Gert Fröbe (1913-1988) was a German actor who is famous for portraying Auric Goldfinger, the main antagonist in the 1964 film, Goldfinger, starring Sean Connery as James Bond.
Life[]
Gert Fröbe (born Karl-Gerhart Froeber) was born in Saxony, Germany in 1912. In his lifetime Fröbe performed in over 100 film productions and came into the western public eye after his menacing role in 1964's Goldfinger as the title character. Before this role, Fröbe was an established actor in his first language, but contrary to the character, Fröbe was a jolly and humorous man and comedy was his natural forté. On the James Bond production the dubbing artist Nikki van der Zyl taught Fröbe to recite his English lines. He was, however, ultimately dubbed in the final cut of the film.
After his introduction to the western world in Goldfinger, Fröbe performed in another Broccoli film, the film adaptation of Ian Fleming's children's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which also stars Desmond Llewelyn and Anna Quayle.
Other notable productions included 1965's Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, 1974's And Then There Were None (which also stars Adolfo Celi), and numerous German language films.
An early script for Diamonds Are Forever was to not to have Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Instead, the villain was to have been Auric Goldfinger's twin brother, but the idea was dismissed as too campy. Had this made it to shooting, Gert Fröbe would have been cast in the role.
Death[]
His final screen appearance was The Little Vampire in 1986. Fröbe played the lead role of Detective Geiermeier in this German horror flick. Fröbe passed away in Barvaria, Germany on the 5th of September 1988. His legendary performance as the villainous Goldfinger remains today, a fan-favourite Bond moment.