james bond multimedia | Telly Savalas (Ernst Stavro Blofeld) images

personal information

Telly Savalas playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Born in Long Island, New York, USA on 21st January 1924

Died 22nd January 1994

Starred In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

film information

Ernst Stavro Blofeld played by Telly Savalas is the main villain of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the second actor to play the head of SPECTRE.

Bond meets Blofeld in his guise as Sir Hillary Bray at Piz Gloria where he tries to convince Blofeld to leave Piz Gloria under a guise of further clarifying his claim to be Count. After Irma Bunt captures Bond he is taken to Blofeld where he is questioned and locked up in new ‘quarters’. After Bond escapes Piz Gloria, Blofeld is not seen until the end of the film where after he pulls a surprise attack on Bond, the chase is on for Bond to catch an escaping Blofeld. In an exciting sequence Bond chases after Blofeld down a bobsled run, with Bond getting the upper hand when Blofeld “branches off”. Blofeld is seen at the climax of the film in a neck brace driving a car past Bonds Aston Martin DBS allowing Irma Bunt to shoot Teresa Di Vicenzo.

character information

Telly Savalas the second of three actors to play the role of Ernst Stavro Blofeld plays the role with charm and refinement than that of Donald Pleasance in You Only Live Twice. This is because the head of SPECTRE was needed to get more involved in the action himself and engage Bond in various fights, where as Donald Pleasances Blofeld was successful in being a menacing character giving his orders to his lower SPECTRE agents. The scenes with Bond and Blofeld provide humour, action and suspense, Blofelds plan in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is not exciting as previously, and the demands he makes are fairly modest. Telly Savalas’ Blofeld would be one of only a couple of villains to appear in the near future that gets into the action rather than just sitting back and giving orders to subordinates. §