Watch out for those shash windows, Sir Sean

IT WAS a hazardous position 007 would surely never have allowed himself to get into.

But a jovial Sir Sean Connery was clearly immune to the dangers posed by a humble window frame as he tried to accommodate the demands of a pack of photographers yesterday.

The 78-year-old, who shot to fame in the first Bond film Dr No in 1962, became "Dr Sean" when he collected an honorary degree from Edinburgh Napier University.

The veteran Edinburgh-born actor had earlier survived a scare when the window frame slipped as he was posing for pictures at Napier's New Craig building at the Craighouse campus.

He laughed it off by comparing himself to the firebrand preacher John Knox.

Sir Sean's head was almost trapped by the window frame just seconds after joking to the watching press pack to "get off my land". Dressed in red, white and blue robes, a white bow tie and tartan trews, he said: "I must look like John Knox up here."

Sir Sean later chuckled as scenes from some of his best-known movies, including Dr No, Goldfinger, The Untouchables, The Name of the Rose and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were shown at his graduation ceremony.

An audience of invited guests was given a potted history of the star's life, including his early prospects as a footballer, his stalled career in the navy, forays into modelling and how his first acting job was in a touring production of South Pacific.

Sir Sean, who is in the city to help promote the Edinburgh International Film Festival, was honoured by the university in recognition of his long acting career. He was also recognised for his patronage of Screen Academy Scotland, which was jointly set up by Napier and Edinburgh College of Art to nurture new film-making talent.

Sir Sean spoke of the "long and winding road" he had been on since growing up in Fountainbridge and leaving school at 13.

He added: "I know I could not be standing here accepting this splendid honour if I had not learned to read and write at the age of five. What is most interesting in all of this is that I never realised (its importance] until I was in my seventies. Being able to read and write has been key to everything I've done in my life."

Professor Dame Joan Stringer, the university's principal, said: "Sir Sean remains for many the only candidate worthy of the title 'greatest living Scot'."

She added: "He is an inspiration to so many people, but particularly to our students studying with the Screen Academy Scotland who would hope one day to work with such great actors as Sir Sean."