Goldfinger was combative, worked on the assumption that he was unerringly right and had a domineering manner which did him no favours – ‘Don’t teach me,’ the small boy once snapped at his mother. No sooner had he achieved some architectural renown than he was caricatured, at least in name, as Ian Fleming’s villain. Sensing anti-semitism, he sued and was placated out of court with his costs, an agreement that ‘Auric’ always be used in front of the villain’s name, and half a dozen copies of the offending novel. Which didn’t stop a stream of pranksters telephoning him in silly voices when the film was released.