United Kingdom, Nov. 19 -- Dick Van Dyke "almost" became James Bond.

The 99-yer-old actor has revealed that he was very close to replacing Sir Sean Connery as 007 during the 1970s - but Dick ultimately missed out on the opportunity because of his notoriously bad British accent.

The veteran film star - who was born in West Plains, Missouri - said on the Today show: "I almost did [become James Bond].

"[Producer] Albert Broccoli came to me and said, 'Would you like to be Bond?' And I said, 'Have you heard my British accent?' Click!"

Dick is convinced that playing the British spy would "have been a great experience". However, he accepted that he wasn't a good fit for the role, having been criticised for his cockney accent in 1964's Mary P...