Now, please let me be clear: I am a big fan of the late Vladek Sheybal’s work. He was a very engaging actor, and although his looks and accent made him a great villain (such as Satan in The Apple), he was also very engaging in roles where he played a more sympathetic character (such as Dr. Jackson on UFO).

The man had a good career in some really interesting films and TV series. He was in the 1967 Casino Royale; he was a chess master in From Russia With Love. In fact, his face and voice made him perfect to play Cold War villains, and he did so on a variety of TV series in Britain, where he moved in the early 60’s.

Offscreen, he was a badass. He was actually a member of the Polish underground and fought Nazis – captured twice, and put into concentration camps, from which he escaped – again, twice.

Nevertheless, one can’t help but notice a certain similarity of features between Mr. Sheybal and Dobby the House Elf of the Harry Potter film series. Please tell me I’m not the only person to have noticed this.