His first wife, Sheila, was present throughout his Moscow trial but divorced him after his release. LONDON (AP) _ Greville Wynne, who spied on the Soviet Union for Britain during the Cold War and who spent 18 months in a Moscow prison after being caught, has died of throat cancer, hospital officials said today. In the movie, they arrest Penkovsky shortly after discovering he was a double agent. Later on in his professional life, he became a businessman and often travelled to Eastern Europe. These events serve as the inspiration for The Courier, the new film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Wynne and Georgian actor Merab Ninidze as Penkovsky, out in theaters on March 19. Greville Wynne, who was 44 at the time, was ordered to serve three of the eight year sentence in prison and five years in a labour camp. The almost universally accepted version of events is that Oleg Penkovsky was executed in 1963 for providing top-secret information to the United Kingdom. 1. Benedict Cumberbatch is known for bringing outlandish, extraordinary characters, from Marvel's "Dr. After a meeting in Paris in September 1961, Penkovskys next trips were mysteriously cancelled at the last minute. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a10a13b9bbf427a [Wynne], bless him, for all his wonderful work, was a menace and a fabricator, says Nigel West, who has written numerous books on British and American intelligence organizations, including two books specifically about fabricators in the intelligence arena. Our listening devices are concealed within items that won't raise suspicion, from car keys to bear toys. The information shared above about the question, TOP 8 what happened to andrew wynne son of greville BEST and NEWEST, TOP 8 what happened to andrew lance BEST and NEWEST, TOP 8 what happened to andrew dice clay BEST and NEWEST, TOP 10 what happened to andreaschoice BEST and NEWEST, TOP 9 what happened to ancient greece BEST and NEWEST, TOP 8 what happened to anastasia romanov BEST and NEWEST, TOP 7 what happened to anakins mom BEST and NEWEST, TOP 8 what happened to amy theismann BEST and NEWEST. Penkovsky and Wynnes spy activity produced mountains of information, would go on to play a role in the cuban missile crisis, and subsequently lead to their conviction in 1963. Both men were arrested in November 1962, around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Our complete range of spy cameras. Wynne was then hit over the head and knocked out, bundled into a car and taken to prison where interrogators played out a guessing game to establish the links between him and Penkovsky. However, shortly after Grevilles return to Britain, Sheila divorced him. The film is out now. Even the official accounts put out by American and Russian authorities regarding the Penkovsky affair include disinformation and spin that he, or any historian, has to navigate through. Greville passed away on February 28 1990, at age 70. Seeking ways to parlay the notoriety he received, he became what Duns calls a rent-a-spokesperson for all kinds of espionage stuff, making appearances in the media about anything related to spycraft, whether or not it was anything he had experience with. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Wynne died of throat cancer in Londons Cromwell Hospital on Wednesday, the British domestic news agency Press Association reported. He and his wife Sheila divorced not long after his release. PC monitoring devices to assist in uncovering the truth. GV.AIRPORT BUILDINGS. Wynne died of throat cancer in 1990 at a London hospital. It was directed by English director Dominic Cook, who is also known for films such as On Chesil Beach and Follies. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. However, he was freed in 1964 in exchange for Soviet spy Conon Molody, or Gordon Lonsdale as he called himself in Britain. Greville Maynard Wynne (19 March 1919[2] 28 February 1990) was a British engineer and businessman recruited by MI6 because of his frequent travel to Eastern Europe. Wynne agreed, and during his visit to Moscow the following month he wound up connecting with Oleg Penkovsky, a lieutenant colonel in the GRU (the Soviet Unions foreign-intelligence agency) who was eager to leak high-level military information to Western powers. In 1961 and 1962, at the height of the Cold War, disgruntled colonel Oleg Penkovsky (portrayed by Merab Ninidze) became the highest-ranking Soviet military official to spy for the United Kingdom up until that time. Find featured products, our latest blog posts, spy laws, information about the UK's biggest and best spy shop and much more all in one place. | He and his wife Sheila divorced not long after his release. Current appointments. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Wynne was a well known character on the island in the 1980s and at one stage . He appeared on US game show To Tell The Truth. Wynne said after his release: I was never told I was coming home. Wynne also enthusiastically embraced his role, enjoying the part of a daring secret agent where he could apply his salesman skills to a higher-stakes game. Greville Wynne is a hero in history books and his family has benefitted from it as well. Benedict Cumberbatch: Battled mystery flu, fake crew cut facing Jodie Foster in 'The Mauritanian'. In November 1960, Greville Wynne, a 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for a lunch that would change his life. Wynne was a British businessman who, from 1960 and 1962, smuggled thousands of pieces of intel out of Russia before he was captured, imprisoned, and tortured for two years by the KGB. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. Despite having no previous experience in intelligence work, Wynne was being recruited to serve as an MI6 agent. But, meanwhile, at the height of their greatest coup, Wynne and Penkovsky were facing their own downfall after British double agent George Blake told his KGB controllers that Penkovsky was also passing secrets to a British embassy workers wife. It involved a lot of foreign travel, including trips to Soviet bloc countries, and thus provided ideal cover for spying. Stock Image ID: 1494267a Shelia Wynne Wife Of British Spy Greville Wynne Here With Son Andrew Wynne 1964. Benedict Cumberbatch lurks in the shadows in The Courier, Greville Wynne in 1964 after being freed from a Russian jail, Greville Wynne when he was arrested for espionage in Budapest in 1962, Greville Wynne pictured at Northolt Airport surrounded by press and police, after his release from a Russian jail, Spy equipment taken from Soviet scientific worker Oleg Penkovsky when the Russians caught him, The Courier tells the true story of espionage behind Russian lines. Wynne and Penkovsky engage in bland business banter while Wynne's wife (Jessie Buckley) assumes his new secretiveness is to cover up an affair. The MI6 agent suffered from depression after imprisonment and torture. He was married twice. However, that claim seems unlikely to be true. Both economy and specialist counter surveillance devices. LONDON (AP) _ Greville Wynne, a British spy who told in his celebrated memoirs how he pried loose some of Moscow's best-kept secrets and who served 18 months in a Soviet prison for espionage, has died. During a business trip, he made contact with Oleg Penkovsky in Moscow, a high-ranking Soviet Intelligence colonel. Penkovsky felt stunted in his career with GRU and expected that by helping the West for a year or two, he and his family could be relocated and build a better life, and that he would personally be showered with recognition and honor. Under the guise of a sales trip, he made his first contact with high-ranking Soviet intelligence colonel Oleg Penkovsky in Moscow.The Courier true story reveals that Wynne met Penkovsky eight months after the Soviet double agent had first tried to get in touch with the CIA by handing a bulky envelope of documents to two wary American students in Moscow. Wynne served 18 months in Moscows Lubianka Prison. No question." The Courier is in cinemas now In February 1990, it was announced Wynne had died of. There, he was reportedly subjected to severe beatings, malnourishment, and spent a great deal of his time locked up in solitary confinement. Why did Wynne make up so much, when the truths of his 18 months as a spy are already filled with astounding details? Upon release from prison, Wynnes old life was in tattershed lost much of his business and the time spent in the Soviet prison seemed to have caused long-term damage. Click here to Start FameChaining. On 22nd April 1964, Wynne was officially exchanged for a Soviet spy, who was being held in Britain. Greville Wynne's sister is Nada Wynne. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. In the movie, the title refers to Oleg Penkovsky's codename. Greville Wynne was born on March 19 1919. You, in your own mind, have developed this sense of self-importance, says West. Discover our wide range of tracking devices. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. After that divorce, Wynne took another wife, Herma van Buren. Penkovsky had made earlier offers to spy for the West. British spy Greville Wynne owned house in Chelsea during the 1960s He and Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky asked MI6 and KGB for a bar Given 500 each but spent most the money on alcohol. David Calder played Wynne in the 1985 BBC serial Wynne and Penkovsky. Me and him have a really good relationship were really lucky, Keir said. Among the explanations are a desire for money or fame, a ruinous case of alcoholism, or perhaps even psychological scars left by his time in Soviet prison or the shame he felt for publicly turning against British intelligence during the trial. Your IP: In researching The Courier true story, we discovered that in exchange for sharing restricted information, Soviet intelligence officer Oleg Penkovsky requested citizenship and military rank in either the U.S.A. or Great Britain. What did Greville Wynne do after he was released from the Soviet prison? This led to the publication of his dubious memoirs. Budding actor Keir Hills might have a twin, but theres someone else someone rather famous whos the spitting image of him. In the late 1960s, after he had been imprisoned for his spycraft and could no longer assist MI6 nor the CIA, the amateur spy authored a pair of books: The Man From Moscow: The Story of Wynne and Penkovsky and The Man From Odessa, that were riddled with falsehoods. But over time, intelligence experts and those involved in the case, though reluctant to share sensitive information, cast doubt on much of what Wynne laid out in his books. Make way for his amateur,everyman spy Greville Wynne in "The Courier," now on premium VOD6. During their visits, Penkovsky and Wynne would get out on the town, visiting restaurants, nightclubs and shops under the cover of talking business, with each man proudly showing the other around his home country. His son Andrew, now in his sixties, politely declined to comment when contacted by the Sunday Mirror about his fathers colourful past. Khruschev later backed off and ordered the Soviet missiles returned to the Soviet Union after President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba. Advertising Notice If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you are happy with this. His dining companion, Dickie Franks, revealed himself to be an officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6, and asked Wynne for his help. But do note that it is not possible to be certain of a person's genealogy without a family's cooperation (and/or DNA testing). The film mentions a previous affair, which is part of the reason Sheila is suspicious this time. Greville Wynne's former father in law was, Greville Wynne's former mother in law was. The Courier premiered at Sundance in January 2020 under its original title,Ironbark. Greville Wynnefitthe bill simply assomebody who was taking business into Eastern Europe.". 2023 Intellisphere Ltd - An Intellisphere Group Company, Registration No 7215890 - VAT Registered No 881 4954 86, Spy Histories The Story Of British Spy Greville Wynne. Penkovskys dynamism and enthusiasm, his wide-ranging and passionate denunciations of the Soviet system and its leaders illustrated with anecdotes, fascinated and captivated the American and British teams, write Schecter and Deriabin. He struggled with dyslexia and left school at 14 to work for an electrical contractor. They were all short and thickset and wore trilby hats at the same angle. MI6 took a liking to the engineer-turned-businessman Greville Wynne (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) due to the fact that he often traveled to Eastern Europe on business trips. "Think about going back to life after that intense drama," Cooke says. This provided a near-perfect cover for spying. Emma Powell For The Daily Mail
The businessman released from a Soviet labour camp was Greville Wynne, a figure portrayed in the media, and in British government protests, as an innocent engineer who had been incarcerated while attending a trade fair in Budapest in November 1962. . He said he first joined the British security services in 1938 and worked for them during World War II. After the initial meeting in December 1960, Penkovsky provided Wynne with film of Soviet military documents and later promised more information if an arrangement with British or American intelligence could be made. He said he acted as the intermediary for Soviet double agent Col. Oleg Penkovsky, a senior military intelligence officer who passed Moscow secrets to MI6 and the CIA. F T W M. A new Hollywood blockbuster based on the life of the late Cold war British spy Greville Wynne, who retired to Majorca, is being produced starring Benedict Cumberbatch of Doctor Strange and Sherlock fame. Terms of Use Then after your service, when you havent even told your family or friends about this, youre told, thank you very much, indeed. Greville Wynne is a legend in the history books and his family has also benefited from it. Director Cooke says Donovan is a composite character representing several real-life people, includingJanet Chisholmthewife of a Moscow-based British visa officer whoalso served as a conduit for information passed to the West by Penkovsky. 'The Courier' is currently lived by his son, Andrew as he had already passed away in 1990 at the age of 70. Greville Wynne's former partners: . Wynne married his second wife, Herma van Buren, in 1970. His name was Konon Molody, but was known in the West as Gordon Lonsdale. Wynne was born in Shropshire, England, and raised in Ystrad Mynach, South Wales. [5] His business extended into Eastern Bloc countries from 1955. Thus began their fruitful relationship, one that involved Wynne hosting Penkovsky in London, who was visiting under the pretense of cultivate new opportunities in the West. He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. Never formally acknowledged by the British government, Wynnewrote about his experiences in two self-aggrandizingbooks, "The Man From Moscow" (1967) and "The Man From Odessa" (1981). It was pathological with him.. However, Wynne and his wife Sheila split up, after Sheila became suspicious of his frequent trips to Eastern Europe and the Soviet State, thinking that he was having an affair. [14], Wynne struggled with depression and alcoholism in the aftermath of imprisonment. Welcome to the Spy Equipment UK homepage. After his release he said: They treated me as they thought I should be treated.. By
KGB chief Vladimir Semichastny later revealed: They led Wynne along the corridor as Penkovsky was approaching in the opposite direction so that both could see that the other had been arrested. As for Rachel Brosnahan's character, CIA operative Emily Donovan, she is not based on a real person. The 12-year-old bears an uncanny resemblance to Benedict Cumberbatch, which caught the eye of the casting director on the Hollywood stars latest film. He was senior enough that you could sit down with the agents for hours and explain the entire context of how Soviet intelligence worked.. The committee was dedicated to developing opportunities for foreigners in science and technology. Explore how the celebrity world connects. An industrial sales consultant who regularly traveled through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union representing British electrical and steel companies, Wynne was told it would be helpful if on his next trip, he could arrange for a meeting with a state committee in Moscow dedicated to developing opportunities with foreigners in science and technology, and report back on his conversations. Greville Wynne had a wife, Sheila, and a son, Andrew. He preceded this book with The Man from Moscow: The Story Of . British officials also never confirmed or denied Wynnes spying claims, and he didnt receive any official recognition for his work. Even though Wynne wasnt exactly a reliable narrator for what he did during his time as a secret agent, the materials he smuggled from behind the Iron Curtain were the real thing. In a later interview Wynne said: It came out in my interrogation in the early days of my imprisonment that they suspected me of black marketeering.
In an overcoat, wearing a trilby and carrying a briefcase, middle-aged travelling salesman Greville Wynne looked every inch a rather ordinary, unremarkable family man going about his daily life. (March 18), Battled mystery flu, fake crew cut facing Jodie Foster in 'The Mauritanian', Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [7][13], Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 15:01, "From Interrogation in the Lubyanka to rose-growing in Majorca", "Wynne confesses to charges of spying for West", "Greville Wynne, Spy for Britain In the Soviet Bloc, Is Dead at 71", "Gentleman, spy, fantasist? Ideal for gathering evidence and remote monitoring. Unaware of Penkovskys arrest, Wynne travelled to Budapest under his cover name of Mr Veen against the advice of his MI6 bosses. Despite what hed been through, Wynne head shaved while in prison still managed to joke in an interview that the style was the prisons interpretation of a haircut. A stand-off between US President John F Kennedy and Russias Nikita Khrushchev ended with the Soviet president backing down at the 11th hour and removing the threatening missiles. The films screenwriter, Tom OConnor, found Wynnes story of a nobody suddenly becoming a somebody compelling. Wynne was a middle-class British businessman whose frequent travel to Eastern Europe attracted recruitment by MI-6 to serve as a liaison to high-ranking Soviet official Penkovsky. Protect those closest to you with our phone monitoring solutions. See our devices & software. A drink-loving. In The Courier, he plays Andrew, son of Greville Wynne, a real-life businessman who was recruited by MI6 as a spy. Wynne would later relate that as he walked down the steps of an exhibition pavilion, four men suddenly appeared as a car pulled up and Wynne was pushed inside. Cold War Budapest in 1962 was not the most welcoming place for a British businessman, but Greville Wynne was feeling rather pleased with himself. No question. It's athank you from the West for what he sacrificed.". He passed away from throat cancer in London in 1990 at age 70. Of course, they had no idea how much the other would reveal. As the film alludes, life never returned to normal for Wynne, who battled depression and the psychological after-effects of his incarceration. Cumberbatch, whose mother is actress Wanda Ventham, is best known for playing Sherlock in the BBC drama and Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. Law was in uncovering the truth from Moscow: the Story of,..., Keir said your own mind, have developed this sense of,. The other would reveal [ 5 ] his business extended into Eastern countries... Raise suspicion, from car keys to bear toys make way for his service into... Director on the Hollywood stars latest film 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for Soviet... Down for a lunch that would change his life of throat cancer in 1990 at a Hospital... 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Europe. `` the casting director on the island in the 1985 BBC serial Wynne and Penkovsky course! Greville Wynne is a legend in the 1980s and at one stage Sheila not. Foster in 'The Mauritanian ' Courier premiered at Sundance in January 2020 under original! Me and him have a really good relationship were really lucky, Keir said electrical contractor name of Mr against... At 14 to work for an electrical contractor countries from 1955 worked them... 22Nd April 1964, Wynne was born in Shropshire, England, and a son, Andrew 1494267a Shelia wife... To Oleg Penkovsky 's codename hats at the same angle Wynne is a legend in the movie they. Soviet intelligence worked was never told I was coming home claim seems unlikely to be true ] Wynne... Greville passed away from throat cancer andrew wynne greville wynne son 1990 at a London Hospital make way for his amateur, spy! However, he became a businessman and often travelled to Eastern Europe. `` dyslexia left! 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