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Walter Gotell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter Gotell (March 15, 1924 - May 5, 1997) was a German actor, best known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the Bond films.
Born in Bonn, Germany he started in films as early as 1942, usually playing German henchmen, but others role also, in films like The African Queen (1951), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961), 55 Days At Peling (1963), Lancelot And Guinevere (1963), The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965), Black Sunday (1977), The Boys From Brazil (1978), and Cuba (1979).
Gotell's first role in the James Bond films came in 1963, when he played the henchman Morzeny in From Russia with Love. Starting in the late 1970s, he played the recurring role of General Gogol in the James Bond series, beginning with The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977. The character returned in Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985) and The Living Daylights (1987). As the Cold War developed, the role of leader of the KGB was seen to change attitudes to the West - from direct competitor to collaborator. His final appearance, as the Cold War began to become less imminent, sees him transferred to a different, more diplomatic role.
Throughout his career, Gotell also made numerous guest appearances in a wide array of television series. These included Knight Rider, The A-Team, Airwolf, The X-Files, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, MacGyver, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Cagney and Lacey, The Saint, and many many others.
He died in 1997 from cancer.
Gotell won the role of General Alexis Gogol in The Spy Who Loved Me for being a look-alike of the former head of Soviet secret police Lavrentiy Pavlovitch Beria.
- Walter Gotell at the Internet Movie Database
- Walter Gotell article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.