Goldfinger may have been inspired by a real life German spy

[Blowfeld]

James bond’s rival Goldfinger may have been inspired by a real life German spymaster

James bond’s rival Goldfinger may have been inspired by real life. A historian has found evidence that Ian Fleming’s memorable fictional villain Goldfinger, created to beat rival James Bond, may have been based on a German spymaster who planned a real-life plot against the Bank of England.

Historian Andrew Cook, whose expertise lies in intelligence affairs, said that Auric Goldfinger’s plot to blow up the gold in Fort Knox could have stemmed from a conspiracy against Britain on the eve of the First World War.

Fleming’s work with British naval intelligence is known to have its influence on his Bond novels.

Cook thinks the writer may have taken the inspiration for the antagonist from Gustav Steinhauer, "the Kaiser’s master spy" who ran a network of German agents in the UK at the time around 1914.

"The Bank of England plot has been a secret for nearly 100 years and it is only now that we are beginning to uncover the truth," Times Online quoted Cook as saying.

"If Britain’s Secret Service Bureau had not uncovered the plot and the Germans had succeeded, Britain would almost certainly have lost the first world war," he added.

The expert continued: "We will never know for certain, but I believe that is where Fleming got the inspiration for Goldfinger.

"Fleming no doubt found out about the real-life plot against the Bank of England in 1914 and simply transposed it to America where the equivalent target would be Fort Knox."

This story can be found at James bond’s rival

[John Drake]

Auric Goldfinger is in the story at the end of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol 1 I've been reading lately.

[007]

I can't even remember what the villain in the last film was actually called. I really hope Eon get their act together in the future when Daniel Craig is gone.

[John Drake]

I can't even remember what the villain in the last film was actually called.

He was great though wasn't he? That grand, er, water scheme he had in the film gripped audiences around the world I'm sure.

[Dr. No]

What was the real p[lot for goldfinger, wasn't ti theft not a nuking?

[katied]

He was great though wasn't he? That grand, er, water scheme he had in the film gripped audiences around the world I'm sure.

Dominic Greene was not a memorable bad guy like Goldfinger, or even Le Chiffre.

[oscartheman]

The people who have seen it will find it hard to name the bad guy from bond 22.Forgettable is one word Bad is another.

[katied]

The people who have seen it will find it hard to name the bad guy from bond 22.Forgettable is one word Bad is another.

Indeed.

[James]

What was the real plot for goldfinger, wasn't it theft not a nuking?

If I recall. They jazzed it up a bit for the film version and made it more cinematic. You could argue that Eon improved Fleming's plot in some respects and made it more exciting.

[Dr. No]

What was the real plot for goldfinger, wasn't it theft not a nuking?

If I recall. They jazzed it up a bit for the film version and made it more cinematic. You could argue that Eon improved Fleming's plot in some respects and made it more exciting.

Theft makes more sense but nuking is more exciting!

[katied]

If I recall. They jazzed it up a bit for the film version and made it more cinematic. You could argue that Eon improved Fleming's plot in some respects and made it more exciting.

Theft makes more sense but nuking is more exciting![/quote]

That was when EON actually had ideas that,for the most part, worked and weren't crap..unlike now!