Unveiled: The Explosive Feud Between Ian Fleming and the Real Goldfinger

Goldfinger: The Man Behind the Villain

Auric Goldfinger, the iconic Bond villain, is a despicable character. But did you know that the real-life Goldfinger was a visionary architect with a heart for the working class?

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, named the villain after Ernő Goldfinger, a Hungarian architect known for his modernist designs. Goldfinger's brutalist Trellick and Balfron Towers in London are still admired today.

Fleming's Goldfinger is a megalomaniac who nearly steals the US gold reserves. But the real Goldfinger was a humanitarian who designed egalitarian buildings to improve the lives of ordinary people.

After the war, Goldfinger designed offices for the Daily Worker newspaper and the British Communist Party headquarters. He also built the modernist home at 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, which Fleming found an eyesore.

The Goldfinger family remains reluctant to discuss the connection to the Bond villain. But the legacy of the real Goldfinger lives on in his iconic buildings and his commitment to social justice.

So, the next time you watch Goldfinger, remember that the villain is based on a complex and fascinating real-life figure.

September 17, 1964

The third 007 outing, Goldfinger, premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square, starring Sean Connery as Bond and Gert Fröbe as the villainous Goldfinger.

The film featured the iconic scene where Shirley Eaton dies of skin suffocation after being painted completely in gold.

Goldfinger was a significant film in the Bond franchise, providing a template for future outings of 007.