Auric Goldfinger

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Lore & Background

In the novel, Goldfinger is a 42-year-old Latvian émigré who naturalized as a British citizen. Standing five feet tall with red hair and blue eyes, he possesses boundless greed and an obsession with gold that drives his criminal empire. He serves as the treasurer of SMERSH and owns "Enterprises Auric A.G." in Switzerland, where he manufactures metal furniture to launder gold through airline seats. His wealth is spread across countries as bullion rather than held in banks or taxed. Goldfinger fancies himself an expert marksman who never misses a shot, claiming to have killed four Mafia heads by shooting them through the right eye. He is also a smooth cheater at golf and Canasta, once attempting to defraud Junius Du Pont until exposed by Bond.

In Their Own Story

Goldfinger's most infamous plot is "Operation Grand Slam." In the novel, he captures Bond and plans to contaminate Fort Knox's water supply with Sarin gas before detonating an atomic bomb to open the vault. He intends to remove $15 billion in gold using American criminal organizations like the Mafia and the Spangled Mob, promising each leader at least $1 billion while keeping $5 billion for himself. Bond foils this by sending a note to Felix Leiter taped under an airplane toilet seat. Later, Goldfinger hijacks a plane with his three-ton bullion hoard, intending to defect to the Soviet Union. During the escape, Oddjob is sucked out of the aircraft after Bond pierces the window with a knife. In a rare display of violent rage, Bond strangles Goldfinger to death with his bare hands before forcing the plane to ditch in the ocean, where the weight of the gold sinks it.

Reader's Guide

While the novel's plan involved stealing $15 billion in bullion, critics noted logistical flaws regarding the time required and the bomb's effect. The film version altered this: Goldfinger instead plans to detonate a dirty bomb within Fort Knox to irradiate the gold, rendering it unusable for decades and skyrocketing the value of his personal holdings. Bond famously confronts him with the line, "Do you expect me to talk?" to which Goldfinger replies, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." This moment was voted the number-one best in the franchise by Sky Movies in 2013. Goldfinger's obsession extends to his lovers; he has them painted head-to-toe in gold, a method that kills Jill Masterton in the film when an area near her spine is left unpainted.

Did You Know?

• The name Auric is an adjective meaning "of gold."
• Gert Fröbe did not speak English well and was dubbed by Michael Collins in the film.
• Goldfinger was banned in Israel because Fröbe had been a member of the Nazi Party until before World War II, though he later saved two Jews.
• In the novel, Goldfinger claims to have killed four Mafia heads through their right eyes.
• The American Film Institute ranked Auric Goldfinger as the 49th-greatest villain in the past 100 years of film.