Featured in: For your Eyes only

Actor: Haim Topol


Who is he:
A Greek smuggler. He admits he smuggles gold, diamonds, cigarettes and pistachio nuts (the latter of which he has a personal taste for and is often seen eating) but no heroin. He was set up by Kristatos as the man in charge of Emile Locque, both to remove a larger rival and because he knew too much about Kristatos' KGB connections and the fact that Kristatos had been an agent for Germany in WWII.

How he met Bond:
Columbo is first seen when Kristatos secretly introduces James to him. He leaves Countess Lisl von Schlaf for a moment to listen to his secret tape of a conversation between Kristatos and Bond. After Lisl is killed, Columbo captures Bond and tells him the whole background and that Kristatos is the real enemy, who actually gives Locque orders, and invites Bond on a raid on one of Kristatos' warehouses where they find Locque.


How he helps Bond save the day:
He leads the assault on Kristatos' warehouse. He also helps James and Melina get up to St. Cyril's Monastery, Greece (the actual name of the site is Meteora). Columbo later chases Kristatos in an aggressive yet brief scuffle, causing Kristatos to lose his footwork and drop the ATAC. When Melina is about to kill Kristatos, Bond pleads not, referring to Chinese proverbs. Kristatos pulls out a switchblade knife and tries to kill Bond, but Columbo throws a knife in his back, ending a personal vendetta.


Best Line:
(speaking to Bond) I'm a good judge of man. You have what the Greeks call "thrausos" : guts!

In the short story

Bond is sent to Italy to break up a drug-smuggling operation. While there his contact is Aristotle Kristatos, who occasionally works with the CIA. Kristatos informs Bond that the man behind the operation is Enrico Colombo, however, after being captured and taken aboard Colombo's ship, the Colombina, Bond is told by Colombo that Kristatos is actually a double working for the Russians and the man behind the drug smuggling operation. Colombo proves this to Bond by taking him on a raid of Kristatos' warehouse where they catch Kristatos and his men loading a shipment of drugs.