James Bond Character - Oddjob

About

Age	Mid 30's
Ethnicity	Korean
Role	Villain
Status	Dead
Skills	Karate
Weapons	Steel Rimmed Hat, Pistol

Summary

Oddjob --played by Harold Sakata-- is a ruthless villain and Goldfinger's personal bodyguard. Armed with a steel rimmed hat and a good knowledge of karate, Oddjob is a deadly character. He is perhaps one of the most legendary villains in James Bond.

Played by	Harold Sakata	Appears in	Goldfinger

The Character in the Movie

In the 1964 James bond movie Goldfinger, Oddjob was Goldfinger's personal bodyguard, an exceedingly strong and muscular killer. His main weapon, a deadly steel rimmed bowler hat, was used to kill Tilly Masterson. When driving to the airport, he shot Mr. Solo (a man doing business with Goldfinger) and later crushed the car with him inside.

Oddjob was a very brave man, as seen when he stayed inside the Fort Knox vault with an active bomb, to stop Bond and a guard from escaping. Later on in the film, a fight ensued between Bond and Oddjob. Bond eventually managed to get the rimmed hat and threw it at Oddjob, who ducked to avoid being hit. Oddjob then went to retrieve the hat which was stuck in a barred fence. As he went to grab it, Bond touched a live wire onto the bars, electrocuting Oddjob and bringing him to his ultimate death.

The Character in the Book

In Ian Fleming's book Goldfinger (1959), Oddjob was a Korean bodyguard and chauffeur for Goldfinger. He was a ruthless killer, and the main villain of the story. He wore a steel rimmed bowler hat and shiny black gloves. His fingers were strong, muscular and all the same length with no nails. His toes were the same. His hands and feet were hardened into layers of corns.

Oddjob was one of the three men in the world who possessed a black belt in Karate. Due to his poor background, he considered cat to be fine cuisine. He was given Goldfinger's cat after it was discovered that Bond had used it to destroy a reel of film containing incriminating evidence. Near the end of the book, Bond met Oddjob on a plane, and a fight ensued. Bond smashed the window, the cabin depressurized, and Oddjob was sucked out of the plane to his death.

Games

Oddjob has appeared in many James Bond video games. Mostly he has been an unlockable character in the multiplayer levels, as he was in the game From Russia with Love. In the game Nightfire, Oddjob's hat can be used for an instant kill.

In the game Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, Oddjob is an actual character and is part of the storyline. Oddjob attacks you and you fight him off and then throw him down after a bomb.

Oddjob was also an unlockable in Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64, debatedly the best bond game of all time.

Merchandise

There are many Oddjob toys, models, ornaments, figurines and even foreign trading cards available like the ones below. Oddjob is even featured in some sets of characters. Most if not all of this legendary character's merchandise is now rare and highly collectible

Spoofs

Austin Powers: Random Task

Random Task

One of the most notable spoofs of Oddjob is in the 1997 hit Bond spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, where the character "Random Task" appears with a steel rimmed shoe! He is Dr. Evil's finest killer, but dies after an attempt to kill Austin Powers with his shoe, to which Austin replies "Honestly, who throws a shoe?".