Sean Connery has topped the list of the greatest British actors as voted by American viewers.

The Q Score is conducted twice a year but the results have never been made public - until now. Previous results have also been released, revealing that Connery came out on top twice before, in 1998 and 2003 while Hugh Laurie (who came in ninth this year) topped the poll in 2008.

So why has Sir Sean come out on top even though his last feature film was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen back in 2003? (TEN years ago!)

According to Henry Shafer of Q Scores it's because "awareness of Sean Connery and his appeal was strong across the country and with all ages."

"He was not working so much but he had already transcended the normal run of actors in the way people felt about him. British men have become more dominant over the past 15 years as they appear in more American movie and TV roles [during] the awards season."

Coming second was Anthony Hopkins with Liam Neeson, David McCallum (Ducky in NCIS which is hugely popular in the US) and Daniel Day-Lewis filling out the top five. Judi Dench came in at sixth, followed by Maggie Smith, with Jane Leeves and Lucy Punch being the only other women on the list.