James Bond
James Bond is the suave, womanizing, stylish British spy at the center of the film. He is incredibly competent, able to find his way out of the most difficult scenarios using his wits (and a little luck). While he is an exceedingly talented spy, he is also easily distracted, usually by women and drinking. He loves nothing more than a dalliance with a beautiful woman or a martini "shaken not stirred." While his womanizing gets him into trouble in the beginning, it is eventually what saves his entire mission. By seducing the seemingly un-seducible Pussy Galore, he sways her loyalties and convinces her to work against Goldfinger, which is what ultimately saves the day.
Bond is smart, witty, urbane, and doesn't take himself very seriously. While his missions are serious, he always wears an ironic smirk, and seems to want to get through his mission so he can enjoy a stiff drink at the end of the day.
Auric Goldfinger
Goldfinger is the evil mastermind and antagonist of the film. A Latvian jeweler and gold smuggler, Goldfinger never plays fair, and has an almost sociopathic disregard for other people. His immorality is first showcased when we learn that he cheats at gin rummy in order to make money, but his evil escalates considerably when he has Jill Masterson killed in a particularly horrible way.
Goldfinger has allied himself with non-Western powers and has aims to ruin the American economy using a nuclear bomb, so that the value of his gold will go up. He does not mind killing whoever he must in order to achieve his greedy goals.
Pussy Galore
The ridiculously-named Pussy Galore is Goldfinger's personal pilot, a beautiful, brusque, British blonde, who prides herself on the fact that she is "immune" to Bond's charms. While it is not stated explicitly, it is implied that Pussy bats for the other team and prefers women to men (in the novel Goldfinger, Pussy is explicitly identified as a lesbian).
Eventually, Bond manages to win Pussy over, forcing himself on her in a horse barn. While it seems strictly unsavory and nonconsensual, Bond's seduction causes Pussy to switch political teams and work with the CIA to dismantle Operation Grand Slam. At the end, Pussy and Bond begin a torrid affair, in spite of her earlier protestations. In many ways, Pussy is less a character than a testament to the power of Bond's masculine charms, his chief asset.
Jill Masterson
Jill is Goldfinger's beautiful employee, who helps him win at gin rummy by spying on his card games from a balcony. When she has an affair with Bond, Goldfinger has her killed, suffocated by gold paint.
Felix Leiter
Felix is James Bond's associate and immediate superior in the CIA. He trusts Bond and wants to make sure that Bond succeeds. While other associates want to help Bond at various points, Felix trusts that his friend has things under control.
M.
M. is Bond's boss in London, and he is a little less admiring of Bond's more sensual inclinations. After Jill Masterson's death in Miami, M. is convinced that Bond is too easily distracted by members of the fairer sex, and threatens to put another agent on the case should Bond make a mistake again.
Oddjob
Oddjob never speaks, but he is an important character: Goldfinger's violent and brutish manservant, who does all his dirty work. He is exceptionally solid and skilled at fighting, and his special weapon of choice is a bowler hat with blades on the brim.
Tilly Masterson
Jill's sister, who travels to Switzerland to avenge her sister's death by killing Goldfinger. She dies a victim of Oddjob's bowler hat when she and Bond are discovered outside the plant.
