Rosa Klebb

Lore & Background

In the novel, Klebb is a veteran of the Spanish Civil War who served as an infiltrator within the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM). She was rumoured to be both the mistress and the assassin of her chief, Andreu Nin i Perez. In his late 40s during the events of the book, she acts on orders from SMERSH leader General Nicholai Grubozaboyschikov. Her mission is revenge against James Bond for the deaths of three operatives: Le Chiffre, Mr. Big, and Hugo Drax. She teams with Tov Kronsteen and Red Grant to set a trap using cipher clerk Tatiana Romanova, who pretends to defect while claiming to fall in love with Bond.

In Their Own Story

The plan backfires when Bond kills Red Grant. Using information from the deceased assassin, Bond travels to Paris to confront Klebb at her rendezvous hotel. There, she poses as a wealthy widow. After failing to kill him with a gun hidden in a telephone, she successfully poisons Bond with a toxin-laced blade concealed in her shoe. She is then captured by René Mathis of the Deuxième Bureau. The novel ends with Bond collapsing; the following book reveals he survived due to Mathis's intervention but states Klebb died in the intervening time without explaining how. In the 1963 film, she serves SPECTRE as Number 3. After Kronsteen is executed for failure, she receives one last chance to retrieve the Lektor decoding device. Posing as a maid, she is caught; after Tatiana distracts her, Bond blocks her poisoned shoe kick with a chair, and Tatiana shoots Klebb dead.

Reader's Guide

Klebb's character in the novel implies lesbianism through her butch depiction, described alongside Pussy Galore as one of Fleming's "two memorable lesbians." She is characterized as a typical butch figure. For the film, her sexuality was made less obvious, though hints remain: she reacts when SPECTRE henchman Morzeny touches her arm and appraises Romanova's figure, touching her leg during their first meeting. Her shoe blade has inspired similar weapons in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kingsman: The Secret Service. A pair of her shoes appears in Q's headquarters in Die Another Day, marking the series' 40th anniversary.

Did You Know?

• Her name is a pun on the Soviet phrase 'khleb i rozy' (bread and roses), a translation of the labor slogan.
• In the novel, she was rumoured to have killed her former chief and lover, Andreu Nin i Perez.
• The 1963 film changed her death scene: in the book, Bond never sees her die; in the film, Tatiana shoots her after a fight.
• Her shoe blade weapon has been referenced or used by characters in films including Wild Wild West and The Dark Knight.
• In the 2010 reimagining of GoldenEye 007, the 'Klobb' weapon was renamed 'Klebb', making her a playable character.