Licence to lend: Bond star's hidden library link

A library card application filled out by former James Bond star Sir Sean Connery has been discovered in Hull.

The actor applied for it when he was in the city during the 1950s performing in a touring show at Hull New Theatre.

A copy of the form, complete with his signature, was uncovered by Hull Libraries and revealed the actor had to pay a special deposit of £1.

Librarian Matt Soare said it was found in an archive of documents left at Hull Central Library by the director of the service, who recently retired after 45 years.

"While I was going through it, I found a small piece of paper which was a photocopy of a part of an application to join the library by one Sean Connery," he said.

"I compared the signature with those online and it's very definitely his."

Checking the Hull History Centre archives, Soare discovered a theatre programme which listed the Scottish actor as appearing in a play called The Seashell in 1959 alongside Dame Sybil Thorndike.

"We're just down the road from the New Theatre," Soare said.

"So obviously he thought, 'well, I'll go down and get some books to pass the time between shows'."

Sir Sean was best known for his portrayal of James Bond, being the first to bring the spy to the silver screen, and appeared in seven films in the franchise.

In an acting career which spanned seven decades, Sir Sean won an Oscar in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables and also appeared in films such as Highlander, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Rock.

He passed away in 2020 at the age of 90 at his home in the Bahamas.

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