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Illya Kuryakin | |
---|---|
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. character | |
Portrayed by | David McCallum (television) Armie Hammer (film) |
In-universe information | |
Occupation | Secret agent |
Nationality | Soviet |
Illya Kuryakin is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He is a secret agent with a range of weapons and explosives skills, and is described in the series as holding a master's degree from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. in Quantum Mechanics from the University of Cambridge ("The Her Master's Voice Affair"). And attended the University of Georgia in Ukraine, where he studied gymnastics among other things ("Hot Number"). Kuryakin speaks many languages, including French, Spanish ("The Very Important Zombie Affair"), German, Arabic, Italian and Japanese ("The Cherry Blossom Affair"). The series was remarkable for pairing an American character, Napoleon Solo, with the Russian Kuryakin as two spies who work together for an international espionage organization at the height of the Cold War.
Kuryakin was played by Scottish actor David McCallum. Although originally conceived as a minor character, Kuryakin became an indispensable part of the show, achieving co-star status with the show's lead, Napoleon Solo. McCallum's blond good looks and his portrayal of the character garnered him a following of female fans. [1] [ better source needed ] While playing Kuryakin, McCallum received more fan mail than any other actor in the history of MGM. [2]
Much of the character's appeal was based on what was ambiguous and enigmatic about him. When an acute reaction to penicillin hospitalized him in the early days of filming the series, McCallum took the opportunity to give serious thought to how he might flesh out what was, at that stage, a sketchy peripheral character. The approach he hit upon was to build a persona based on ambiguity and enigma, hiding, rather than revealing, aspects of the character's background and personality. McCallum summed up the character in commenting "No one knows what Illya Kuryakin does when he goes home at night." [3]
Kuryakin is consistently referred to as Russian; however, he appears to have spent at least some of his childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine ("The Foxes and Hounds Affair"). In "The Neptune Affair" he appears in the uniform of the Soviet Navy and is recalled to the USSR to help deal with a crisis. [4]
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was canceled mid-way through its fourth season in 1968. McCallum reprised the role of Kuryakin for a 1983 TV movie Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair . In 1986, The A-Team "The Say Uncle Affair" Robert Vaughn and McCallum reprise their roles as two former secret agent partners, only in this episode McCallum's character had been betrayed by another agent years before and left U.N.C.L.E.
Kuryakin has been the subject of several popular songs including Alma Cogan's Love Ya Illya (recorded under the pseudonym Angela and the Fans) and Ilya Kuryakin Looked at Me penned by The Cleaners from Venus. The Argentine rap duo Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas were named after him. Kuryakin also inspired the surname and character of Simon Illyan in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga science fiction series.[ citation needed ]
In an interview for a Man from U.N.C.L.E. retrospective television special, McCallum told of a visit to the White House during which, while he was being escorted to meet the President, a Secret Service agent told him "You're the reason I got this job." [5]
In the TV show, NCIS, David McCallum portrays a character named Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard. In the NCIS season 2, episode 13 "The Meat Puzzle", Kate Todd asks Special Agent Gibbs "What did Ducky look like when he was younger?" The answer given was "Illya Kuryakin".
A visual reference is made in NCIS Season 12, Episode 3, "So It Goes", where in a flashback a younger Ducky, played by Adam Campbell, is shown with a hairstyle modelled after the way McCallum wore his hair whilst playing Kuryakin.
Also on NCIS Season 20, Episode 21 "Kompromat" Dr. Ducky Mallard, played by David McCallum, is on a video call from Scotland with the NCIS team. He is telling them about an old Soviet spy they are looking for - Ilya Sokolov - but Ducky says the spy changed his name. When Ducky is trying to recall the name he says "Yeah, what was it? Something from an old television show. Kuryakin. Ivan Kuryakin".
Armie Hammer portrayed Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , a 2015 film adaptation of the TV series of the same name. [6] This interpretation of the character, however, differs from that of the television series. Hammer portrays Kuryakin as a short-tempered, violent and volatile (the end credits state he has "Volatile personality disorder") KGB assassin traumatized by the past of his parents, particularly his father, a top government official, who was caught stealing from Joseph Stalin's party funds and was exiled to Gulag. Kuryakin was the youngest man to ever join the KGB Special Forces, becoming one of their best "within three years," which was a way to deal with the shame his family was left in.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, who work for a secret international counterespionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E.. The series premiered on September 22, 1964, and completed its run on January 15, 1968. The program was part of the spy-fiction craze on television, and by 1966 there were nearly a dozen imitators. Several episodes were successfully released to theaters as B movies or double features. There was also a spin-off series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., a series of novels and comic books, and merchandising.
David Keith McCallum was a Scottish actor and musician, based in the United States. He gained wide recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E (1964–1968). His other notable television roles include Simon Carter in Colditz (1972–1974) and Steel in Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982). Beginning in 2003, McCallum gained renewed international popularity for his role as NCIS chief medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the American CBS television series NCIS, which he played for 20 seasons until his death in 2023. In film roles, McCallum notably appeared in The Great Escape (1963), and as Judas Iscariot in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
U.N.C.L.E. is an acronym for the fictional United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, a secret international intelligence agency from the 1960s American television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. The stars of the original series were Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, and Leo G. Carroll . The series included 105 episodes from 1964 to its cancellation in 1968. In 2015, a movie adaptation of the same name was released.
Anthony D. "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr. is a fictional character from the CBS TV series NCIS portrayed by American actor Michael Weatherly. Created by producer Donald P. Bellisario, he appears as a series regular in the first 13 seasons before departing in the season 13 finale "Family First". He has also made guest appearances in the spin-offs NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans.
Napoleon Solo is a fictional character from the 1960s TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The series format was notable for pairing the American Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and the Russian Illya Kuryakin, played by David McCallum, as two spies who work together for an international espionage organisation at the height of the Cold War.
Alexander Waverly is a fictional character from the 1960s television show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,its spin-off series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. and the 2015 film version.
How to Steal the World is a 1968 American action–adventure film, taken from a two-part episode of the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. The film also stars Barry Sullivan, Eleanor Parker, Leslie Nielsen, Tony Bill, Peter Mark Richman, Albert Paulsen, Inger Stratton, Hugh Marlowe, and Dan O'Herlihy. It was originally telecast as the final episode of the series, "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair". The feature version is the only U.N.C.L.E. film not to include Jerry Goldsmith's theme music. The film was directed by Sutton Roley and written by Norman Hudis.
The Helicopter Spies is a 1968 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s fourth season two-part episode "The Prince of Darkness Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on October 2, 1967, and October 9, 1967, on NBC. Like the television series, it stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It is the seventh such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. The film was directed by Boris Sagal and written by Dean Hargrove. Carol Lynley, Bradford Dillman, Lola Albright, John Dehner, Julie London, H.M. Wynant, and Roy Jenson also star in the film.
The Karate Killers is a 1967 American spy film and feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s third season two-part episode "The Five Daughters Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on March 31, 1967, and April 7, 1967, on NBC. It, as does the television series, stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It is the sixth such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. Joan Crawford, Telly Savalas, Herbert Lom, Diane McBain, Jill Ireland, and Kim Darby are among those in the cast. The film was directed by Barry Shear and written by Norman Hudis with the story by Boris Ingster.
The Spy with My Face is a 1965 spy-fi spy film based on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprised their roles as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin respectively. THRUSH tries to steal a super weapon by substituting a double for Solo. The film was directed by John Newland.
The Spy in the Green Hat is a 1967 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s third season two-part episode "The Concrete Overcoat Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on November 25, 1966 and December 2, 1966 on NBC. The film was directed by Joseph Sargent and written by Peter Allan Fields with the story by David Victor. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum star in the film as they do in the television series. It is the fifth such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series.
One Spy Too Many, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, is the 1966 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s two-part season two premiere "Alexander the Greater Affair". It is the third such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. In this instance, the film took the two-part episode and added in a subplot featuring Yvonne Craig as an U.N.C.L.E. operative carrying on a flirtatious relationship with Napoleon Solo ; Craig does not appear in the television episodes. Both episodes were written by Dean Hargrove and directed by Joseph Sargent.
To Trap a Spy is the feature-length film version of the 70-minute television pilot of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Robert Vaughn. It also features Patricia Crowley, William Marshall, Fritz Weaver, and David McCallum. The film was directed by Don Medford.
The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair is a 1983 American made-for-television action-adventure film based on the 1964–1968 television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprising the roles they had originated on that program. Several of the crew from the series also worked on the film, which was produced by Viacom rather than Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and/or Turner Entertainment. Leo G. Carroll had died in 1972, so Patrick Macnee was recruited to appear as an entirely different character, Sir John Raleigh, who had presumably taken over as Number 1 of Section I, the Director of U.N.C.L.E., after Alexander Waverly had died, and Carroll's photograph was displayed prominently in many scenes that featured Macnee's Sir John.
One of Our Spies Is Missing is the 1966 feature-length film version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s second season two-part episode "The Bridge of Lions Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on February 4, 1966 and February 11, 1966 on NBC. The film is directed by E. Darrell Hallenbeck and written by Howard Rodman. It, as does the television series, stars Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It is the fourth such feature film that used as its basis a reedited version of one or more episodes from the series. However, this film, and the episodes it draws from, represents the only instance where a Man from U.N.C.L.E. story is derived from an existing novel: The Bridge of Lions (1963) by Henry Slesar.
"The Vulcan Affair" is the first episode of the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It was edited from the pilot, "Solo", which was shot in colour, but was broadcast in black-and-white, to conform with the rest of the first season. It was first broadcast in the United States on NBC on September 22, 1964. The hero is Napoleon Solo and his antagonist is Andrew Vulcan, an evil scientist working with THRUSH. The episode was subsequently expanded with additional footage and released in colour as the feature-length movie, To Trap a Spy.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a 2015 spy film directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Ritchie and Lionel Wigram. It is based on the 1964 MGM television series of the same name, which was created by Norman Felton and Sam Rolfe. The film stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Hugh Grant. The film was produced by RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Davis Entertainment while Turner Entertainment Co., the original TV series current holder, was also involved.
"Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" is the two-part backdoor pilot for the American crime drama television series NCIS. The episodes aired as the twentieth and twenty-first episodes of the eighth season of the American legal drama television series JAG, and the 178th and the 179th episodes overall. Both episodes were written by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill. "Ice Queen" was directed by Bellisario and originally aired on CBS on April 22, 2003, while "Meltdown" was directed by Scott Brazil and originally aired one week later, on April 29, 2003.
The twenty-first season of the American police procedural television drama series NCIS was announced on February 21, 2023, by CBS, and premiered on February 12, 2024, and concluded on May 6, 2024. This is the first season not to feature David McCallum, who died on September 25, 2023, though he is still posthumously credited in the first two episodes. Due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the season consists of only 10 episodes, the smallest number in the show's history, shorter even than season 18, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This season also includes the 1,000th episode of the entire NCIS franchise, which aired on April 15. The previous season finale and this season's premiere episode were broadcast nine months apart, making it the longest break in the series's history.