Known formally as William the Conqueror, his pet name to Gen. Patton was simply Willie...Patton's staff purchased Willie on March 4, 1944, in England, and Gen. Patton wrote in his diary concerning the dog...My bull pup took to me like a duck to water.
Herbert Lom reprises his role as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus from A Shot in the Dark; he remained a regular thereafter. The character of Sir Charles Lytton, the notorious Phantom, is now played by Christopher Plummer rather than David Niven (as in The Pink Panther, 1963), who was unavailable. The Pink Panther diamond once again plays a central role in the plot.
In 2003, the American Film Institute declared Auric Goldfinger the 49th greatest villain in the past 100 years of film. In a poll on IMDb, Auric Goldfinger was voted the most sinister James Bond villain, beating out in order Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dr. No, Max Zorin and Emilio Largo. [3] Auric Goldfinger was played by German actor Gert FrÃ¶be. FrÃ¶be, who did not speak English well, was dubbed in the film by Michael Collins, an English actor. In the German version, FrÃ¶be dubbed himself back again.