Bond on Bond: Why Blofeld's cat relieved itself on its evil master and my favourite villains

Bad kitty: Blofeld, played by Donald Pleasance with his nervous cat

I always wanted to play a Bond villain as they have the best dialogue – describing their complex, evil and sinister schemes – whereas 007 just walks around saying his name and ordering Martinis.

In several of the books and early films it is SPECTRE – the Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion – that supplies the criminal masterminds. Its evil head is Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Jim was to meet Blofeld in person for the first time when You Only Live Twice commenced filming.



Czech actor Jan Werich was cast in the part, but Cubby Broccoli and Lewis Gilbert were anxious when he arrived at Pinewood because he resembled a ‘poor, benevolent Santa Claus’. Within a few days, they recast the role with Donald Pleasence.

Pleasence experimented with humps, lame hands and a beard before it was decided the now-distinctive scar would best convey the character’s almost Himmleresque quality of villainy.

Whoever was in Blofeld’s chair, one somewhat unexpected occurrence came as a result of all the explosions on set: Blofeld’s white Persian cat didn’t take too well to them, and frequently relieved itself on its master!

Auric Goldfinger was named after Ian Fleming’s neighbour, Erno Goldfinger, an eminent architect and furniture designer.



It was said that some of his less endearing character traits were borrowed from him too.

When the book was published in 1959, Erno Goldfinger was unhappy and consulted his lawyers, prompting Fleming to suggest renaming the character ‘Goldp***k’, but Goldfinger eventually settled out of court in return for his legal costs, six copies of the novel and an agreement that the character’s first name ‘Auric’ would always be used.

When Jim is captured by Goldfinger, he’s spread-eagled on a table, with a laser rising between his legs. Bond: ‘Do you expect me to talk?’ Goldfinger: ‘No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die.’ Ah, classic lines.

Fight with a bite: Super-villain Jaws, played by 7ft 2½in Richard Kiel, take on Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me

In fact, the laser beam was added later on and the cutting effect was achieved by engineer Bert Luxford lying underneath the table with a blowtorch.



He slowly cut up towards Sean Connery’s groin having only a chalked line to tell him where he should stop. Sean was, understandably, rather anxious.

BOND'S FAVOURITE BOND

I loved Casino Royale and Daniel Craig. He is a wonderful actor, certainly the best actor to play Bond.

I have never been guilty of method acting, or even acting if you want to argue a point. Craig, right, also has the best build of any Bond.

I believe that Skyfall is going to have a lot more humour in it than Quantam Of Solace did, something I’ll be pleased to see.

Of course, we had executives breathing down our necks when I was playing Jimmy, but I never took them seriously. In fact, I don’t think I took anything seriously.

Except making sure I got paid on Friday. For me, going to work with Cubby Broccoli and his team was like going on a family outing. It was hard work, but there were a lot of laughs. It was a true pleasure.

Every good villain has a good henchman. Goldfinger is aided in his crimes by his manservant, Oddjob, a mute, monstrously strong Korean.



The most memorable of all, however, has to be Jaws, sidekick to the evil Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me.



Jaws was played by my good friend Richard Kiel, who stands 7ft 2½ in.

Jaws got his name from the ominous, glinting steel teeth he wore, of course.



Poor devil, they were so uncomfortable to wear – Richard could only keep them in for about half a minute at a time.

In The Man With The Golden Gun, Scaramanga is assisted by the diminutive Nick Nack, as played by Herve Villechaize.



Dear Herve was sex mad! I asked him how many girls he’d had while we were shooting in Hong Kong.

‘Forty-five,’ he replied in his squeaky French voice.

‘Ah!’ I said. ‘But it doesn’t count if you paid them.’

‘Even when I offer to pay sometimes they refuse me,’ he added sadly.

He trotted up to Maud Adams, who was playing Andrea Anders, in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, tugged on her knee-length skirt and looked up to say: ‘Maud, tonight I am going to creep into your room, climb under the duvet and make mad passionate love to you.’

Unfazed, Maud replied: ‘If I find out you have, I’ll be very cross.’

© Roger Moore 2012. Bond On Bond by Roger Moore is published by Michael O’Mara, priced £25.

