I would like to know ,and I know it sounds a little whimsical, but did the 007 James Bond type spy ever really exist?

Are there any spies at work in espionage and FBI type work today..involved in intelligence work etc?
Im asking for enlightenment because I love the whole Sean Connery thing and always wondered if there was any validity to it?

If they do exist these days how would they go about their work and what type of work do they do?
Which countries have them and in what capacity?