Emilio Largo
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| James Bond character | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Emilio Largo | |
| Gender | Male |
| Role | Villain |
| Affiliation | SPECTRE |
| Current status | Deceased |
| Portrayed by | Adolfo Celi |
Emilio Largo is a fictional character and villain from the James Bond novel Thunderball. He also appears in the 1965 film of the same name. He was portrayed by Italian actor Adolfo Celi.
Moreover, Largo is also the main villain in the 1983 unofficial James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, a remake of Thunderball. In Never Say Never Again, the character's name, however, was changed to Maximillian Largo and he was portrayed by the Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer.
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[edit] Bio
Largo is the second-in-command of the terrorist organization SPECTRE. In the film, Largo is "No. 2" and head of extortion operations. In the novel, Largo is "No. 1"; however the number is randomly assigned as a security precaution, although Largo is the successor to Ernst Stavro Blofeld and the Supreme Commander of "Plan Omega".
Largo's two main headquarters are located in Palmyra. The first was his estate which housed a giant swimming pool filled with sharks. Bond would later be thrown into this pool, but (of course) escaped. The second was Largo's private yacht, the Disco Volante. The Disco Volante was a hydrofoil craft purchased with SPECTRE funds for £200,000. The craft plays a pivotal role in the seizure and transportation of the two nuclear weapons.
In the novel, Largo is shot through the neck with a harpoon by his mistress, Domino, while he and Bond engage in underwater fighting. In the movie, his death is less gruesome, but more dramatic: Domino shoots him in the back with a harpoon while on the Disco Volante's bridge. He is left on board as both Bond and Domino escape. The "Disco Volante" later runs aground and explodes.
[edit] Scheme
Largo's scheme in Thunderball, at the time, was unique and ingenious. It involved the theft of two nuclear weapons from NATO at sea to which he would then use to hold the world hostage by threatening to detonate the two devices in England or the United States unless they paid the ransom of £100 million British pounds. This scheme has been used countless times since Thunderball and is even a joke in the Austin Powers series of movies.
The basic concept of Largo's scheme in Thunderball is held over in Never Say Never Again. Like Thunderball the scheme involved obtaining two nuclear warheads, this time stealing them directly from a United States Air Force base in the UK and holding the world hostage.
[edit] Henchmen
- Vargas
- Janni
- Count Lippe
- Fiona Volpe
- Jacques Boiter
- Ladislav Kutze
- Angelo Palazzi
- Quist
[edit] Trivia
- Emilio Largo is parodied in all of the Austin Powers movies as a character named "Number 2". Number Two, played by Robert Wagner, also has an eyepatch and is the second in command in Dr. Evil's evil organization.
- His scheme is also parodied in the first Austin Powers movie. Dr. Evil, after realizing most of his plans are out of date, has decided to "do what we always do, steal a nuclear bomb, and hold the world for ransom." This might also parody the fact that Largo's plan has become cliched.
- Largo's boat, the Disco Volante, is renamed in Never Say Never Again to The Flying Saucer, a translation of the original name.
- In the novel of Thunderball, Ian Fleming describes Largo's hair as black and makes no reference to an eyepatch.
[edit] See also
| Preceded by: Auric Goldfinger |
Bond Villain 1965 |
Succeeded by: Ernst Stavro Blofeld |
