Robbie with his whisky set and his 1948 Dodge

Robbie's favourite drink is whisky, Scotland's National Drink. It always makes him proud, when in some far-flung place in the world, scanning the shelves in a bar or hotel, eyes dazzled by endless green, blue or even yellow concoctions (some with little trees apparently growing in them), to find that little group of gems from Islay, Deeside or Speyside, and to know the quality will be consistently excellent. Anis, on the other hand, is something Robbie would never drink. He drank a lot of it one night when he was young, and the smell of it always makes him feel queasy.

Robbie's most memorable drink to date was when he was filming Huckleberry Finn and spent a terrific evening with Jason Robards, sipping whisky and watching the Mississippi flow by as he told great tales of his life in the movies, and so much more. He was such an interesting guy, with a wry sense of humour: he was a survivor, and a great talent.

Robbie has also known and worked with a lot of very talented Scots: John Byrne, Peter McDougall, Sandy Stoddart, Muriel Gray and Tilda Swinton, to name but a few. He believes we also owe a lot to Bridget McConnell and others, who believe in the importance of the Arts to the quality of everyone's life. Almost any art by Henry Raeburn or John Byrne gives Robbie pleasure or engages him on some level.

When it comes to Scotland herself, Robbie is inspired by her constantly changing weather, which throws the landscape into a different light, quite literally, from one moment to another. It always makes him glad to be home.

It is with an old Scottish toast that Robbie and Rembrandt celebrate their conversation in Venice as the vaparetto slips under a bridge: "Here's tae us whae's like us, damn few, and they're maistly deid!"

Robbie is an actor, whose recent films include the Bond films, Golden Eye and The World is Not Enough; Ocean's 12; and the role of Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.

Robbie's chosen charity is
Sense Scotland