Who is Auric Goldfinger from Goldfinger and what is their importance?

Auric Goldfinger is a Latvian immigrant to England, Goldfinger becomes one of the richest men in the world by buying up gold and smuggling it out of the country. He is Bond's primary opponent in the novel. Goldfinger is a short, stocky man with a round head and flaming red hair cut in a crew cut. He is perpetually sunburned.