American actor Harrison Ford has paid tribute to his on-screen father - the late Scottish actor Sean Connery, who died aged 90 last week in the Bahamas.

Ford mourned the loss in a statement to entertainment publication Variety.

The 78-year-old star wrote: "He was my father... not in life... but in Indy 3. You don't know pleasure until someone pays you to take Sean Connery for a ride in the side car of a Russian motorcycle bouncing along a bumpy, twisty mountain trail and getting to watch him squirm.

"We had fun. If he's in heaven, I hope they have golf courses. Rest in peace, dear friend."

Connery played Ford's father in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) - the third film in the Indiana Jones film franchise (1981 to 2008), in which the latter took on the titular role.

Connery is beloved as the first actor to play the fictional British secret service agent James Bond. He was the first to utter the character's now famous catchphrase, "The name's Bond... James Bond", on the big screen.

George Lucas, the screen titan who created the Indiana Jones franchise, also honoured the late actor.

He said in a statement: "He will always hold a special place in my heart as Indy's dad. With an air of intelligent authority and sly sense of comedic mischief, only someone like Sean Connery could render Indiana Jones immediately into boyish regret or relief through a stern fatherly chiding or rejoiceful hug."

Connery's death and his seven-decade career has led to an outpouring of tributes, including from actor Daniel Craig, the current James Bond.

Craig said: "He defined an era and a style... He helped create the modern blockbuster."

Connery, who largely retired from acting in 2006, suffered from dementia in his later years.