Robert Vaughn: R.I.P.

Robert Vaughn, the Man from U.N.C.L.E, died today. He was 83.

Robert Vaughn, probably best known for his role as Napoleon Solo on NBC’s spy show The Man From U.N.C.L.E., died today after a brief battle with acute leukemia.


From the BBC:

The somewhat implausible, but extremely popular NBC series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. originally ran between 1964 and 1968. Vaugh starred in more than 150 films, many of which have been completely forgotten both by audiences and, as he once candidly admitted, by Vaughn himself.

Robert Francis Vaughn was born into a theatrical family in New York City on 22 November 1932.
His mother, who was a stage actress, was often out on the road so Vaughn spent much of his childhood with his grandparents in Minneapolis, where he went to school.

He started off studying to be a journalist but quit after 12 months and moved with his mother to Los Angeles where he took a Masters degree in Theatre at California State University. Even when his acting career took off he continued to study, gaining a PhD in 1970 with his dissertation on show business blacklisting during the McCarthy era which he eventually published as a book. 

Read More here.

The Man from U.N.C.LE. headed for the Big Screen

As if we haven't seen enough remakes on both the small and big screen, Warner Bros will begin filming this week a big-screen version of the 1960s TV espionage series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Hugh Grant will play U.N.C.L.E. chief Alexander Waverly, the role originated by Leo G. Carroll in the 1964-68 series. Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin, alongside stars Alicia Vikander (“Anna Karenina”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby”), Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”) .

At least they're not updating the time period. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

Read more Here:

http://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/u-n-c-l-e-movie-to-start-filming-sept-9-warner-bros-says/

http://doubleosection.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-man-from-uncle-feature-film.html

HT: TheRapSheet