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New York Times, May 29, 2007
Oh,
Gosh. First, I’d Like to Thank All the Actual People.
By STEVE FRIESS
Article Excerpt...
The impersonators at the awards show said
they tried never to allow people to think they were the real
thing, in keeping with industry ethics.
There are exceptional circumstances,
though. Dennis Keogh of Scottsdale, Ariz., said he was
impersonating Sean Connery at an auction when a couple came
up to him and said the wife, who was dying of cancer, had
always hoped to meet her movie idol.
“What am I going to do, tell her I’m not
the guy?” Mr. Keogh said. “I took the paper and wrote:
‘Pamela, God has his eye on ya. Love, Sean Connery.’ And she
walked off in tears. I don’t think Sean would mind that.
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As 007, I was piped into
an enthusiastic Woodworkers Association convention
at the Las Vegas
Hilton arm-in-arm with three lovely “Bond Girls” supported by a group of
authentic Bagpipers. It was great fun for me and the 1,500 attendees. |
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East Valley Tribune
Connery Impersonator loves it when
folks spy him.
Dennis Keogh of Scottsdale, a
Sean
Connery impersonator, sits behind the wheel of an Aston
Martin at the Scottsdale Aston Martin dealership.
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By: Jaimee Rose
February 2nd,
2008
The Arizona
Republic
Photographer:
Bob Hass
Is he or isn't he? Sometimes
even he gets confused, purring in a Scottish brogue one minute and fading to his
usual American lilt when distracted by a potential Bond girl striding by.
He has the same silvery hair,
the same debonair air, the same black eyebrows that punctuate a face lined with
exploits. He has the white tux, the black tux, the perky red carnation ready for
lapel duty night after night. (It will die another day.)
If you've had enough martinis,
shaken or stirred, you are quickly convinced that this is Sean Connery himself,
posing for pics with you at the Mondrian or dining out at Wildfish, where
everyone in the room is whispering giddily about him. Could it be?
This is Bond, Dennis Bond: or
Dennis Keogh, if you must know, the Valley's Sean Connery/James Bond
impersonator extraordinaire.
Keogh has been all of these
things: doorman, phone technician, valet, ATM repairman. He's dug ditches for
cable companies and even loaded luggage at the airport - and now he's James
Bond.
And let's just all be happy for
him, because just imagine that at age 58, you could suddenly have a second life
infinitely more illustrious than your own. People are excited to see you and
there's always a table available at Olive & Ivy.
"Even when I go out as Dennis,"
says Keogh, his eyes gleaming, "I get mobbed."
More...
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Hear Dennis in Sir Sean's Voice!
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December 19,
2007, 12:10 pm
Famous in a Small Town
By
Dwight Garner
One of the eeriest
photography books of
2007 has got to be Brian
Howell’s “Fame
Us:
Celebrity Impersonators
and the Culture) of Fame,”
published by Arsenal
Pulp Press.
A few of Howell’s
vaguely Arbus-like
images of impersonators
are above.
Howell writes:
I’ve learned that
the biggest
misconception about
impersonators is
that they are
somehow obsessed
fans desperate to
physically become
the celebrity they
impersonate. But I
never met anyone
like that. On the
contrary, many
impersonators got
into the business
because of others -
those passersby on
the street who stop
and stare, and ask,
“Has anyone ever
told you you look
like …?” Simply put,
and not in a
derogatory way,
impersonators are
opportunistic,
taking advantage of
a culture with an
insatiable,
uncontrolled thirst
for celebrity and
all that it entails.
p.s. The guy who
imitates Kramer admitted
to Howell that, since
Michael Richard’s racist
rant in a comedy club in
2006, he isn’t as
popular as he used to
be.
Paper Cuts
A Blog About Books
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FAME US
Celebrity
Impersonators and the Cult of Fame.
Author: Shyla Seller
Photographer: Brian Howell
Featured among the world's most accomplished celebrity impersonators, Dennis
Keogh as Sean Connery is honored to be recognized in FAME
US.
Published in November of 2007 this stunning book by photographer Brian
Howell takes you into the world of celebrity impersonators ―the faux
famous people who make a living at pretending to be someone else.
Dennis Keogh a.k.a. Sean Connery
"As
a young technician working for the Bell System in various cities throughout the
country, my co-workers and customers constantly reminded me that I bore a
striking resemblance to Sean Connery. This of course appealed to me as I was a
big fan of his. It was then that I decided to have some fun with it. I know
that looking like Sean was not enough, so I dedicated my self to observing him
more closely in his movies. I memorized this quips and lines and delivered them
in his Scottish brogue. It wasn't long before I could converse completely as
Sean Connery. This took a lot of practice and today I am completely at home in
the character of Sir Sean. Ultimately it was the encouragement of family,
friends, customers and strangers that was the catalyst for what is now my
passion."
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Attendance at
The
2007 Golden Boot Awards in Hollywood was
especially rewarding in that I had the former president of
Paramount Pictures convinced he was speaking with Sir Sean.
As you may recall, he was the producer of the Hunt for
the Red October.
The Golden Boot Awards are presented by the Motion
Picture & Television Fund Foundation to honor the achievements of cowboy film
heroes and heroines as well as those behind the scenes who had significant
involvement in the film and television western. All proceeds from the awards
banquet are to benefit various programs of the Motion Picture & Television Fund. |
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I
attended The 15th Annual Diversity Awards, also in Hollywood, with
my date Michelle Manhart, Playboy Miss Feb 07
and an extraordinary
Bond Girl. We were interviewed by the press on the Red carpet. |
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The
8th Annual Original Celebrity Impersonators Convention in
Las Vegas gave me an opportunity to
meet some of the best and most accomplished Tribute Artists in the business.
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The
2007 Sunburst Convention in Orlando enables Tribute Artists,
agents, press and other interested parties to view what is regarded as one
of the best venues for celebrity look-alikes, impersonators and tribute
artists to demonstrate their skills.
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Held
in early November 2007 on Marshall Way at Scottsdale Waterfront in Downtown
Scottsdale, Fashion Week was an extravaganza not to be missed. Of course, Sir
Sean Connery aka Dennis Keogh added to the excitement right along with Matt
Leinart, QB of the Cardinals. How is it that these two guys can upstage all those
beautiful models?
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December 20th, 2007
2:45 pm