade's indelible action sequences. "God, we had fun, if he's in heaven, I hope they have golf courses. Rest in peace, dear friend."

Thanks in large part to the onscreen chemistry of its two leads, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was generally well received, widely regarded at the time as a satisfying end to the franchise. Despite being only twelve years older than Harrison Ford, Sean Connery played the part of Doctor Henry Jones, Sr. to critical and audience acclaim, delivering unforgettable dialogue and providing half of one of cinema's most iconic father-son duos. Roger Ebert described Connery's performance as having been played "on exactly the right note," while Neil Smith of the BBC said it was "the inspired casting of Sean Connery as Indy's crotchety father that makes the third Indy movie such a rich and rewarding experience." 

Connery claimed to have held the role in high esteem, even going so far as to release an official announcement regarding his absence in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was filmed after the actor had gone into retirement. "I thought long and hard about it," he wrote in 2007, "and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun."