Sean Connery immortalized with Estonian bust

[January 28, 2011]  TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- He's been honored with an Oscar and British knighthood. As of Thursday, Sean Connery can count a bronze sculpture in the Estonian capital among his tributes.

The bust of Scotland's most famous actor was unveiled by British Ambassador Peter Carter outside Tallinn's Scottish Club, whose members include Estonians enamored with Scotland and a handful of expatriate Scots.

"Sir Sean Connery is, without a doubt, an icon," Carter told dozens of invited guests. "He is variously known as James Bond or the sexiest man of the century. He's a great British actor, a great Scot actor and a great symbol for Scotland."

The Scottish Club, which started as a whiskey sampling society in the early 1990s, got the idea of honoring "Scots who have made a difference" a few years back, said president Mart Haamer. It already has a bust of 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Haamer read a brief statement from the 80-year-old actor, who won an Academy Award for a supporting role in "The Untouchables."

"One cannot help but be flattered by the Scottish Club's gesture. My best wishes to the members of the club and to all the people who made this possible," the statement said.

A vocal supporter of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, Connery lives in the Bahamas and has said he will not live in Scotland again until it gains independence from the United Kingdom.

However, Carter noted that "the fact that he has accepted knighthood, suggests that he is also a great supporter of the queen."

Connery was knighted in 2000.

The euro10,000 ($14,000) bust by Estonian sculptor Tiiu Kirsipuu was financed through private donations and depicts a bearded Connery at a mature age.

"I think the older he gets, the more charming he becomes," Kirsipuu said.

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Online:

Scottish Club: http://www.sotiklubi.ee/

[Associated Press; By JARI TANNER]

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