Sir Sean Connery is suing a US country club over claims it used his name to attract customers and failed to repay fees he was owed.

The actor says California's Sherwood Country Club capitalised on his "worldwide celebrity" to build its reputation. He is asking for more than $1 million (£574,000) for breach of contract and "unjust enrichment".

Connery also alleged that he has not been paid eighty per cent of his membership fee which was due to him after he left in 2004.

The Bond star's lawyer Louis 'Skip' Miller said legal action was not their first choice. "But they won't honour their obligations, so we had no choice but to file."

The club has declined to comment.