http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTwmjOySDjA Connery had a number of small movie roles and bit parts in the 1950s, but it wasn't until Walt Disney's 1959 family film Darby O'Gill And The Little People that he had a major starring role. As the title suggests, it is a fantasy movie about leprechauns set in Ireland and Connery plays a young Dubliner named Michael McBride. Connery attempts an Irish accent and a careful listener can detect a slight affectation of it in some of his dialogue, but ultimately his voice sounds flat. It's like Connery was trying to cover up his own accent rather than trying to do an Irish accent. The fact that Connery is surrounded by native Irish actors makes his awkward attempt at an Irish accent stand out even more. Though Connery showed improvement in his Irish accent when he appeared as Private Flanagan three years later in The Longest Day, Connery's Irish "accent" would come back to haunt him decades later... as you'll soon see.
Chris McKittrick is a published author of fiction and non-fiction and has spoken about film and comic books at conferences across the United States. In addition to his work at WhatCulture!, he is a regular contributor to CreativeScreenwriting.com, MovieBuzzers.com, and DailyActor.com, a website focused on acting in all media. For more information, visit his website at http://www.chrismckit.com.