AWARD-winning actor and James Bond star Sir Sean Connery has died aged 90.

The Scottish actor was best known for his portrayal of the British spy, being the first to bring the role to the big screen and appearing in seven of the spy films.

In an acting career that spanned decades, he won an Oscar, two Bafta awards and three Golden Globes.

His Oscar came in 1988, when he was named best supporting actor for his role as an Irish cop in The Untouchables.

Sir Sean's other films included The Hunt for Red October, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Rock.

He was knighted by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in 2000. In August, he celebrated his 90th birthday.

He was largely regarded as being the best actor to have played 007 in the long-running franchise, often being named as such in polls.

Sean Connery was recently voted as the best ever James Bond in a poll for RadioTimes.com.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: He died aged 90He died aged 90

More than 14,000 people voted for their favourite Bond, with actors pitted against each other in different rounds of the survey.

The Scottish actor saw off competition from stars including Daniel Craig, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan in the poll.

The first round saw Connery beat Craig after securing 56% of the vote.

Brosnan beat George Lazenby in the other heat with 76% of the vote.

Moore also lost out to Timothy Dalton after scoring just 41% of the vote.

The final therefore saw Connery pitted against Dalton and Brosnan, with the actors securing 44%, 32% and 23% respectively.

Connery played Ian Fleming’s famous spy for the first time in the 1962 film Dr No before going on to star in From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever.

Tim Glanfield, editorial director of RadioTimes.com, said: “Sean Connery has once again proven he’s the Bond with the midas touch.”