Red Grant
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"Red" Grant is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film From Russia with Love. In both, Grant is a henchman for the villain Rosa Klebb. Red Grant is played by actor Robert Shaw.
Novel bio
In the novel, From Russia with Love, Red Grant is SMERSH's Chief executioner. He was born Donovan Grant in Ireland, to an Irish mother and is the illegitimate son of "The Mighty O'Donovan", a German who is involved with an international circus group. Shortly after birth, his mother died.Red Grant becomes a killer at an early age, his urges to kill coinciding with the full moon. After World War II, he is called up for National Service and is posted to Berlin as a soldier with the British Army. He defects to the Soviets after being disgraced for cheating in a boxing match. Grant enjoys killing people, and the Russians train him to become their Chief Executioner. Grant is shot by Bond during an encounter on the Orient Express.
Trivia
- Red Grant's father is referenced in Charlie Higson's Young Bond book SilverFin, while Bond is in attendance at a circus.
Film bio
Red Grant, aka Donald Grant, works for S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and is assigned the task of assassinating James Bond to avenge the death of Dr. Julius No. The pre-title sequence in From Russia with Love shows Bond and Grant searching for one another. In the end Grant kills Bond, before a mask is removed from "Bond's" face to reveal that the whole thing was a training mission for Grant.Grant is described as being a homicidal-paranoia maniac, who escaped from Dartmoor prison in 1960 (where he was presumably incarcerated for Life) and was recruited by SPECTRE in Tangier two years later in 1962, whilst on the run from the law. He has been intensively trained by the organisation and when not on a mission, he is resident on SPECTRE Island (Location: unknown).
Although it's Grant's mission to kill Bond, the early part of the film shows Grant taking on the role of Bond's protector to ensure Bond delivers (unknowingly) the Lektor encoding device into S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s hands. Grant is killed on the Orient Express when Bond outsmarts him with the use of Q-branch's attaché case, and strangles Grant with his own garotte.
Trivia
- Donald 'Red' Grant shares his real name (although not his nickname) with a real traitor, Donald Grant, who was a vacuum-cleaner salesman and member of the British Union of Fascists from Easter Ross. At the outbreak of war in 1939 this Donald Grant was in Germany and was employed by the Nazis to broadcast to Scotland as 'Radio Caledonia' with the aim of increasing disaffection.
Game bio
In the computer game based on the novel and film, Red Grant is the chief enforcer for the terrorist organization codenamed OCTOPUS. He has a female assistant named Eva. Grant does most of OCTOPUS' dirty work, but his primary mission is to acquire the Lektor decoding device and kill Bond. He catches up with Bond on the Orient Express, and survives the confrontation unbeknownst to Bond. During the final assault on OCTOPUS headquarters, he uses a spider-like machine to attack Bond again, but this time he is killed, where Bond kills him with a Wright Magnum after Grant pulls out a PPK.
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