Vargas (Philip Locke)
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Datastream
Actor: Philip Locke
Character: Vargas
Movie: Thunderball
Date of Birth: 29 March 1928
Appearence: Thin, tall, and balding.
Distinguishing Feature: With no known vices or interests, Vargas' icy
cold persona is matched with his penchant for cold-blooded killings.
Status: Terminated
Organizations And Alliances: SPECTRE, Emilio
Largo,
Janni & Fiona
Volpe
Profile
Largo's
cold, heartless bodyguard, Vargas plays
a small but significant part in SPECTRE's plan of world
extortion, doing much of the hands-on dirty work for
his employer.
He
keeps an eye on the developing relationship between
Bond
and
Domino,
but
when he feels
things are
going too far, 007 helps him to get the point. |
Personality
According to Largo, Vargas does not drink, smoke, or make love;
abstinence which emphasizes his devotion as a killer. Those characteristics
were used by Ian Fleming to describe the whole Disco Volante
crew, but the filmmakers reduced to only one character because
it would be "many men doing nothing".
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Involvement
After spotting him in the casino, Vargas is properly introduced to 007 by Largo
while visiting the latter's estate, Palmyra. A few days later he kidnaps
Bond's ally Paula Caplin at their Nassau
hotel with fellow henchman Janni's help.
He is killed by James Bond on a beach with a speargun
in the chest after trying to kill 007 and Dominique Derval
while lurking in the palm trees, with Bond coolly remarking "I
think he got the point". |
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Biography
Philip Locke was born on 29th March 1928 in St. Marylebone,
London, England and was educated at St Marylebone
Central School. After a stint at RADA, he landed his first
bit-part in an episode of "Jan at the Blue
Fox" in 1952. But it was theatre that was closest to Locke's
heart, and he turned professional
at the Oldham Repertory Theatre in 1954.
With his deep-set, haunted eyes and tall, somewhat cadaverous
physique, Philip Locke unsurprisingly found himself cast often
as sinister villains or mad scientists in television and on film.
On stage, however, he was more imaginatively cast and in a varied
career,
After several non-recurring roles on the small screen,
by
the early 1960's he was a prolific character actor on British
television, appeared as
a guest
star in many
popular
series, including: "The Saint", "Z Cars", "Bergerac", "Inspector
Morse" and "Doctor Who". "Thunderball" was Locke's largest screen
role of
his career,
with television making up the bulk of his work. His last role
was
in a four part "Ruth Rendell Mysteries" mini-series
in 1998.
Over the course of his five-decades in the business, Locke had
performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre
and at the Royal Court Theatre. He as nominated for Broadway's
1975 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic)
for his performance as Professor Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes." Locke
passed away 19th April 2004.
