Ernst Stavro Blofeld or is heard in three novels: "Thunderball", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"; and "You Only Live Twice"; as well as seven films from Eon Productions: "From Russia with Love" (1963); "Thunderball" (1965); "You Only Live Twice" (1967); "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969); "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971); "For Your Eyes Only" (1981) (the pre-title sequence of which shows an unnamed character resembling him fall to his death); and "Spectre" (2015). He also appears in "Never Say Never Again" (1983), the non-Eon remake of "Thunderball". Blofeld has been played on screen by Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, Max von Sydow,
James Bond greatest film hero. He was also placed at number 11 on a similar list by "Empire" and as the fifth greatest movie character of all time by "Premiere". The 23 James Bond films produced by Eon Productions, which have grossed $4,910 million in box office returns alone, have made the series one of the highest-grossing ever. It is estimated that since "Dr. No", a quarter of the world's population have seen at least one Bond film. The UK Film Distributors' Association have stated that the importance of the Bond series of films to the British film industry cannot be overstated,