Kronsteen - Vladek Sheybal
SPECTRE agent number 5 and director of planning, Kronsteen is also an internationally recognised chess champion. 'Moonlighting' in his criminal capacity, it is Kronsteen - reporting directly to Blofeld - who concocts the elaborate mission to lure James Bond into stealing the Soviet Lektor decoding machine. Warned that Bond is a worthy adversary, the egotistical Kronsteen replies, 'Who is Bond compared to Kronsteen?' Unfortunately, Kronsteen finds out when Bond thwarts his foolproof scheme - leading to his falling victim to the latest in SPECTRE fashion, a shoe with a poison tipped knife.
Vladek Sheybal, who played Kronsteen, was a respected Polish actor and theatre director who was initially reluctant to appear in 'From Russia With Love'. However, his friend Sean Connery convinced him to take the role, and Sheybal later professed to being amazed at the impact it had on his career. He also appeared as a villain in the 1967 Bond spoof 'Casino Royale' and later starred as Sean Connery's brother in the 1975 epic 'The Wind and the Lion'.
Other villains in From Russia With Love