Character information
Name(s):	Emilio Largo
Alias(es):	Number Two
Died:	May 27, 1965 Disco Volante, Florida Coast
Hair/eye color:	Green (Eyes), Gray (Hair)
Height/weight:	-- (Height), -- (Weight)
Nationality:	Italian
Occupation:	SPECTRE Operative
Affiliation:	SPECTRE
Status:	Deceased - Struck by harpoon
Behind the scenes
Role:	Main Villain
Portrayed By:	Adolfo Celi
First Appearance:	Thunderball (Film)
Last Appearance:	Thunderball (Film)

Emilio Largo is a high ranking member of SPECTRE and the main villain of the 1961 novel and 1965 James Bond film Thunderball in which he was played by Italian actor Adolfo Celi.

Largo is also the primary villain in the 1983 unofficial James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, itself a remake of Thunderball. The character's name was changed to Maximillian Largo and he was played by the Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Film biography

In the 1965 film adaptation, Largo is portrayed as a grey-haired man in his 40s who wears an eye patch and works for the criminal organization, SPECTRE. In the film, Largo is "No. 2" and head of extortion operations.

As with the novel, Largo has two main headquarters; a villa at Palmyra and his private yacht, the Disco Volante. Unlike the novel, his estate at Palmyra plays a much greater role in the film adaptation. When not transporting the warheads, Largo spends much of his time at the villa, which now includes a large swimming pool filled with his prized shark collection. Bond is later knocked into the shark pool, but manages to narrowly escape.

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 UK and holding the world hostage.

Death

In the movie, his death is less gruesome than the novel, but more dramatic. As Bond and Largo do battle on the bridge of the Disco Volante, the spy is knocked to the floor by a sudden collision. In the confusion Largo snatches a nearby pistol and holds 007 at gunpoint. As he prepares to pull the trigger Domino shoots him in the back with a harpoon. He turns and collapses dead on the ship's wheel, jamming the controls. Unable to move the body and with seconds to spare, Bond, Domino and Kutze leap overboard as the Disco Volante runs aground and explodes violently.

Henchmen

Fiona Volpe

Count Lippe

Angelo Palazzi

Vargas

Janni

Ladislav Kutze

Quist

Trivia

• Emilio Largo is parodied in all of the Austin Powers movies as a character named "Number Two". Number Two, played by Robert Wagner, 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
• SPECTRE
• Maximillian Largo
• List of James Bond villains