Aris Kristatos (Julian Glover)

 

Datastream
Actor: Julian Glover
Character: Aris Kristatos
Movie: For Your Eyes Only
Date of Birth: 27 March 1935
Height: 6' 2" (1.88m)
Distinguishing Feature: Nazi double agent
Status: Terminated
Appearance: Tall and slim with a greying, receding hairline. Green/grey eyes, harsh cheekbones, clean cut beard and a wiry smile.
Organisations & Alliances: Emile Locque, Hector Gonzales, Eric Kriegler

Profile
Shrewd and sly, Aris Kristatos is completely absent of morals, often pitting friends and enemies against each other without distinction. He is a manipulative thief who will sell whatever he can to the highest bidder. Involved in a high-profile smuggling ring, his strongest ties are to rogue Nazi supporters with whom he smuggled gold and supplies out of the UK. He was awarded a medal for bravery and resourcefulness by his British superiors during the WWII - little did the government know that Kristatos was a Nazi double agent. He lusts after the young aspiring skater, Bibi Dahl, and is funding her road to the Olympic gold medal.

"You have shot your last bolt, Miss Havelock!"

Scheme
After the British spy-ship the St. Georges is sunk by a rogue mine, Kristatos sets out to retrieve NATO's ATAC encoder before the British or Russians can get there. The ATAC is used to communicate with the allied nuclear submarines, so any competing superpower who gained control of the device would have the tools to deploy a British nuclear sub and target friendly landmarks.

When Bond meets with Kristatos it is at first as an ally introduced by Ferrara, as he is believed to be a source of information in the region. Kristatos is however, secretly working for the Soviets, smuggling heroin and attempting to recover NATO's ATAC. When 007 grills Kristatos for information, he puts the suspicion on his rival smuggler Colombo. But Bond quickly becomes suspicious of his sly disposition. Bond investigates the cheeky but harmless Greek smuggler to find that Kristatos is the true villain behind the mayhem. Kristatos snatches the valuable ATAC from under Bond's fingertips and attempts to sell the device to his contacts in the USSR. Kristatos hires a score of killers led by Emile Locque to do most of his dirty work.

 

I've Been Expecting You
Bond turns to Kristatos for some information whilst investigating the location of the St. Georges wreck in Cortina. They share a courteous meeting where Kristatos drops into the conversation the smuggler Colombo is more than likely behind the scheme. He depicts Colombo by explaining his own, double-crossing past before sending 007 on a tangent, investigating the opposition.

"You cannot just arrest him, you must find a different way. You may have to kill him. "

 

Headquarters
Lucrative business deals around the world have meant the Kristatos has developed a network of hideouts - some more exorbitant than others. The location he chooses for the hand over of the ATAC to the Russians is the high mountaintop retreat of St. Cyril's Monastery. Previously used by both Kristatos and Columbo during the war, Kristatos flees there with the ATAC to await the arrival of General Gogol to collect the device and relocate Kristatos, Kriegler, Bibi and her training to the Soviet Union. Looming cliff faces surround the abandoned outpost the only way to reach the highly guarded precipices is by basket lift or highly skilled mountain scaling. Old and delicate stained glass and medieval ornamentation is still a feature of this impressive lair.

Gadgets & Vehicles
With a personal helicopter at his whim and a luxury launch to comb the seas for the St. Georges wreck, Kristatos has everything he desires - except Bibi's affection.

Dress Code
Kristatos keeps a neat and clean appearance often opting for ski-jacket and gloves whilst in the wintry climates of Cortina. On board his launch the villain is seen in light shirts and tan chinos, suitable for boating.

Goodbye, Mr Bond
It is not 007 who dispatches this villain. When James Bond confronts Kristatos on the mountaintop of St. Cyril's he is ready to take him into custody and have him extradited to the UK, but the beautiful Melina has other ideas. When she holds Kristatos at arrow-point the villain makes a last-ditch attempt to escape but is caught short by a blade in the back from his old rival Columbo.

Biography
Born in Hampstead, London, to Honor and Gordon Glover, Julian attended Bristol Grammar School where he shared a class room with a number of would-be actors of his era. His father was a producer for BBC radio and his half-brother grew up to be prolific jazz/rock musician Robert Wyatt.

After leaving school, Glover was classically trained by the Holloway based National Youth Theatre, which would educate many a famed actor with a Bond connection, including Daniel Craig, Timothy Dalton and Rosamund Pike. Glover soon gained recognition in his chosen field and won roles with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1950s. Also in this era Glover began to gain television roles - starring in classic series such as "The Avengers" (which he would appear in four episodes as Masgard) and sci-fi "Blakes Seven".

He was later considered for the role of time traveling sci-fi star "Dr. Who" but this was not to be. Also a contender to play James Bond at one point, Glover ended up playing a villain against both heroes. In the case of "Dr Who", he appeared in "City of Death" - the highest rated episode in the series long history.

 

Glover first played opposite Roger Moore in an episode of "The Saint". The quirky TV adventure saw the actor take a couple of episodes - first as Mr. Halloran and then as Falconi. He would follow this up with a few appearances on ITV's "Saturday Night Theatre", and "Thirty Minute Theatre" which would dramatise short stories by famed authors.

He made a break into Hollywood with Charlton Heston's "Anthony and Cleopatra" and various bit parts during the early 1970s before landing his menacing role of General Veers in the sci-fi smash hit "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back". Since landing this role, Glover became a recognisable face in cinema, taking lead roles in "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", "Harry Potter" and of course the James Bond series.

In 2008 he returned to the West End to perform in the classic musical of the orphan boy, "Oliver". On screen, Glover has recently appeared in Simon Pegg black drama "Big Nothing" (2006) and Kiefer Sutherland horror "Mirrors" (2008).