Francisco Scaramanga Francisco Scaramanga Francisco Scaramanga is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film versions of "The Man with the Golden Gun". Scaramanga's signature weapon is a golden gun. In the novel, the character is nicknamed "Pistols" Scaramanga and is also called "Paco" (a Spanish diminutive of Francisco). In the film, the character was played by Christopher Lee (the real-life step-cousin of James Bond creator Ian Fleming). Francisco Scaramanga, of Catalan origin, became a trick shot and performed in acts in a circus owned by his father Enrico while a youngster. He also cared for
The Man with the Golden Gun (novel) published in the UK on 1 April 1965 by Jonathan Cape, was 221 pages long and cost eighteen shillings. Cover artist Richard Chopping undertook the cover design again and was paid 300 guineas for the artwork. "The Man with the Golden Gun" was published in the US in August 1965, was 183 pages long and cost $4.50. Even before the US edition was published, "The Man with the Golden Gun" was ninth place on the best-seller lists, with 80,000 pre-orders for the hardback version. Critics did not praise "The Man with the Golden Gun", although much of the criticism was