Is it true Sean Connery got the 007 role, because he was cheap

A.� According to Sir Sean, he got his big break as agent 007 in the first Bond thriller Dr No in 1962 because he cost very little. Sir Sean had appeared in Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People and before that worked as a bodybuilder in Edinbugh, but was wasn't first choice for the role. The fictional spy's creator, author Ian Fleming, initially wanted Cary Grant or Trevor Howard, but the budget wouldn't allow it.

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Q.� How much did Connery get paid back then

A.� The budget of the first Bond film was $1 million and Connery is thought to have got paid $5,000. But the role propelled him into superstardom and much more lucrative contracts.

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Q.� How many Bond films did he make

A.� In Dr No as agent for the British Secret Service he was sent to the West Indies to find out why his colleague had been killed. There he met the secretive scientist Dr No.� Connery then appeared in From Russia With Love in 1963, Goldfinger in 1964, Thunderball in 1965, You Only Live Twice in 1967, Diamonds are Forever in 1971 and Never Say Never Again in 1983.

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Q.� Why did he leave the role as agent 007

A.� Connery said he became disillusioned with the public's inability to differentiate between himself and Bond. There were a series of failed Bond projects and he decided to leave after shooting You Only Live Twice. The role was given to newcomer George Lazenby, a former Australian model. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the only Bond film Lazenby appeared in, was a financial flop by Bond standards and producers Broccoli and Saltzman were determined to get Connery back at all costs. That led to Diamonds Are Forever, thought to be Connery's worst performance, but was one of the most lucrative film contracts ever drawn up.

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Q. Who was agent 007 after Connery

A.� His old friend and one of Ian Fleming's initial choices, Roger Moore. He went on to make seven films over the next 12 years. Connery was led back into the role of Bond in the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again - in the same year that Moore made Octopussy.

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Q.� Where did James Bond come from

A.� Author Ian Fleming, 1909-1964, created the character James Bond who debuted in the 1952 novel Casino Royale. He is thought to have been based on Fleming's own experiences in the secret service.

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By Katharine MacColl