Former James Bond Sean Connery plans to take a stand for Scottish nationalism ahead of the May 3 elections for Scottish parliament.

Connery, 76, will appear on screen in a series of TV ads for the pro-independence Scottish National Party.

Edinburgh-born actor Sean Connery, shown at the Rome Film Festival in October 2006, will appear in TV ads for Scottish National Party.
(Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)

Connery, an Edinburgh native, is a longtime supporter of the SNP, which has promised a referendum on Scottish independence.

Connery has promised to front some three-minute election spots for the party during the campaign.

In the past, the star of Thunderball and Finding Forrester, has voiced ads for the SNP, but this is his first endorsement before the camera.
 
In the first of the ads, Connery, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for The Untouchables, talks about the vibrant arts scene in Scotland and predicts it will continue if the SNP is elected.

"All my life experience tells me that an independent Scotland will be successful," he says.

The Labour Party currently shares power with the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish parliament, created in 1999 after a vote showed Scots wanted an independent legislative body.

London retains authority for all matters relating to Britain as a whole, including defence, energy and employment policy, and foreign relations, while the Scottish parliament governs education, health and justice.