| Ernst Stavro Blofeld | |
|---|---|
| James Bond character | |
 Donald Pleasence as Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967) | |
| First appearance | From Russia with Love (1963) |
| Last appearance | No Time to Die (2021) |
| Created by | Ian Fleming |
| Portrayed by |
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| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Alias | |
| Affiliation | SPECTRE |
| Family |
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| Children | Nena Blofeld |
| Nationality | Polish of Greek descent[1] |
| Classification | Criminal mastermind |
| Henchmen |
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| Allies |
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Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional villain in the James Bond series of novels and films, created by Ian Fleming. A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of British MI6 agent James Bond.[2] Blofeld is head of the global criminal organisation SPECTRE and is commonly referred to by the codename Number 1 within this organisation. The character was originally written by Fleming as a physically massive and powerfully built man, standing around 6' 3" (1.90 m) and weighing 20 st (280 lbs, 127 kg), who had become flabby with a huge belly.[3]
The most recurring antagonist in the franchise, Blofeld appears or is heard in three novels: Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service; and You Only Live Twice; as well as eight films from Eon Productions: From Russia with Love (1963), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), possibly For Your Eyes Only (1981; the pre-title sequence of which shows an unnamed character resembling Blofeld fall to his death), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). The latter two films are set in a rebooted continuity, which started with Casino Royale (2006). Blofeld also appears in Never Say Never Again (1983), a remake of Thunderball that was not produced by Eon.
Blofeld has been played on-screen by Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, Max von Sydow and Christoph Waltz, among others. It was initially a convention of the films not to show Blofeld's face, only a close-up of his hands stroking his white, blue-eyed Persian cat. His face is revealed in You Only Live Twice when he introduces himself to Bond for the first time in person.
Many of Blofeld's characteristics have become tropes in popular fiction, representing the stock character of the criminal mastermind, with the stroking of his white cat often retained as a parodic allusion to Blofeld's character. This can be seen parodied in the Austin Powers film series with the character of Dr. Evil and his cat Mr. Bigglesworth, or in the cartoons Inspector Gadget, with the character of Dr. Claw and his pet M.A.D. Cat, and Danger Mouse, with the character of Baron Silas Greenback.
- ^ Griswold, John (2006). Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations and Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. p. 34. ISBN 978-1425931001.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 122–123. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- ^ Buckton, Oliver (8 October 2015). Espionage in British Fiction and Film since 1900: The Changing Enemy. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4985-0484-3.
Yet this suggestion of femininity in Blofeld's face is belied by his massive girth, his body "weighed about twenty stone. It had once been all muscle ... but in the past ten years it had softened and he had a vast belly that he concealed behind roomy trousers.