Celebrities tend to seek the limelight while spies tend to seek the shadows, so the two groups might seem like polar opposites, but sometimes the celebrities become real-life spies and vice-versa. SPYSCAPE went on a star-studded mission to find out more.
Ronald Reagan
Long before he was US President, Ronald Reagan was the affable star of low-budget, B-movies like Murder in the Air (1939), one of many films featuring US Secret Service agent Lt. Brass Bancroft. Reagan’s ties to espionage didn’t end there, though. The Hollywood actor had a sideline as an FBI informant.
Celebrated writer J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and an inspiration for Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin, had connections to Bletchley Park spies. Revelations about his secret life have inspired fans to read Tolkien’s books in an entirely new light, searching his prose for subtexts and spies.
Get a FREE copy of a hot new killer thriller, spy story, or crime novel every Monday with a special Story Mondays ticket to SPYSCAPE HQ. Next Monday it's Prisoners of the Castle by New York Times bestselling author Ben Macintyre. In this gripping narrative, Macintyre tackles one of the most famous prison stories in history and makes it utterly his own - don't miss your FREE copy when you experience SPYSCAPE HQ next Monday.
American starlet Josephine Baker became France’s most glamorous entertainer, a music-hall diva renowned for her song and dance performances. A new book, Agent Josephine has uncovered the spine-tingling missions Baker also performed as an undercover spy for the French Resistance.
Syriana star George Clooney was inspired by the paparazzi’s incessant lights and cameras - so much so, he set up satellites to spy on Sudan and shine a light on human rights abuses. Now his Justice Foundation is investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Not content to just play spies in the movies, Clooney is also the director and star of his own, real-life political thriller.
The media were buzzing when the producers of the James Bond franchise believed they’d found their new 007 for Diamonds Are Forever - John Gavin, star of Hitchcock’s Psycho. Gavin seemed like the perfect choice. He’d even served in US Navy air intelligence during the Korean War. So why did America’s James Bond suddenly go MIA?
Celebrity chef Julia Child changed American tastes forever with her boeuf bourguignon and lobster bisque recipes. The French chef had a secret life on the back burner, however. Julia worked undercover for the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, and her first mission was to cook up a recipe for shark repellent.
