Sir Thomas Sean Connery, best known for portraying James Bond in seven films, was born on August 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He grew up at 176 Fountainbridge, a place that remained significant to him throughout his life. In 1992, while living in Los Angeles, he founded a production company called Fountainbridge Films, naming it as a tribute to his birthplace and early years.
The building where he grew up no longer exists today. In its place, the area has been redeveloped, but his legacy is still remembered. A commemorative plaque honoring Sean Connery has been placed on the side wall of Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End, marking the location and celebrating the early life of the legendary actor.
Sean Connery Birth Place Plaque.Sean Connery Birth Place plaque.Sean Connery Birth Place plaque on a wall of Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End (small blue rectangle in the middle of the photo).
In his book ‘Being a Scot’, Sean Connery recalled the modest conditions of his childhood home. He wrote that there was no hot water and no bathroom inside the house, and that the toilet was located outside, reflecting the simple and challenging living standards of his early years.
Since the youth of Sean Connery, the surrounding area has changed significantly. Over time, modern developments have appeared alongside the historic buildings, creating a contrast between the old and the new. What was once a modest, working-class neighborhood has evolved into a more diverse urban landscape, where contemporary architecture stands side by side with remnants of the past.
Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End at 166 Fountainbridge.Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End (on the right) at Fountainbridge.Buildings located opposite Sean Connery’s family home.Buildings located opposite Sean Connery’s family home.
In 2015, I was in Rome during the filming of the car chase sequence for the movie ‘Spectre’. On the streets of the Italian capital, Mr. Hinx chased James Bond in a Jaguar C-X75 car, who was escaping in Aston Martin DB10.
Aston Martin DB10 at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.Jaguar C-X75 at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
On March 8, filming was taking place on Via Montana Street. A scene was then created in which the chase takes place on a long straight section of the street ending with a sharp right turn. Just before the turn, Bond tried unsuccessfully to shoot at the enemy, but was prevented from doing so by lack of ammunition.
All the cars were parked in front of Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Transporti at Piazzale di Porta Pia. There were only two cars – one Aston Martin DB10 and one Jaguar C-X75 in the scene, however there were more of them on the set.
Temporary parking for film production purposes at Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Transporti.Temporary parking for film production purposes at Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Transporti.
About 10 p.m. everybody on a street could hear engines running – the sound was like on a pit lane on a race track. At first the tracking vehicle with cameras on rigs left the parking lot.
Tracking vehicle drives down the Via Montana.
Some time later Jaguar C-X75 with license plate “ROMA 860K” appeared and drove away on Via Montana Street.
Jaguar C-X75 takes to the Via Montana.Jaguar C-X75 drives down the Via Montana.
And finally the Jaguar DB10 left the parking lot and the filming began.
Aston Martin pulls out of the parking lot onto Via Montana.
On March 10th the final scene of the chase was shot at the Tiber river in Rome. Cars were riding on a road next to the river that you can in a picture below. The crew occupied for the film the street along the river between Umberto 1st bridge and Sisto bridge and there were crew trucks at Ponte Umberto 1st bridge. I was surprised checking that place in Google Street View. In September 2014 when pictures for google were taken, there were trucks of another film crew in the exactly same place!
Along the river there were film lamps prepared for night shooting. After sunset all city lamps and film lamps were on.
The film crew started preparations for shooting. During the day at the Ponte Umberto 1st bridge there were only crew truck parked. In the evening there were many vehicles including tracking vehicle and several Aston Martins and Jaguars on a road at the river.
Tracking vehicle with cameras on rigs.Tracking vehicle with cameras on rigs.
The film crew carefully checked the place where the chase was supposed to end with the Aston Martin crashing into the water.
In the movie there was only one Jaguar chasing one Aston Martin, however on the set there were 3 Aston Martins DB10 and 5 Jaguars C-X75 among only 7 existing in the world. 4 Jaguars were standing in one row next to each other, but the last one was parked a few meters from them with sheet of paper by wiper with „FLAME PROOFED DO NOT TOUCH NON TOCCARE” written on it. All of them had the same license plates numbers: “ROMA860K”. Two Aston Martins had paper sheets by wipers with „NO SMOKING” written on them.
Four Jaguars C-X75Jaguar C-X75
There was one Jaguar and one Aston Martin with remote drive POD system mounted on roofs. Using such system, stunt driver can drive a car sitting in metal cage on a roof of the car, while actor is sitting inside, pretending steering. Seven years after visiting the set, Martin Ivanov, who was stunt driver driving the Jaguar told me: I was driving in POD on Jaguar. I remember that this POD was very strange. We were rehearsing for two or maybe more weeks just driving that POD and trying hand brakes, drifting. It was very hard to drive POD on the Jaguar. It didn’t work as we wanted. The steering was super heavy and not responsive. At the end we used it for maybe three hours one night and that was it. We just drove straight on the street. That was just a few seconds in the movie. (Interview with Martin Ivanov – stunt driver who has played in 4 James Bond films)
Jaguar C-X75 with POD.Aston Martin DB10 with POD.
Around 10 p.m. Aston Martin DB10 and Jaguar C-X75 drove onto the road.
Aston Martin DB10 on the road at Tiber river.Jaguar C-X75 on the road at Tiber river.
At the end of the scene Aston Martin DB10 landed in the river. Six years later, I asked Mark Higgins, who was a stunt driver in an Aston Martin on the set of the film, if he was behind the wheel when the car plunged into the river. He said: No. I think it was on an air ramp so it was actually fired like from a cannon. So we didn’t get to swimming on that one, but me and Martin (Ivanov, who was driving Jaguar C-X75) had to do some underwater testing in a swimming pool at night. We had breathing apparatuses in the cars all the time just in case they went into the water. Just in case something would brake when we were driving along the river or driving down the stairs towards the water. There were always divers around but me and Martin had to go to a swimming pool in the evening and just practice moving the regulator and things like that. (Interview with Mark Higgins – stunt driver who has played in 4 James Bond films) There was no engine in that car. It was filled with foam so it was not sinking fast.
Before Bond ejected, he set fire to the Jaguar following him. I asked Martin Ivanov how it was filmed. He said: We put protection on ebonite on Jaguar. There were gas tanks or something like that mounted in the car. When the fire from Aston hit the Jaguar the gas caught fire.
Burned Jaguar C-X75 from ‘Spectre’ at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.Burned Jaguar C-X75 from ‘Spectre’ at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
In ‘Live and Let Die’ James Bond (Roger Moore) arrived to New York, USA. After landing, he left the airport and got into the car waiting for him. While driving, he received a call from Felix Leiter from the CIA. On a multi-lane road in Manhattan, a white Cadillac approached the car carrying agent 007 and fired a fatal shot. Bond’s chauffeur died, and 007 had difficulty controlling the driverless car.
New York scenes were the last shot for the film. It was March 1973, less than 3 months before the premiere, when the film crew arrived to NYC.
The car chase was filmed on East River Drive on Sunday, when street closures caused the least disruption. The day they were filming the car chase, the management from United Artists came to the film set to see how the film was made. Director Guy Hamilton told them: ‘You won’t really see anything. Why don’t you ride in one of the cars?’. He made sure they were in the car that would be bashed and they didn’t know about it. He later recalled with laughter that they were pale when they got out of the car.
East River Drive at East River in New York.East River Drive at East River in New York.
The location of Leiter’s headquarters was shown in a short establishing shot filmed from South Street looking into Wall Street.
The Wall Street pictured from South Street.
The car crashed at East River Drive near the Manhattan bridge.
East River Drive at East River in New York.
James Bond took a taxi to the ‘Oh Cult Voodoo Shop’. Through its back room he entered the underground garage, where he found the white Cadillac in which the killer had previously driven. Suddenly, a group of people entered the garage, including Solitaire (Jane Seymour) and Tee Hee Johnson (Julius Harris). Bond secretly watched them get into the car and drive to the elevator. A moment later, he ran out into the street and hailed a taxi, which he followed after the departing car. The route led through Central Park to the ‘Fillet of Soul’ restaurant in Harlem.
The shop was filmed at 33 East 65th Street in New York. For 50 years this film location has not changed much.
33 East 65th Street in New York.33 East 65th Street in New York.
The villains car drove out of the gate next to the store at 33 East 65th Street. Behind the gate there is actually a garage where the movie scenes were filmed.
Exit gate from the underground car park.
Bond entered the garage through the door which now reads: ELEVATOR MOTOR ROOM”. As you can see in the photos below, the interior of the garages looks almost identical to what it looked like 50 years ago. To enter the garage you still have to use the elevator.
Interior of the underground parking lot.Interior of the underground parking lot.An elevator that carries cars into and out of the underground car park.Exit gate from the underground car park.A street through the middle of Central Park.
The ‘Fillet of Soul’ restaurant that Bond went to in the film, was located at Lenox Avenue in Harlem. In reality the fake facade of the restaurant was built for filming at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 94th Street. The fight scene in Harlem was shot at 118th Street.
Thank you James H. for showing me the film location.
Wollman Rink in Central Park.Madison Street, Lower Manhattan.Lower ManhattanManhattan BridgeRockefeller CenterTimes SquareFinancial DistrictManhattan by night1 World Trade CenterTimes SquareTimes SquareLower ManhattanTimes Square1 World Trade Center between buildings.
After visiting M’s house (John Barry’s apartment in London as M’s home in ‘Skyfall’), James Bond (Daniel Craig) decided to return to active duty. Accompanied by Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear) he headed for an MI6 underground safe house in Range Rover Vogue SE. To return to duty, Bond had to undergo physical, medical and psychological test.
The entrance to the underground facility was filmed on a winding road down to Smithfield Car Park. It is located next to the Smithfield Meat Market.
Smithfield Market in front of the entrance to the Smithfield Car Park.
In the film, the entrance gate was guarded by a guard with a gun. In fact, it is a public parking lot with a barrier.
Entrance to the Smithfield Car Park.
The scene at the Smithfield Market was filmed on January 28th 2012. A specially prepared Range Rover Vogue SE was used for this purpose. The stunt driver drove the car from the roof of the vehicle and Daniel Craig looking through the window was filmed with a camera attached to a special rig mounted outside the car.
The cobblestone paved road from the entrance to the Smithfield Car Park to the entrance to the underground car park forms an almost complete circle around the Smithfield Rotunda Garden with the Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle.
Smithfield Rotunda Garden with Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle surrounded by the road down to the underground parking lot.Smithfield Rotunda Garden with Peace Memorial Fountain in the middle surrounded by the road down to the underground parking lot.Smithfield Rotunda Garden.Entrance to the underground garage.
The tunnel ride was filmed in a different location. When you enter the underground parking lot, the tunnel that appears before your eyes is not like the one shown in the movie.
Interior of the underground car park.
The underground MI6 facility was filmed at Pinewood Studios and the Old Vic Tunnels in London. The House of Vans London located in the Old Vic Tunnels was the place where Bond’s physical skills evaluation was filmed.
Unfortunately the House of Vans London closed its doors in December 2022, so you can no longer see the interiors known from the film. I got there in February 2023, so I was just too late to see this place.
Aston Martin DB5 known from the movie ‘Goldfinger’ was one of the vehicles taking part in ‘Legends Parade’ at Red Bull Ring in Austria. It was supporting event at Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix 2025. Several vehicles that were used for filming, such as Dodge Charger 440 R/T from ‘Bullitt’, Toyota Supra MK IV from ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ and Ford Mustang Fastback Shelby GT500 from ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ were on display through weekend. Before the F1 race on Sunday they drove around the race track.
There were two cars used for ‘Goldfinger’ filming. The car with chassis number DB5/1486/R was generally used for close up, static and low speed sequences. The other car had all the gadgets. It was DB4 prototype, which is visually identical to the DB5. Its chassis number was DP/2161/1 (DP – development prototype).
After filming, the car with gadgets was used for promotional tour that lasted two years. EON Productions commissioned two additional cars for the ‘Goldfinger’ publicity campaign. Their numbers were DB5/2008/R and DB5/2017/R. This second car was presented at Red Bull Ring.
DB5/2017/R is known as Promotional car number 1. At the time, the price was £62,000, almost six times that of a standard DB5. In 1969 EON Productions sold both promotional cars. The second owner traded the DB5/2017/R for a Ferrari 250 GTO. Around 1983, the car underwent a restoration. After changing owners several times around 1990 the car was transported from North America to Europe. For more than half of its existence DB5/2017/R has been in the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.
The car was equipped with legendary gadgets: – two Browning machine guns mounted behind the front turn signals – hydraulically extending bumpers for use as a battering ram – rotating license plate with English, Swiss, and French license plates – smoke generator for creating a smoke screen – rear oil pump to smooth the road surface for pursuers – mechanism for spreading crow’s feet on the road – extendable bulletproof screen to cover the rear window – navigation/radar system for tracking cars – radar scanner in the right-hand side mirror – drawer under the driver’s seat – button under the gear knob to activate a so-called ejector seat – telephone in the driver’s side armrest
– Rotating license plate.– Extendable bulletproof screen to cover the rear window.– Extendable bulletproof screen to cover the rear window.– Navigation/radar system for tracking cars.– Navigation/radar system for tracking cars and arm rest controls.
I had a chance to seat in the car. Unfortunately not wearing the suit but F1 photographer tabard.
If you missed the Parade at Red Bull Ring or you want to see the car again, visit Louwman Museum https://louwmanmuseum.nl/en/
Thanks to Sjoerd van Bilsen from Louwman Museum for sharing with me all these interesting facts about Aston Martin db5 in Bond film.
At the end of opening sequence in ‘Skyfall’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) was shot. He fell into the river and disappeared. He was presumed dead, but suddenly appeared in London and surprised M (Judi Dench) in her apartment.
M returned home late in the evening. It was raining heavily. She entered the apartment and saw Bond waiting for her in the dark.
The scene with M returning home was filmed at Cadogan Square in London in February 2012. Special rain-maker rig was used to create an artificial torrential downpour.
Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
The exterior of M’s apartment was filmed at 82 Cadogan Square. This address was actually the home of famous composer John Barry.
82 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
John Barry is very well known to all James Bond fans. He provided the musical scores for the following 11 Bond films: ‘From Russia with Love‘, ‘Goldfinger‘, ‘Thunderball‘, ‘You Only Live Twice‘, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service‘, ‘Diamonds are Forever‘, ‘The Man with the Golden Gun‘, ‘Moonraker‘, ‘Octopussy‘, ‘A View to a Kill‘ and ‘The Living Daylights‘. In addition Barry is known for his jazz arrangement of famous ‘James Bond Theme’ from ‘Dr. No’.
82 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London SW1
After an evening swim in the sea James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) in Aston Martin DB5 took the scenic road at the seaside. They drove out of the tunnel straight onto Sassi di Matera that is a historic part of the city of Matera.
Sassi di Matera by night. View from Via D’Addozio at Convent of Saint Agostino.
The end of the tunnel was built just for filming on the street Via D’Addozio next to Convent of Saint Agostino.
Exact location of the fake tunnel. Via D’Addozio next to Convent of Saint Agostino Sassi di Matera. The tunnel was built above that part of the street.
Aston Martin db5 drove out of the tunnel straight onto a viewpoint overlooking the city. You can notice in the film that the barrier at the viewpoint was covered so it looked like a stone wall.
Viewpoint at Via D’Addozio next to the Convent of Saint Agostino Sassi di Matera.
Standing at the viewpoint you can see the difference between the real view and the one shown in the movie. There was some CGI used to create it. In the film you can see a stone bridge against the background of the hills to the left of the city. The bridge was filmed in Gravina in Puglia and pasted into the view of Sassi di Matera.
View from Via D’Addozio at Sassi di Matera.
James Bond parked the car in the city center. He and Madeleine Swann walked slowly up the stairs to the hotel.
The scene where Bond and Madeleine got out of the car was filmed at Via Bruno Buozzi at the intersection with Rione Pianelle, just a few steps from Piazza San Pietro Caveoso.
Via Bruno Buozzi at the intersection with Rione Pianelle in Sassi di Matera.
The next scene where the couple was walking to the hotel was filmed at via Muro.
Via Muro in Sassi di Matera.Via Muro in Sassi di Matera.
At night Madeleine Swann went out onto the hotel balcony.
For that scene part of the hotel including front wall and the balcony was built at Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli. It is one of the most popular viewpoints in Sassi di Matera. If you stand there, you will see exactly the same view as Madeleine.
View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.View from Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli.
Fake hotel room was built on scaffolding so that it was at the level of the square Piazzetta Pascoli. If you look down from the viewpoint, you will see the place where the scaffolding was set up.
Location of the fake hotel at Belvedere di Piazza Giovanni Pascoli viewpoint.
In that footage of the Italian TV you can see how the hotel was built:
The film crew was working in Sassi di Matera in September 2019.
‘Bond, James Bond’ – that’s how 007 introduced himself to Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) at the beginning of ‘Dr. No’. They were playing card game Chemin De Fer (Baccarat) at Le Cercle at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in London.
The Club was established at the beginning of 19th Century. In 1950 Les Ambassadeurs Club was relocated to No. 5 Hamilton Place in the Mayfair area of London. Gaming club Le Cercle was opened to members of Les Ambassadeurs only in May 1961.
– A sign with an inscription ‘Les Ambassadeurs Casino’ on the gate in front of the entrance to the Club.
The sequence was filmed on March 2nd 1962 but not in the Les Ambassadeurs Club. Ken Adams recreated its interior at the Pinewood Studios located in the village of Iver Heath near London.
– Entrance to the Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.– Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.– Entrance to the Les Ambassadeurs Club at No. 5 Hamilton Place in London.
In ‘Casino Royale’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) sailed to Venice in Italy. They stayed at a hotel overlooking the St. Mark’s Square.
In reality there is no such place. The lobby of the luxury hotel in Venice was filmed inside the Historical Building of the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic.
– Grand hall of the Historical Building of National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic.
The entrance to the Historical Building of the museum is located on the upper part of the Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí 68). It is called Historical in distinction from the New Building that belongs to Museum Complex of the National Museum as well.
– The Historical Building of the National Museum on the upper end of Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) in Prague, Czech Republic.
The scene with Bond and Vesper walking together to the exit door of the hotel was filmed at the main entrance to the museum. You can access this area without buying tickets.
– Entrance hall at the museum. Main entrance door on the left side of the photo, behind columns. Entrance to the grand hall on the right side of the photo. In the film the reception desk was located at the stairs on the opposite side of the hall, in the middle of the photo.– View from the entrance to the museum towards the grand hall.
To enter the grand hall you need to purchase a ticket to the museum. You can find ticket prices and opening hours on the official website of the museum.
You can recognize this location also from other movies such as: ‘Mission Impossible’ (1996), ‘From Hell’ (2001), ‘EuroTrip’ (2004), or ‘The Omen’ (2006).
JAMES BOND 