Most Expensive Assassin (in a James Bond movie)

Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga

As much as I’d like to tell you about the most expensive assassin in the world, a notable lack of data prevents me from doing so. I can, however, tell you about the next best thing—the most expensive assassin in the world of James Bond.

Francisco Scaramanga, the titular character in The Man with the Golden Gun, is known as possibly the best shot in the world and for his trademark golden. In both Ian Fleming’s novel and the 1974 film—where he was portrayed by Fleming’s cousin, Christopher Lee—Scaramanga was a circus trick shooter whose only friend, an elephant, was put down by its handler. Subsequently, Scaramanga killed the handler and turned to life as a hired killer. In both cases, he is associated with the KGB and, of course, meets his end at the hands of 007 himself.

In the novel, the golden gun was a Colt Peacemaker .45 revolver that separated into a cigarette lighter, cigarette case, a cufflink and a pen. In the movie, however, the gun is only a single-shot weapon, as he only needs a single bullet to do his job.

According to the film version of The Man with the Golden Gun, Francisco Scaramanga’s services cost $1 million—a formidable sum at the time.

On a side note, the golden gun prop used in the movie has been stolen. It is valued at over $130,000.