Favourite actors           

The duo, who beat esteemed thespians including the late Lord Olivier, Sir John Gielgud and Dame Maggie Smith, topped the Orange Film Survey of more than 10,000 voters.

The poll also ranked Elizabeth Hurley above Emma Thompson and Barbara Windsor above Helen Mirren.

And of the top five actors in the poll - to tie in with shortlist for the Orange British Academy Film Awards out on Wednesday - only Hugh Grant, at number four, has not been knighted.

Sir Sean, 70, whose distinctive voice and looks are famous across the globe, found fame as 007. He starred in six official Bond films and returning to the role in the unofficial Never Say Never Again. His other box office hits include The Hunt For Red October, The Rock and Medicine Man.

Favourite actresses     

Sir Sean is followed by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Alec Guinness who died last year. But Sir John Gielgud, regarded as one of Britain's finest actors, is not mentioned in the top 10.

Instead the spaces are filled by relative newcomers Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle, and also current James Bond star Pierce Brosnan.

Walters, an Oscar nominee for Educating Rita, is also well-known for her TV comedy work with writer and comedienne Victoria Wood.

She was made an OBE by the Queen in 1999 and has been described as "a living national treasure".

The actress is followed by Dame Judi Dench, who took the best supporting actress Oscar in 1999 for Shakespeare In Love. And headline-hitting Catherine Zeta Jones, tipped for an Academy award nomination this year for Traffic, is in third place.