Best Bond villain

Published on Tuesday 28 October 2008 18:51

SPECTRE of a white cat

ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD (From Russia With Love, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, For Your Eyes Only) Although he is now one of the most parodied baddies in film history, the image of Blofeld sitting on his swivelling black armchair, white fluffy Persian cat on his lap, set in stone the attributes necessary for any aspiring Bond villain – physically blemished, erudite, and possessed of grandiose notions.

Blofeld has been portrayed by four actors throughout his six appearances in the Bond canon, most memorably perhaps by Donald Pleasance, now almost undistinguishable from Mike Myer's Dr Evil.

MR WINT AND MR KIDD (Diamonds Are Forever) CRIMINALLY ignored by all but the most fervent Bond aficionado, these assassins deserve reappraisal.

They may have been working for Blofeld, but Wint and Kidd were fearsome villains in their own right, disposing of bodies in esoteric ways, such as live cremation. What truly sets them apart, however, is the poetic, moralising aphorisms the pair delivered after each hit. These were especially cultured henchmen, played by Bruce Glover and Putter Smith.

ROSA KLEBB (From Russia With Love) Mercifully, Klebb was one of the few female adversaries Bond never managed to lure beneath the sheets. She had no time for such nonsense, of course. With her poison-tipped daggers concealed in her shoes, the Russian battled to stab 007. Her plan did not succeed but she achieved iconic status and a sizeable gay following.

JAWS (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker) First off, forget Moonraker ever happened. The zenith of the camp Moore era, Jaws was a sorry figure, falling in love with a blonde wisp, and teaming up with Bond to the bemusement of audiences around the world. Instead, consider his entrance in The Spy Who Loved Me. Standing some seven feet two inches in his stockings, the steel-mouthed henchman was a formidable screen presence.

FRANCISCO SCARAMANGA (Man With the Golden Gun) ONE of the few villains who proved the equal of Bond, Scaramanga was memorably brought to life by the suave Christopher Lee. So confident was the cultured assassin, he only needed one bullet to finish each job, and his golden gun (created from a pen lighter, cuff links, and a cigarette case) has become an icon of the Bond franchise. Bonus points, too, for his third nipple.