The most popular character in the James Bond franchise is, of course, Bond himself. The gentleman spy who travels around the world in search of megalomaniacs, killing henchmen with far-fetched gadgets before signing off with the perfect quippy one-liner, has been captivating audiences for more than half a century.
But 007 has always been surrounded by fascinating supporting players, from his exposition-spouting superior M to his gadget supplier Q. Sean Connery’s Bond was backed up by a great ancillary cast, including both iconic Bond girls and classic villains.
Dr. No
The eponymous villain in the original Bond movie set the stage for all the rest. Dr. Julius No still stands as one of the greatest villains in the history of the Bond franchise.
There are interesting parallels between Dr. No and Rami Malek’s new Bond villain from No Time to Die, Lyutsifer Safin. They’re both deranged, hypnotic geniuses with a “god complex” and an impressive secret lair.
Major Boothroyd
Introduced in Dr. No, Major Boothroyd was an early, more grounded version of Q. Peter Burton, who played the original head of the Q-Branch, was replaced by Desmond Llewelyn in his first of 17 appearances as Q starting with From Russia with Love.
Instead of giving Bond a ludicrous gadget like an exploding pen or a submersible sports car, Major Boothroyd replaces the gentleman spy’s Beretta M1934 with a Walther PPK.
Oddjob
Parodied in the Austin Powers movies as “Random Task,” Oddjob is a side villain in Goldfinger who is noteworthy for frisbeeing his razor-sharp bowler hat at his enemies to decapitate them.
Along with SPECTRE assassin Red Grant, metal-toothed fan-favorite Jaws, and the drug cartel enforcer played by Benicio del Toro in License to Kill, Oddjob is one of the most memorable henchmen that Bond has faced.
M
The most prominent character in 007 lore behind Bond himself is his superior, M, who provides him with a new mission at the beginning of each movie and sends him on his way.
The first actor to take on this role, Bernard Lee, played M as Ian Fleming wrote him: a straightforward, no-nonsense bureaucrat. This characterization worked wonders for a role whose primary function is to provide exposition about Bond’s mission. Lee is sharp and to-the-point.
Honey Ryder
The “Bond girl” is one of the franchise’s most outdated tropes, but it resulted in some truly memorable supporting characters in the early movies. The very first “Bond girl” in the very first Bond movie – Honey Ryder, played by Ursula Andress in Dr. No – is a prime example.
The most notable thing about Honey Ryder’s role in Dr. No is her introduction. She emerges from the ocean in a white bikini that, according to the BBC, sold for £35,000 at auction in 2001. This is arguably the movie’s second most iconic moment after Bond’s own introduction: “Bond, James Bond.”
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Between his iconic roles as RAF Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in The Great Escape and Michael Myers’ psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis in Halloween, Donald Pleasance made his debut as arguably his most iconic role – SPECTRE head Ernst Stavro Blofeld – in You Only Live Twice.
Blofeld is like the Thanos of the Bond universe. He was teased as the big bad behind SPECTRE via various credits scenes and supporting roles before You Only Live Twice introduced the iconic baddie and his equally iconic volcano lair.
Felix Leiter
Bond’s CIA contact Felix Leiter was played by a different actor every time he showed up in a Connery movie. In Dr. No, he was played by Jack Lord; in Goldfinger, he was played by Cec Linder; in Thunderball, he was played by Rik Van Nutter; in Diamonds Are Forever, he was played by Norman Burton.
Much like M, Felix’s primary role in the franchise is to provide exposition about Bond’s mission and the villains he chases. But as a fellow secret agent, he’s like an American version of Bond himself, which led to an endearing friendship between the two characters.
Red Grant
More than a decade before delivering his unforgettable U.S.S. Indianapolis monologue in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, Robert Shaw played the brutal henchman Red Grant in Bond’s second adventure, From Russia with Love.
Grant’s most memorable scene is when he confronts Bond on the Orient Express. The ensuing fight scene still holds up as the most shockingly violent and hard-hitting in the series’ history.
Sylvia Trench
Appearing in both Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Sylvia Trench was Bond’s earliest recurring love interest. Since the “Bond girl” trope became rigidly defined, it’s been rare that one of Bond’s romantic interests has shown up in more than one movie.
But before the 007 franchise became a series of episodic adventures and the “Bond girl” joined the formulaic checklist, Bond had an on-and-off girlfriend played by Eunice Gayson.
Auric Goldfinger
Played by Gert Fröbe, the title character in Goldfinger is the ultimate Bond villain. Not only is he a megalomaniac with a grandiose plan, like the majority of Bond’s enemies; he also has a personality quirk that makes him unique: he’s dangerously obsessed with gold.
Auric Goldfinger’s absurd plan set the template for all Bond villain plans to follow: he wants to destroy all the gold in Fort Knox to increase the value of his own gold.