"The Courier" has compressed the real-life story and changed some facts. With the foundations laid, Wynne was asked to arrange a meeting with a state committee in Moscow and report back on the conversations he had. It involved a lot of foreign travel, including trips to Soviet bloc countries, and thus provided ideal cover for spying. Greville Wynne's sister is Nada Wynne. The strange post-Courier life of Greville Wynne", "Travelling salesman prevented WW3 in incredible true story behind new Cumberbatch film", "Nonfiction Book Review: The Spy Who Saved the World: How a Soviet Colonel Changed the Course of the Cold War by Jerrold L. Schecter, Author, Peter S. Deriabin, With Scribner Book Company $25 (0p) ISBN 978-0-684-19068-6", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greville_Wynne&oldid=1141334696, He was portrayed by Peter Lindford in the 2007, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 15:01. It isnt common knowledge as to whether Andrew and Greville retained a relationship following the divorce. His wife Sheila divorced him and he became estranged from his only son Andrew. 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. Share or comment on this article: Both men were arrested in November 1962, around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. After his release he said: They treated me as they thought I should be treated.. One of them said quietly, Mr Veen? and I said, Yes, that is my name.. During the lunch, acquaintance Dickie Franks disclosed that he is an officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and revealed that he required Wynnes assistance. This time it's a true story:Wynne served as an unassuming go-between for British intelligence MI-6 and Russian spyOleg Penkovsky atthe height of the Cold War. He battled depression and alcoholism. In November 1960, Greville Wynne, a 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for a lunch that would change his life. Greville Wynne showed concern about Penkovskys slightly outlandish notions, but nonetheless went along with it. Wynne was flown from Hungary to Moscow, where he was brutally tortured before being sentenced to eight years in a Soviet labour camp. Keirs twin Lewis, who is also an actor, was originally lined up for role, but their mother Marie OGrady-Hills had better ideas. No question." The Courier is in cinemas now In February 1990, it was announced Wynne had died of. 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. However, in real life, IRONBARK was the codename for the documents that Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky had been passing to the CIA. Wynne dutifully passed the images to his contacts with British intelligence, who established their legitimacy. When Wynne visited Moscow in July 1962, his hotel room and luggage were searched, and he was tailed during his travels. 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. The tense exchange of prisoners, which went ahead despite fears that the Soviets might give Wynne a slow-acting poison, came as a surprise to the travelling saleman-cum-spy. They made an odd contrastthe short, energetic, and thinly mustachioed Wynne alongside the military bearing of Penkovskybut there seemed to be genuine affection between the two, and this friendship is a central focus of The Courier. 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). 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox. The fascinating part is how something that seems . Andrew and Sheila lived in Britain whilst Greville served his prison sentence in Moscow. You, in your own mind, have developed this sense of self-importance, says West. Yes. 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 . "Think about going back to life after that intense drama," Cooke says. But his leaked information on Soviet missile capabilities and played a key role in President Kennedy'sstrong, successful stance duringthe Cuban Missile Crisis.
This version is supported by Alexander Zagvozdin, who was the KGB's chief interrogator during the investigation. 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. [5] His business extended into Eastern Bloc countries from 1955. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. British - Born 70 years ago (April 1952) Mr Andrew Greville Wynne 4 Londesborough Place Lymington SO41 8QB. Of course, they had no idea how much the other would reveal. Both economy and specialist counter surveillance devices. He loves his mum too. Click to reveal [6] Wynne later became an intermediary and courier for Penkovsky, smuggling top-secret Soviet intelligence to London on return from his frequent trips to the USSR. And he wrote two memoirs about his time as a spy The Man From Moscow in 1967 and The Man From Odessa in 1981. 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. When it came to writing the screenplay, OConnor laments that the true story of Wynnes experiences may never be known. After that divorce, Wynne took another wife, Herma van Buren. He was flown to Moscow, imprisoned, and tried alongside Penkovsky, who it would later be learned had been arrested the week before Wynne entered Hungary. A famous picture shows Andrew, Greville and Sheila together outside of their London home immediately after Grevilles release from prison. Strange' sequel, Benedict Cumberbatchs latest film, The Courier, which he also executive produced, tells the true story of an ordinary, British businessman who was recruited to become a hero spy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 22:00 GMT 13 Aug 2021 This marriage didnt last either and the couple separated several years before Greville Wynnes death in 1990. He said there were no hard feelings from Lewis, who has been very supportive. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Her Other Children Greville Wynne Bio Details Full name Greville Maynard Wynne Gender Male Age 70 Date of birth Wednesday 19 Mar 1919 Birth place Wrockwardine Wood, Shropshire, Wales, UK Date of death: 28 Feb 1990 Place of death Cromwell Hospital, South Kensington, London, England, UK Cause of death Ameeting between theRussian prisoners, in which Wynne tellsPenkovsky of the import of his information, asdepicted in the film, is drama. After a meeting in Paris in September 1961, Penkovskys next trips were mysteriously cancelled at the last minute. In 2021 in the UK, Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovskys story was brought to the big screen, as the film The Courier was released. Childhood pictures of Cumberbatch at a similar age prove why Keir was the perfect fit and he is now appearing as the son of his 45-year-old doppelganger in Cold War thriller The Courier. As mentioned, Greville Wynne had a son named Andrew with his first wife, Sheila. British Spy Greville Wynne Dead At 71. The week before Wynne entered Hungary, Penkovsky was captured by the Soviet Union. Make way for his amateur,everyman spy Greville Wynne in "The Courier," now on premium VOD6. Greville Wynne is a hero in history books and his family has benefitted from it as well. To top it off, it would have been physically impossible at the time. But that would all change dramatically in November 1960 on the day he met an old acquaintance who had invited him to lunch at a London restaurant. Wynne left The Ivy restaurant in Seven Dials that day probably wondering what hed let himself in for. When it comes to espionage, its hard to know who to trust. He then worked at a telephone factory as an apprentice. Well, his journey as a spy began in November of 1960, at the age 41. Wynne was a businessman at this point in his life and, during this month, he sat down for lunch not knowing that it would significantly change his life. Greville Wynne was born on March 19 1919. He said he first joined the British security services in 1938 and worked for them during World War II. "He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. The Courier fact-check reveals that, like his father, Penkovsky had become disillusioned with the Soviet system. This intelligence gave both the United Kingdom and the United States the knowledge necessary to manage the quickly evolving military friction with the Soviet Union. But historians believe he fabricated much of them one pointing out that he was never a trained spy. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Greville Wynne Interview & Related Videos, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The way they put it, I felt there was no possibility and then I suddenly found myself in an aeroplane and I arrived at East Berlin.. In one of his biggest whoppers, Wynne explains that he and Penkovsky took a trip together in a private military jet from the U.K. to Washington, D.C. He was 71. The pair first met in December 1960 and became close acquaintances, meeting up in London and Eastern Europe up until 1962. It led to him and a Soviet double agent, Oleg Penkovsky, becoming firm friends, involved in smuggling thousands of documents and photographs across enemy lines. Cold War Budapest in 1962 was not the most welcoming place for a British businessman, but Greville Wynne was feeling rather pleased with himself. March 1, 1990. What did Greville Wynne do after he was released from the Soviet prison? The film mentions a previous affair, which is part of the reason Sheila is suspicious this time. MRS SHEILA WYNNE, WIFE OF MR.GREVILLE WYNNE, A BRITISH BUSINESSMAN HELD IN RUSSIA ON AN? If you have any questions for our team about our spy histories articles, the spy industry in general, or any of the spy equipment that is available through our website, please contact us today. "In a way, it's a love letter to Penkovsky,"Cumberbatch says. The wealthy businessman, who wrote The Man From Moscow and The Man From Odessa, worked for Britains MI6 Secret Intelligence Service. 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. [4], After the Second World War, he traded in electrical equipment, travelling often through Europe and India. Protect those closest to you with our phone monitoring solutions. The operation was the most productive classic clandestine operation ever conducted by the CIA or MI6 against the Soviet target, as Schecter and Deriabin put it, and key to its success was the mustachioed courier with no prior intelligence experience. The engineer-turned-business man Greville Wynne was, in fact, recruited by the MI6 in November of 1960. 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. Among the materials Penkovsky provided to Wynne were four photocopies of plans for construction sites of missile-launching installations in Cuba. At the time, they were largely accepted at face value and sold well. "Most experts agreethat what Penkovsky provided on the Soviet's capabilities was extremely useful during the Cuban Missile crisis," saysRobert English, director of Central European Studies at the University of Southern California. Wynne died of throat cancer in 1990 at a London hospital. The affair developed into the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. In honour of the Queen's eldest son, our new king, we have put together this collection of highlights from Charles' earlier years. West maintains that its the result of something all too typical in the intelligence communitywhat he calls post-usefulness syndrome., Imagine that I recruit you and I tell you that whatever you report to me, within an hour, it will be on the presidents desk. Greville Wynne was born on 19th March 1919 in Shropshire, UK. 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. 1. Penkovsky was arrested first, and after his interrogation, Wynne was apprehended. Here's what to know about Wynne's real history. 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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. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. 'The Courier' is currently lived by his son, Andrew, as he died in 1990 at the age of 70. 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Some of the most advanced and very best spy cameras on the market. Find out about the best deals and the latest Spy Gear first The moonlighting spy was arrested on a business trip to Budapest in November 1962 and taken to the Soviet Union. [7], Wynne's and Penkovsky's espionage activities were discovered by the KGB. 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. Wynne was born in Shropshire, England, and raised in Ystrad Mynach, South Wales. He had just finished a successful day pouring. He was arrested during a business trip to Budapest, Hungary, in November 1962 and taken to the Soviet Union. Officials in London had also been aware of Penkovsky since he had approached two British businessmen and gave them his business card in hopes it would reach MI6. The burden of that is hard to imagine.. 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. But as he began researching Wynnes story, he learned that this ordinary man could also tell some extraordinary lies. Describing the moment Wynne was rescued, Cumberbatch, who spent three months losing weight for the scenes, said: His clothes were sort of shrink-wrapped around this skeleton. Wynne arrived back in Britain both mentally and physically traumatised by his experience in the USSR. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. 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. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. This was because he took regular business trips to Eastern Europe. Budding actor Keir Hills might have a twin, but theres someone else someone rather famous whos the spitting image of him. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. For his treason, Penkovsky was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad days after the trial ended (though Wynne would later claim he died of suicide). In his role as a British businessman who travelled Eastern Europe, working for British electrical and steel companies, Wynne was perfectly positioned to gain intelligence for MI6. Greville passed away on February 28 1990, at age 70. In the movie, they arrest Penkovsky shortly after discovering he was a double agent. Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs. The Courier is also not the first time that Greville Wynnes story has attracted attention over the years. [13] He died of throat cancer at the Cromwell Hospital in London on 28 February 1990, aged 70. Penkovsky, who was tried with him, was sentenced to death for treason. 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[ 13 ] he died of throat cancer in 1990 at a London hospital that change..., Hungary, Penkovsky had become disillusioned with the Soviet prison interrogator during the investigation from Lewis who! 22:00 GMT 13 Aug 2021 this marriage didnt last either and the Man from Moscow the! The USSR the film mentions a previous affair, which is part of the most advanced and best... Dials that day probably wondering what hed let himself in for from prison as to Andrew! Captured by the Soviet system including trips to Eastern Europe on 19th March 1919 in Shropshire, UK along it...