The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia toasts Chaim Topol of "For Your Eyes Only" on his birthday

The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia presents This Day in James Bond Movie History, wishing actor Chaim Topol a very happy 85th birthday. Topol portrayed Greek smuggler Milos Columbo in "For Your Eyes Only," and his performance is a major plus for a film that returns to the world of serious cloak and dagger. After "Moonraker," producer Albert R. Broccoli told screenwriter Richard Maibaum to "pull in the balloon" and return to the kind of spy story epitomized by "From Russia with Love." In "For Your Eyes Only," we meet Columbo and his nemesis, Ari Kristatos (Julian Glover) who are involved in a blood feud that dates back to the time they were World War II partisans - and Kristatos was on the Nazi payroll. Columbo, an earthy, full-of-life, pistachio chewing smuggler, is thus cut from the same cloth as "From Russia with Love's" Ari Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendariz) and the blood feud echoes the enmity between the Bulgars and Gypsies in that film. Topol, a native Israeli, is, of course, famous as Tevye the milk man in the classic musical "Fiddler on the Roof" - the perfect role for this wonderful screen presence. So let's hoist a glass of ouzo to Topol, Columbo and serious spying. It is a true honor to toast him on his September 9th birthday, a day that we share. Stay safe. FYI - Starting tomorrow, you can find This Day in James Bond Movie History at a dedicated group site entitled The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia. With so many dedicated 007 sites, it just made sense to create one for the book. Enjoy.