James Bond: Ranking Every Blofeld From Worst To Best
3. Donald Pleasence (You Only Live Twice, 1967)
After two films spent shrouded in mystery, hidden behind desks and by surely bulletproof screens, the enigmatic head of SPECTRE had quite a job to do in making sure his eventual reveal wouldn't fall flat.
Seen through a modern lens, it might be fair to say that Donald Pleasence's bald-headed, scarred figure doesn't fully measure up to the ultimate menace behind many of James Bond's most dangerous cinematic missions. But then, how could anyone?
What Pleasence did deliver was an undeniably iconic performance that gave rise to near enough every supervillain-associated stereotype that exists today. It's not his fault that Mike Myers would take his portrayal and lampoon it in parody 30 years later - inevitably removing much of the original man's threat.
Small and physically unimposing he might be, Pleasence's version of the character confidently and devilishly relishes his role. That is, a man so villainous that he has no qualms whatsoever about overseeing an apocalyptic plot to ignite a nuclear war between global powers as well as extorting the very clients who'd seemingly hired him for such a task. After all, extortion is his business.
He may be guilty of some of the most egregious "just shoot Bond already!" failures we'll ever see, but the Pleasence version of the character should be respected for the Nehru jacket-sporting contributions he made to Bond lore.