His high cheekbones, square jawline, distinctive overbite and downturned mouth combine to form a striking visage, which would make it challenging for an actor to disappear into a character. This was my first sighting of Mads Mikkelsen, and during the ensuing 15 years, he has emerged as one of my favourite international actors. The characters were all memorable, not just Daniel Craig’s rugged version of the superspy, but also Jeffrey Wright’s empathetic CIA operative Felix Leiter, Eva Green’s intelligent and enigmatic femme fatale Vesper Lynd, and Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, the unforgettable villain who uses a platinum-plated inhaler and weeps blood out of a damaged left eye.
The Eon Productions reboot of the Bond franchise in 2006 with Casino Royale was a tremendous hit with audiences and critics alike.
