7. Blofeld Has Been Played By Seven Different Actors
In a film series with six different leading men, having seven actors play the same part is quite impressive. In
From Russia with Love and
Thunderball Anthony Dawson is Blofelds body, while Eric Pohlmann provides the voice. In
You Only Live Twice, he is seen clearly for the first time and Donald Pleasance plays the part. In
On Her Majestys Secret Service its Telly Savalas and in
Diamonds Are Forever hes played by Charles Gray. During the 1980s, Kevin McClory (of
Thunderball infamy) threatened to sue Eon if they used the character. Eons response was to include a pre-credit sequence in which someone who looks an awful lot like Blofeld (although he isnt named) is unceremoniously dropped down a chimney by Roger Moore as James Bond. John Hollis was in the wheelchair and Robert Rietty provided the voice. Thats seven without counting Max von Sydow in the unofficial
Never Say Never Again. The character ties with Felix Leiter for the greatest number of actors to play the part. Leiter was played by Jack Lord in
Dr No, Cec Linder
in
Goldfinger, Rik van Nutter in
Thunderball, Norman Burton in
Diamonds are Forever, David Hedison in
Live and Let Die and
Licence to Kill, John Terry in
The Living Daylights and Jeffrey Wright in
Casino Royale and
Quantum of Solace. As with Blofeld, you can get eight if you also include
Never Say Never Again. Only Bond himself comes close to this total, played by six actors (not counting stand-ins and stunt performers) with Miss Moneypenny also in the running played by Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss and Samantha Bond, plus Barbara Bouchet in the spoof
Casino Royale starring Peter Sellers, David Niven and Woody Allen, and Pamela Salem in
Never Say Never Again.