Universe competition. This trip was to mean more to him than the third place prize he won. While he was there, he heard about auditions for the musical
South Pacific. He decided he wanted to try out, took a crash course in dancing and singing, and was cast for a role in the chorus.
Chose Acting over Soccer
This small part became a crucial turning point for Connery. At the time, he was teetering between wanting to be an actor and a professional soccer player. But actor Robert Henderson, who was also in South Pacific, encouraged him to consider a career in acting. Connery took Henderson's advice: as a soccer player, one is limited by age; a good actor could play challenging roles forever.
The unschooled Connery looked up to Henderson as a mentor. He commented in Premiere that "[Henderson] gave me a list of all these books I should read. I spent a year in every library in Britain and Ireland, Scotland and Wales.... I spent my days at the library and the evenings at the theater." He also went to matinees and talked to a lot of other actors, people he met over the year-long touring run of South Pacific.
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