Nick Nack is fictional manservant and Francisco Scaramanga's diminutive assistant. The character first appeared in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, portrayed by the late French actor Hervé Villechaize. In the early 1990s, a similar character appeared in the animated spin-off, James Bond Jr. as a member of the SCUM organisation.
Film biography
Nick Nack was an all-round personal assistant to Francisco Scaramanga, acting as butler, housekeeper, and chef (trained at Le Cordon Bleu), as well as a henchman to Scaramanga's criminal activities. A distinctive feature of Nick Nack is his height, standing only 1.18 metres (3'11") tall. Although Nick Nack was loyal to Scaramanga, at times he would hire other assassins to kill him. Scaramanga tolerated it as a means to practice his skills, but Nick Nack was also the sole heir to Scaramanga's estate; if the assassin had succeeded, then Nick Nack would have inherited everything.
After Scaramanga's demise and the destruction of the estate via a reactor meltdown (thanks to Goodnight knocking one of Scaramanga's henchman into a vat of liquid helium), Nick Nack tries to kill Bond and Goodnight on-board the assassin's junk. After a brief fight, 007 eventually subdues him and stuffs in a suitcase. The film ends with Nick Nack, locked in a wooden cage suspended from the ship's yardarms; his current status is unknown (though he was probably arrested).
Other appearances
Nick Nack also appears as an unlockable character in the 2002 video-game 007: Nightfire in multiplayer mode.
Nick Nack makes a brief appearance in a 2015 Heineken TV spot to promote the release of the James Bond film, SPECTRE.
Trivia
- Nick Nack was likely the inspiration for Villechaize's later character, Tattoo, on the television show Fantasy Island (who was also played by Villechaize), as well as an inspiration for Doctor Evil's Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films, which parodied the James Bond series.
See also