The American Film Institute’s Board of Trustees has selected Sir Sean Connery to receive the 34th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film. Through five decades of superstardom, Connery not only created James Bond, one of the most popular characters in cinema, but has also broadened his persona beyond typecasting to create a career as extraordinary as 007 himself.

Connery’s wide-ranging career has encompassed widescreen historical epics (note the number of Cinemascope films in this series), hardboiled police dramas, cult fantasies and science fiction. He stole the show in the final installment of the Indiana Jones trilogy. Always a powerful presence on screen, Connery blends virile masculinity with twinkle-in-the-eye humor, an ability that redefined action stars. Enjoy this retrospective focusing on Sir Sean Connery’s work outside the Bond franchise, and tune into the AFI Life Achievement Award telecast on the USA Network in June. A James Bond series will run later this year at the AFI Silver. [-AFI Silver]