Emilio Largo is a fictional character from the 1961 novel and the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball. He was played 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 characters name was changed to Maximillian Largo and he was played by the Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Character Bio

Largo is a grey haired man in his 40's who wears an eye patch and works for the evil organization, S.P.E.C.T.R.E.. 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 only just to barely escape. The second was Largo's private yacht, nicknamed the Disco Volante. The Disco Volante was a hydrofoil craft purchased with S.P.E.C.T.R.E. funds for £200,000. The craft plays a pivotal role in the seizure and transportation of the two nuclear weapons.

He is killed by his mistress Domino, being shot in the back with a harpoon gun while on the Disco Volante.

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 threating 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 U.K. and holding the world hostage.

Henchmen in Thunderball

• Vargas

Henchmen in Never Say Never Again

• Fatima Blush

Trivia

• Emilio Largo is parodied in all of the Austin Powers movies as a character named "Number Two". Number Two is played by an older gentleman who also has an eyepatch and is the second in command in Dr. Evil's evil organization.
• Largo's boat, the Disco Volante is renamed in Never Say Never Again to The Flying Saucer, a translation of the original name.

See also

• Thunderball
• Never Say Never Again
• Maximillian Largo
• List of James Bond villains