Lotte Lenya (Rosa Klebb)

Lotte Lenya playing Rosa Klebb

Born in Penzing, Austria-Hungary on 18th October 1898

Died 27th November 1981

Starred In From Russia With Love (1963)

Film information

Rosa Klebb played by Lotte Lenya is the fifth Villain of From Russia With Love. Rosa Klebb is given the task of executing Kronsteen's plan to steal a Russian Lektor and execute Bond. Klebb recruits Tatiana Romanova, who believes she is still working for SMERSH, and that she is doing a mission for her country.

Klebb also recruits Donald ‘Red’ Grant for the role of executing 007.

After escaping Morzeny's Poison Tipped Spiked Shoe, Ernst Stavro Blofeld sends Klebb out to personally recover the Lektor and kill Bond. Klebb poses as a hotel maid in Bond's room where she tries to subtly sneak out with the Lektor. When this fails she holds Bond at gunpoint. As Klebb and Tatiana start to leave the room with the Lektor, at the last moment Tatiana distracts Klebb, dropping her gun. Bond and Klebb fight, with Bond trying to keep her poison tipped shoe at a distance. Tatiana recovers Bonds gun and after a brief moment of hesitation of who to shoot, she kills Klebb.

Character information

Rosa Klebb is SPECTRE agent number three. Klebb is a small, serious, devoid of humour character. While throughout the film Klebb is a very serious concise character that wastes no time, she is also ruthless, cold and has a scary physical presence. It is also suggested that Klebb might have lesbian tendencies during some of her flirtations with Tatiana during her briefing.

A very good villain, Rosa Klebb falls foul, as so many villains have done, to Bond's ability to charm women. Tatiana is faced with the choice of obeying her superior (still not knowing her connection with SPECTRE), or shooting her to save the man she loves. §