ROBERT COTTON The second film in the series gives us the beginnings of Blofeld, Kronsteen and the nefarious Rosa Klebb. While Blofeld begins as a faceless mystery (some would argue he should have remained that way ), Kronsteen is the epitome of a planner. His demeanor, his disdain for his opponents both on the chessboard and in the world of espionage, allows him to set up the storyline while the brunt of the story rests with the person chosen to carry the plan out, Rosa Klebb. Klebb is a perfect villain. She reacts, whereas Kronsteen puts things in play. Kronsteen can't see his end coming because he's too certain he's in control, whereas Klebb is in the moment. She's consistent because she's constantly waiting for the other shoe to, uh kick, so she remains flexible. Kronsteen would never end up in Bond's hotel room, putting his life on the line for the Lektor. It's not in his nature. Klebb, however, will do what has to be done. The henchman in this case is Red Grant. Absolutely the best. He is a combination of both his superiors. With his stark blonde hair and controlled movements, he has the cool demeanor of Kronsteen along with the ability to change that makes Klebb so dangerous. His actions throughout the film are precise, carefully executed. Listen to his reactions as Bond starts to unravel the plot in the train car. Grant doesn't even allow himself dialogue, only an occasional grunt, not lowering himself to converse with his intended victim until his pride takes over. In other words, the one point where he loses personal control is ironically when he is totally in charge of the situation. He loses to Bond because he lets the angry little man inside him out for a good gloat. That mistake costs him his life. BILL KOENIG The first “fantastic’ villains set the standards for those who would follow. Gert Frobe´s Goldfinger is an imposing presence (which is interesting considering he´s huge while Fleming´s Goldfinger was short). Harold Sakata´s Oddjob, using only grunts and physical presence, created one of the most memorable characters in film history. Oddjob, at times, is too imposing (such as when Bond hurls a gold bar at him and he´s not the least bit hurt). Still, his demise in the bowels of Fort Knox is one of the iconic moments of the Eon series and a big improvement over Fleming´s novel. JAMES McMAHON Red Grant - One of the great pairings of the silver screen, he and Connery have great chemistry.  Shaw brings a wonderful creepiness to his benign Capt. Norman Nash, and great physical intimidation when he switches into Red Grant mode. Krontsteen - Veteran character actor Vladek Sheybal takes a turn in Peter Lorre's shoes here, and does so perfectly.  He's every inch the evil schemer.  He and Klebb are a Ken and Barbie from hell. Colonel Rosa Klebb - Lotte Lenya, far too nice looking to ever be Fleming's toadlike villainess, does an admirable job giving it a go.  Only a hint of Klebb's lesbianism remains from the novel, but they were brave to do even that.  And really, no one, man or woman, could be blamed for making a pass at Daniela Bianchi. DEBORAH LIPP FRWL has the best villains in the series. As a group, they are strong, creepy, smart, mysterious, and electrifying. Kronsteen makes an enormous impression with very little screen time. Klebb did for sensible shoes what "Jaws" did for swimming and "Psycho" did for showers. Blofeld invisible and playing with his Beta fish is far more compelling than Blofeld when he's finally seen. And Red Grant may be the greatest of them all. ED WERNER This movie is a little tougher. My first thought was that the villain in this film is Red Grant. However, Grant is really the henchman - and a damned good one at that, but not the main villain. That honor goes to Rosa Klebb, my favorite toad of a woman! I believe her defining scene in the movie is where she briefs Tatiana in Istanbul. Her vaguely disguised lesbian drive runs just below the surface and Lotte Lenya gives a sterling performance. She takes no shit from anyone and the only person in the film, which she shows any respect at all, is Blofeld. She actually fought better than Dr. No and is one of its best villains to date.

TOM ZIELINSKI Kronsteen - The "brains" behind the plot to frame, humiliate, and ultimately murder James Bond as revenge for killing of Dr. No.  Agent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. ("Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, and Extortion") Kronsteen is the genius chess-player who devises the "fool-proof" plan. So fool-proof that he is murdered when it ultimately fails.  Vladek Sheybal does fine in the role, but he is not the main villain in the film. Rosa Klebb - Maybe the most perfect casting in the entire series for a villain.  Lotte Lenya deliciously captures Fleming's lesbian Klebb, perhaps the most distasteful baddie in the entire canon.  An ex-SMERSH operative, Klebb now works for S.P.E.C.T.R.E., and is tough as nails in bringing Kronsteen's plan to life.  The role demanded nuance as well as bravado, and Lenya handled it all wonderfully.  The scenes where Klebb declares Red Grant "fit", where she recruits Tatiana, where she is resigned to her own death at the hands of Blofeld after the failed plot are all perfectly played.  The fatal final scene between Klebb, armed with both a pistol and Fleming-inspired poison-tipped shoes, and Bond is a highlight of the entire series.  (In the FRWL novel, Bond dies as a result of this altercation.)  Just great, great stuff all around.   Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Any discussion of villains would not be complete without mentioning the ultimate puppet-master; the man behind the man behind the woman behind the man in FRWL.  The film never reveals Blofeld's face during the entire film, all we see is a man with a big octopus ring sitting in a chair stroking his white cat.  We know he's a bad guy 'cuz of the deep resonant voice, and as he feeds the loser of a Siamese fighting fish battle to the cat.  Doling out instruction for his evil plots from behind a desk, one senses his minions' fear of him.  Genius move here to keep Blofeld shrouded in mystery; there are other villains in FRWL that demand and deserve more focus. Red Grant - Robert Shaw is nothing short of brilliant as Grant, the first great henchman of the series that surely influenced all that came after.  Grant is firmly established early on as tough, ruthless, and intelligent, culminating in the wonderfully choreographed hand-to-hand fight on the Orient Express with Bond that is perhaps unmatched in cinema history.  One of the best henchman and characters in the entire series. PAUL BAACK FRWL is, in the villainry department, an embarrassment of riches. The film introduces our Mastermind, Kronsteen, in a terrific way: when summoned mid-game from a chess tournament, he instantly moves to check his opponent, thus quickly ending (and winning) the game. Clearly, he had only been toying with his opponent -- such is the genius of Kronsteen, the Mastermind (or so he would probably phrase it). Imagine Peter Lorre imbued with a monstrous arrogance... that's how Vladek Sheybal plays him. One of the most glamorous women of the European stage, Lotte Lenya (that's Mrs. Kurt Weill to you, sir,) brings Fleming's monstrous Colonel Rosa Klebb to toadlike life. If Bond Villains are analogous to evil wizards, then Colonel Klebb is among the wickedest of all witches. I saw this movie when I was seven years old, and she was SCARY... I'm talking Disney Movie scary. Twelve years before he famously battled an unstoppable killing machine in Steven Spielberg's Jaws, Robert Shaw played his own great white shark, as SPECTRE assassin Donald "Red" Grant. Again, this is a case of bringing an Ian Fleming character to life; like Dr. No before him, this asexual psychopath is played almost up to the point of cartoonish, but just never quite that far. He also had the way-cool wristwatch/garrotte combination, arguably the first "Bond gadget," albeit possessed by the wrong guy.

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