Los Angeles, March 15 (AP): Sean Connery is suing a country club for allegedly using his “worldwide celebrity” to fatten its reputation and refusing to pay money owed to him after he ended his membership.

Connery is seeking more than $500,000 for breach of contract and more than $500,000 for “unjust enrichment” from the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.

The suit claims the golf club was aware of the actor’s lucrative status as an “internationally renowned celebrity and famously avid golfer” when it invited him to join in 1990 at a special fee of $35,000. His celebrity boosted the club’s value and attracted new members.

In 2004, Connery terminated his membership. But according to the lawsuit, his contract allowed him to collect 80 per cent of the “going rate” of membership ? more than $500,000 ? which the club has refused to pay.