Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

The most famous henchman of the entire James Bond series of spy thrillers, Harold Sakata will forever be remembered as the villainous "Odd Job" in the ultimate Bond film, James Bond 007 - Goldfinger (1964), with his lethal martial arts and steel-brimmed bowler hat. He was born Toshiyuki Sakata in Hawaii, of Japanese descent. From a young age he was a proficient sportsman who developed a keen interest in wrestling, and won a Silver Medal in weightlifting for the light heavyweight division of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Sakata then went on to become a professional wrestler, and appeared under the name "Tosh Togo" where he became a "bad guy" wrestler who allegedly threw salt in his opponent's eyes.



Although he had no acting background, Sakata came to the attention of Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli when they were casting for the key role of the mute Asian villain "Odd Job". Sakata's steely gaze and powerful physique made him perfect for the role as Auric Goldfinger's (Gert Fröbe) deadly bodyguard, and the fight sequence between Sean Connery and Sakata in a glittering, gold-filled Fort Knox remains one of the highlights of the Bond series.



Unfortunately, Sakata never broke free of the "Odd Job" stereotype, and his remaining film appearances saw him cast as military figures, muscle-bound brutes or further mute bodyguards. He died from cancer in 1982, but had assured himself a very unique place in modern film history.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44

Trade Mark (2)

Extremely heavy, muscular build



Best known for his role as Oddjob in Goldfinger (1964)



Trivia (9)

Won a silver medal in light-heavyweight weight-lifting at the 1948 summer Olympics. He pursued a successful career as a professional wrestler before moving into acting.





Weighed 284 lbs at the time of James Bond 007 - Goldfinger (1964).



Sakata apparently liked his role in the movie James Bond 007 - Goldfinger (1964) so much that he took "Oddjob" as an informal middle name.

In the rehearsals at the Golf Club where he is to throw his hat at the statue, with the head subsequently falling off, after three attempts the special effects crew could not "arrange" the head to fall off correctly. On the fourth take he told the special effects team to just stand still - then he threw his iron-brimmed hat at the statues neck and successful severed the head at the neck on the "first" attempt - to the amazement of all!.



Father: Tamotsu Sakata.



As a professional wrestler. he was one of the great heels in the ring. On screen he is best remembered for playing "Oddjob" in "Goldfinger" (1964) which is regarded as one of the great villains of the movies. Out of the ring, or off camera, he is remembered as being charming and friendly.



He served in the US Army during World War II.



He began lifting weights at the age of eighteen.



He weighed only one-hundred and thirteen pounds at the age of eighteen before he began lighting weights.

