Angelo Palazzi is a supporting antagonist in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. He is an assassin hired by criminal organisation SPECTRE to steal a plane carrying nuclear warheads by impersonating NATO observer François Derval and deliver them to Emilio Largo.
He was portrayed by the late Paul Stassino, who also played the real Derval.
Biography[]
Palazzi was hired by Count Lippe to impersonate Major François Derval, and was sent to the Shrublands health farm, where he underwent plastic surgery to look like Derval, who was a NATO supervisor on an RAF plane carrying nuclear warheads. He first appears in the film when MI6 agent James Bond is investigating Count Lippe's room, due to the Count having a gang tattoo. While Bond is in Lippe's room, he hears someone coming and hides, but instead of Count Lippe, Angelo enters, his face bandaged from plastic surgery. Angelo is distracted by a ringing phone, allowing Bond to escape, not realising that Angelo spotted him. This leads to Count Lippe attempting to kill Bond.
That night, Fiona Volpe seduces Major Derval, who then has to answer the door. When he does, Palazzi is standing there. Derval is shocked by the appearance of his doppelganger, but is immediately murdered by Palazzi, who sprays nerve gas in his face. Lippe then emerges and promises Palazzi £250,000 for the assassination of Derval and the completion of the next task, only for Palazzi to forcefully demand more money and attempt to intimidate Lippe and Volpe into giving it to him. Volpe manages to persuade him to do what they want by handing him an envelope containing the original £250,000 and promising to give him the rest when he completes the mission.
Palazzi then leaves and enters a nearby RAF base, where he easily bypasses security due to his impersonation of Derval, and gets on the plane containing the warheads. When the plane is over the ocean, Palazzi releases more nerve gas, which kills the whole crew, although Palazzi survives due to a gas mask. He then dons scuba gear and lands the plane in the ocean, where Largo and a group of divers show up and remove the warheads, which they load onto the ship. However, Palazzi gets stuck, allowing Largo to cut through his airhose as punishment for demanding more money. He then re-enters the ship, leaving Palazzi to drown, with his corpse later being discovered by Bond, still in the plane.
