The Man Who Could Be King : Film: Sean Connery, a veteran of more than 50 movies, will receive the seventh American Cinematheque Award tonight.

If it’s true, as director Steven Spielberg once said, that there are only seven genuine movie stars in the world and that Sean Connery is one of them, one could go on to make the case for Connery--who receives the seventh American Cinematheque Award tonight--as first among equals.

His James Bond series was one of the most hugely successful in movie history (in its time, 1964’s “Goldfinger” was the fastest money-maker ever, grossing $10 million in just a few months). Yet he dropped it after six films (excepting his tongue-in-cheek return in 1983’s “Never Say Never Again”) in the unusual reverse-metamorphosis in which--at least as far as the public perception is concerned--he went from being a star to becoming an actor.

“It’s been a unique and extraordinary career in being two careers,” says Gary Essert, artistic director and CEO of the American Cinematheque, in explaining why Connery was chosen for the award. “He had one as James Bond, and then he totally reshaped himself as a leading man in ‘A’ pictures that have had international box-office success. He’s had a tremendous impact on film.”

Through more than 50 films (whose varying quality he concedes), he’s never shown the need for bandoleers of city-leveling ordnance--he brandished a shotgun in “The Untouchables,” but the steel was all in his voice when he said, “It’s simple. They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue.”

Connery, 61, will receive his award tonight in the company of an estimated 1,200 industry figures, and Audrey Hepburn, who is honorary chairwoman, has flown in from Switzerland to present it.

“I did only one picture with him, unfortunately, 16 years ago, ‘Robin and Marian,’ ” she said. “It was a difficult movie to do, shot out in the Basque country, where it was very hot and the hours shooting seemed very long. But I discovered that he’s everything he seems to be. He’s solid, genuine. Sweet, but stoic. When his James Bond became so popular, people didn’t see that he was foremost a fine actor. I don’t think anyone suspected his depth.”

Connery has been in Los Angeles the last few weeks shooting “The Rising Sun,” the controversial Michael Crichton novel that has been adapted for the screen by Phillip Kaufman, who directs. “The Rising Sun” is the story of a woman who’s found murdered in the Los Angeles office of a Japanese corporation, and Connery plays a detective--expert in Japanese mores and culture--called in to handle the case (Wesley Snipes plays his partner). Between takes at Los Angeles Harbor, Connery popped into his trailer to talk about the film industry in general, and to reflect on his career.

“I’m not of anywhere,” he said by way of partially explaining his longevity. “Somehow my career has spread thinner on wider ground. The films I’ve made are diverse, and I’m at home wherever I’m working. That’s why the deterioration of the British film industry hasn’t affected me--it’s sad what Thatcherism has done, allowing such a huge number of talented people to become lost. John Major is trying to do something, but the industry needs a billion-pound injection.”

Connery’s international following has also allowed him to escape some of the worrisome tendencies, as he sees them, of the American film industry, as well (he notes that “The Name of the Rose” made $2 million in America and $63 million abroad).

“The American film industry is like Broadway--it’s always dying,” he said ironically. “But it’s still got an entrepreneurial sense. I think what’s hurting it now is that they’re locked into sequels, and the energy that should be channeled into product is now channeled into making money back as soon as possible. It used to be that people were more willing to let time go by before turning a profit and concentrated on the nuts and bolts of making the movie. But now you have a lot of people in positions of control who have absolutely no idea of what filmmaking is about.”

Connery is not particularly alarmed at the growing Japanese economic presence in American life (including film studios), and sees “The Rising Sun” partly as a mirror of culture clash.

“I have enormous respect for Japanese culture and efficiency,” he said. “Look at the cars they make. I play a mediating character who understands how difficult it is for an outsider to gain acceptance in that culture. The different delineations in Japanese culture are clear . . . . The American concept is much more maverick--there’s no country in the world more dedicated to the pursuit of happiness, which makes for a lot of loose cannons.

“That’s why I want to emphasize that this is not a movie about Japan-bashing,” Connery continued. “Neither was the book--that’s the erroneous tag that has followed it around. It shows the shortcomings of both cultures. We’ve been so caught up in making the film that we’ve neglected the press. But I’m trying to help make amends. Remember Jack Lemmon in drag in ‘Some Like It Hot,’ when the fellow’s chasing after him? ‘But I’m a guy,’ Lemmon protests. ‘Nobody’s perfect,’ the fellow says.”

Connery grinned, a sly Epicurean. Though his graying beard tapered to a point at his chin, lending him a faintly diabolical look, Connery’s face is both sensual and spare. He’s built of a piece, and takes things at a deliberate, steady pace--no wasted motion. An interview; a phone call; a hefty meal of roasted chicken, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans and salad; a summons to the set; a change of clothes--he manages everything with the same tranquil, inexorable efficiency, occasionally leaning back in his chair with seigneurial calm.

Asked what determines a project’s appeal to him, he replied, “One’s response is always to the writing. There are fewer and fewer top writers now who can deal with the nuances of character. I was absolutely caught by ‘Name of the Rose’ (by Umberto Eco), even if it was a long read. The same is true of Michael Crichton. I’ve stayed friends with him ever since we did ‘The First Great Train Robbery.’ As soon as I read the galley for ‘Rising Sun,’ I agreed to do the script. There’s a dramatic line through different levels of expression. It’s a detective story, but it’s also a story about black and yellow and white cultures, and new technology, and Japanese-American relations.

“That’s what I liked of ‘The Untouchables’ too--David Mamet’s quality writing. I thought Kevin Costner was exceptional in the film, though he took some bricks for it. But all the elements were justifiable.”

Connery is also high on “Robin and Marian,” despite its lack of commercial success. “James Goldman, the writer, originally wanted to call it ‘The Death of Robin.’ I felt the title was misleading. I played him as someone not smart, a boy, not grown up. I don’t think people were prepared for that.”

“The Man Who Would Be King” is also among Connery’s favorites. “John Huston had been trying to make that movie for 25 years. It was based on a story that was only 22 pages long. He did a lot of switching around between Michael Caine’s character and mine--he wanted to make two people one. I think the movie worked very well.” (Asked if he had any run-ins with Huston, a notoriously manipulative director, Connery replied, “I didn’t have any problems, except the scene where I sang on the bridge. He pushed me a bit there. Interesting guy. A real bandit.”)

Connery doesn’t hold with the notion that fame inhibits an actor’s freedom to observe. In Los Angeles, he drives himself to the set in a Lincoln Town Car, and he explained: “I made a decision to be in the public plane because I don’t feel uncomfortable there. I go everywhere, soccer games, boxing matches, restaurants. I make my own arrangements.” (Connery has a condominium in Century City but his primary home is in Marbella, Spain, and he also has a home in Nassau. He has been married since 1979 to Micheline Roquebrune and is the stepfather to two sons and a daughter. He also has a son from a previous marriage.)

“When we start a new film, I usually arrive ahead of my wife to take care of things--in the first days of production one is non compos mentis . I think if you arrive someplace wearing sunglasses and surrounded by three bodyguards, then you do call for attention. I prefer what suits me. I’ve never been obliged to take on bodyguards.”

What’s important to Connery at this stage of his career? “I have more of a sense of responsibility when I have a sense of direction. It’s important for one to be happy in one’s skin. I really try to treat everyone the way I like to be treated, and since I have the capacity to influence the environment I work in, I try to do just that. I’m not capricious by nature. I think that to bring one’s neuroses onto a movie set is counterproductive. I enjoy people who’re professional, whether it’s a designer or the person who does your hair. There’s nothing I won’t do to make a picture better.”

Indeed, Connery seems amazingly free of self-absorption; he conveys an air of quiet authority and reliability--possibly because, as a child, he had to rely so much on himself. He was born in 1930 in an Edinburgh tenement, the eldest of two trucker’s sons (his full name is Thomas Sean Connery). “I had no steady education after 9, when I went to work delivering milk, and finally had to quit school at 13--the war came and took all the men. We had no hot water, the toilet was outside.”

Connery worked as a laborer, steel bender and a cement mixer. A three-year stint in the British Royal Navy ended when he developed stomach ulcers. Back in Edinburgh, he began weightlifting and worked as a lifeguard. It was during a London Mr. Universe contest (he took third place) that he learned of auditions for “South Pacific,” and under the advice of actor Robert Henderson, he began a relentless program of studying and reading.

By the time he made “Dr. No” in 1962, Connery had done a considerable amount of quality television and stage work (though his film career was undistinguished). He landed “Dr. No” without a screen test; producer Harry Saltzman hired him on the strength of a single interview and after watching Connery walk down the street. Connery left the Bond series a mega-star, and reportedly gave his entire salary of $1.25 million from “Diamonds Are Forever” to the Scottish International Education Trust, an organization he founded to help young Scots get an education. More recently, Connery has been active in the movement for Scottish independence.

“Without question, growing up the way I did has been a constant point of reference,” he said. “I always felt that if it ended tomorrow, I could always get a job. It’s important to feel comfortable with yourself; one is never threatened.”

Still, Connery harbors a special enmity for the people who, particularly at that time, looked down on him for being unlettered. His jaw sets grimly as he recalls, “I thought so many of those people were so bloody marvelous, but they turned out to be not so smart. If an expert on something can’t give you an answer in relatively simple terms, he usually doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

“That’s the hardest thing I’ve had to learn, as well as trust. There’s no measure to trust; either you trust or you don’t. Once you get into bed with somebody--I don’t mean literally--there’s nothing you can do. Learning to trust wisely has been my toughest lesson.”