Walter Gotell

Walter Jack Gotell (15 March 1924 – 5 May 1997) was a German actor, known for his role as General Anatol Gogol, head of the KGB, a (sometime) Bond ally in the Roger Moore-era of the James Bond film series, (as well as having played the role of Morzeny, a villain, in From Russia With Love). He also appeared (as Gogol) in the final part of The Living Daylights (1987), Timothy Dalton's first Bond film.

Life and career

Gotell was born in Bonn; his family emigrated to Britain after the arrival of National Socialism in Germany. A fluent English speaker, he started in films as early as 1943, usually playing German henchmen, such as in We Dive at Dawn (1943). He began to have more established roles by the early 1950s, starring in The African Queen (1951), The Red Beret (1953) for Albert R. Broccoli, Ice Cold in Alex (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Road to Hong Kong (1962), Lord Jim (1965), Black Sunday (1977), The Boys from Brazil (1978) and Cuba (1979).

His first role in the James Bond film series was in 1963, when he played the henchman Morzeny in From Russia with Love. From the late 1970s, he played the recurring role of General Gogol in the series, beginning with The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Gotell gained the role of KGB General Anatol Gogol because of his resemblance to the former head of Soviet secret police Lavrentiy Beria. The character returned in Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), and The Living Daylights (1987). As the Cold War neared its end, the role of leader of the KGB was seen to change attitudes to the West – from direct competitor to collaborator. Gotell is one of a few actors to have played a villain and a Bond ally in the film series (others being Charles Gray, Richard Kiel and Joe Don Baker).