25 best James Bond villains ever

Le Chiffre (Casino Royale, 1967)

The first Casino Royale movie was a bizarre satirical send-up of the preceding Bond films, and features an eclectic cast including David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress… and none other than Orson Welles as Le Chiffre, financial agent for international terrorist organisation SMERSH and baccarat genius. Welles took the role on condition that he could show off his stage magic skills – and while the film is a certified mess, watching Welles work is, as ever, spellbinding.

Mr Wint and Mr Kidd (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)

Bond's nemesis Ernst Blofeld hires these sadistic assassins to eliminate every link in a diamond smuggling operation, stealing the diamonds which SPECTRE can then use to build a laser-toting satellite.

The odd couple – and it's heavily implied that they enjoy more than just a professional relationship – share a sense of dark humour and habitually finish off each other's sentences. Wint was played by Bruce Glover – father of Back to the Future's Crispin Glover – while Kidd was played by jazz bassist Putter Smith, who initially thought he was being hired to work on the soundtrack.

Oddjob (Goldfinger, 1964)

Quite possibly the most memorable henchman in movie history, the hulking, taciturn Oddjob is Goldfinger's chauffeur, golf caddy and enforcer – a metal-brimmed bowler hat his weapon of choice. Just don't pick him in multiplayer GoldenEye or all your mates will hate you.

Baron Samedi (Live And Let Die, 1973)

Based on the Haitian voodoo master of the underworld, Baron Samedi sits pretty comfortably within Live And Let Die's vaguely blaxploitation motif. One of three main henchmen to the movie's villain Kananga, Samedi attempts to sacrifice Jane Seymour in a voodoo ritual, only to be trapped – and apparently killed – in a coffin filled with snakes. However, his supernatural nature is hinted at when he reappears at the very end of the movie, laughing while perched on the front of a train.

Nick Nack (The Man With The Golden Gun, 1974)

Herve Villchaize proved memorable in his role as Scaramanga's miniature manservant, despite his short stature being played for laughs in this rather campy Bond instalment. Nick Nack acts as a thief and trickster, before attempting to kill Bond during the film's conclusion – only to be shut in a suitcase by 007.