It was on this day that Wynne was captured by the Soviets and flown over to Moscow for sentencing. The man sitting across the table from him revealed he worked for MI6 and that 41-year-old Wynnes frequent trips to Eastern Europe selling British electrical engineering parts to industrial companies would be the perfect cover for a job the secret service needed doing. "He started as a nave amateur. 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. At the time of Wynnes death, Labour Party MP Ted Leadbitter was quoted as saying: How many secrets has this man taken to his grave?, Celeb obsessed? Cookie Settings, Liam Daniel, Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York. His son Andrew, now in his sixties, politely declined to comment when contacted by the Sunday Mirror about his fathers colourful past. PC monitoring devices to assist in uncovering the truth. He later died of throat cancer in London. When it comes to espionage, its hard to know who to trust. "Think about going back to life after that intense drama," Cooke says. 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 pair first met in December 1960 and became close acquaintances, meeting up in London and Eastern Europe up until 1962. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. In 1985 he was portrayed by actor David Calder in the BBC series Wynne and Penkovsky, and in 2007 by Peter Lindford for BBC drama Nuclear Secrets. Something went wrong, please try again later. "The Courier" has compressed the real-life story and changed some facts. -The New York Times. On October 29 of that year, just hours after the Soviets stood down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Wynne went to Soviet-occupied Budapest with a traveling exhibition of British industrial goods, against the advice of his MI6 handlers. 0.10 3. . Click to reveal A drink-lovingbon vivante as portrayed onscreen, Wynne'sreal-life salesmanship and genuine naivet made him perfect for throwing off serious suspicion. 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. [12] In April 1964, amid British concerns for his deteriorating health,[6] Wynne was released in exchange for the Soviet spy Konon Molody (also known as Gordon Lonsdale).[13]. He loves his mum too. The film is out now. She had worked as his secretary and interpreter, speaking eight languages. 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. He gave me lots of good advice. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. It quoted unidentified close friends. Penkovsky was executed the following year and Wynne was sentenced to eight years imprisonment. Click here to Start FameChaining. Mr Andrew Greville Wynne. Spy Greville Wynne with his son Andrew and wife Sheila outside of their London home after being released from the Soviet prison in April 1964. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. After that divorce, Wynne took another wife, Herma van Buren. British spy Greville Wynne became one of Penkovsky's couriers, delivering information back to MI6 and the CIA. After being arrested by the KGB in 1962 and convicted of spying on May 11, 1963, Wynne was sentenced to eight years in Moscow's Lubyanka prison, where he was held in brutal conditions and subjected to severe beatings and psychological pressure. This provided a near-perfect cover for spying. Both economy and specialist counter surveillance devices. On 22nd April 1964, Wynne was officially exchanged for a Soviet spy, who was being held in Britain. Wynne Andrew Greville Download Report Watch this director Reports Positions Charts Business areas History Similar name Reports Director Report with insolvency check, phone numbers and contact addresses (United Kingdom) It includes the current and past appointments and positions in companies, with relevant data about each company He struggled with dyslexia and left school at 14 to work for an electrical contractor. It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. He just was an ordinary man who got thrust into this just extraordinary, life-altering situation that was going to define his existence forever, says OConnor. Another rumour alleged he was strapped to a stretcher and burned alive in a crematorium. Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox. 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. 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. One of them said quietly, Mr Veen? and I said, Yes, that is my name.. Wynne set up his own business as an exporter of industrial engineering products in 1950. Johanna Herma van Buren. February 28, 1990. edit data. This gave American officials a clearer picture of what the Soviets were doing in the region, bringing in medium-range ballistic missiles. A broken man, he turned to alcohol on his release and told. They had one son. Our listening devices are concealed within items that won't raise suspicion, from car keys to bear toys. In this edition, we will be focusing on the remarkable life and story of British spy, Greville Wynne. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. When it came to writing the screenplay, OConnor laments that the true story of Wynnes experiences may never be known. In February 1990, it was announced Wynne had died of throat cancer at the age of 70 at the Cromwell Hospital, London. [4], In November 1960, Wynne was recruited by MI6 and asked to make a sales trip to Moscow,[6] where he made contact with Oleg Penkovsky, a high-ranking GRU officer. He then worked at a telephone factory as an apprentice. Theres a fair amount of source material from all different kinds of authors, so by reading everybodynot just Wynnes books, but other historians, and the official history put out by the American side and the Soviet side I was able to try and work out what made the most sense and what seemed liked disinformation, says OConnor. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Cold War Budapest in 1962 was not the most welcoming place for a British businessman, but Greville Wynne was feeling rather pleased with himself. Wynne dutifully passed the images to his contacts with British intelligence, who established their legitimacy. If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you are happy with this. Wynne married his second wife, Herma van Buren, in 1970. The affair developed into the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Wynne literally goes from being a charming businessman heading towards retirement, says the actor, to someone secreting Minox film cartridges in his case as he tos-and-fros to Moscow., He was an ordinary man doing an extraordinary thing. See our car trackers, asset trackers, GPS trackers and people trackers. A new spy thriller draws on the fascinating lifeand whopping liesof one of the U.K.s most famous intelligence agents. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers an appealing, technically tricky performance in "The Courier," in which he plays Greville Wynne, a British salesman who in the 1960s became an improbable player . Yes. Discover our wide range of tracking devices. An on this day article from the BBC reveals that Wynne joked to his wife after the sentencing, stating that he didnt expect his time in prison to be a Butlins holiday camp. Also, see Wynne in his appearance on the American game show To Tell the Truth. Learn more. However, he was freed in 1964 in exchange for Soviet spy Conon Molody, or Gordon Lonsdale as he called himself in Britain. "He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. However, life wasn't always easy for Wynne after his imprisonment. | READ MORE. Also known as. He had just finished a successful day pouring. Wynne said after his release: I was never told I was coming home. In November 1960, Greville Wynne, a 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for a lunch that would change his life. This led to the publication of his dubious memoirs. Bert Wynne{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Bert Wynne", "gender": "Male" }, Ada Wynne{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Ada Wynne", "gender": "Female" }, Gordon Beaton{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordon Beaton", "gender": "Male" }, Elsie Beaton{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Elsie Beaton", "gender": "Female" }, married about 31 Jul 1970divorce circa 1986, Nada Wynne{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Nada Wynne", "gender": "Female" }, Andrew Wynne{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Wynne", "gender": "Male" }, Cromwell Hospital, South Kensington, London, England, UK, Nottingham University, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, View Greville Wynne's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Greville Wynne's father was Bert Wynne Greville Wynne's mother was Ada Wynne, Greville Wynne's former wife is Herma van Buren Greville Wynne's former wife was Sheila Wynne, Greville Wynne's former father in law was Gordon Beaton Greville Wynne's former mother in law was Elsie Beaton, View Sheila Wynne's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Sheila Wynne's father was Gordon Beaton Sheila Wynne's mother was Elsie Beaton, Sheila Wynne's former husband was Greville Wynne, Sheila Wynne's former father in law was Bert Wynne Sheila Wynne's former mother in law was Ada Wynne Sheila Wynne's former sister in law is Nada Wynne. 113.23.219.119 Speaking about the moment he realised the game was up, Wynne recalled: Four men had appeared as if by magic. 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