Francisco Scaramanga

Francisco Scaramanga
James Bond character
Christopher Lee as Scaramanga
First appearanceThe Man with the Golden Gun (1965 novel)
Last appearanceThe Man with the Golden Gun (1974 film)
Created byIan Fleming
Portrayed byChristopher Lee
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationAssassin, hit man
AffiliationKGB (novel)
Self-employed (film)
ClassificationVillain
Henchmen

Francisco Scaramanga is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film version of The Man with the Golden Gun. Scaramanga is an assassin who kills with his signature weapon, a pistol made of solid gold. In the novel, the character is nicknamed "Pistols" Scaramanga and is also called "Paco" (a Spanish diminutive of Francisco).[1] In the film, the character was played by Christopher Lee (the real-life step-cousin of James Bond creator Ian Fleming).[2]

As with another of James Bond's nemeses, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in 2007 the Daily Mail reported that the inspiration for this fictional character was a classmate of Fleming's, at Eton College in the 1920s, George Ambrosios (Ambrose) Scaramanga.[3]

  1. ^ Zelger, Henry A. (1965). Ian Fleming: The Spy Who Came in with the Gold. New York City: Duell, Sloan and Pearce. ASIN B0007G5PR0.
  2. ^ Prepolec, Charles. "From Fleming to Film: The Search for Scaramanga". Bakerstreetdozen.com. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  3. ^ "Identity of Ian Fleming's inspiration for Scaramanga comes to light". MI6-HQ The home of James Bond. Retrieved April 22, 2023.