October marked the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery. In October, the world premiere of the 23rd film "007 coordinates of Skyfall" took place. Starring Daniel Craig.

1", "wrapAround": true, "fullscreen": true, "imagesLoaded": true, "lazyLoad": true )">

We know a lot about James Bond. But not all. Because its creator, the writer Ian Fleming, did not bother to present at least a somewhat coherent biography of his hero. The mystery of the origin, childhood and adolescence of agent 007 was later solved by numerous Bondovists. Here's what they got.

Where exactly he was born is unknown, but the Bondovists figured out who his parents were. Father - Andrew Bond, a Scot, mother - Monique Delacroix, a Swiss by birth. The father of our hero worked in a large arms company, the family traveled a lot around the world, so already in childhood, James Bond spoke fluent German and French. When the boy was eleven, his parents, avid climbers, died while climbing one of the Alpine peaks. James was sent to live with his aunt in the country. And at the age of thirteen he went to college at Eton University, from where he was expelled two years later "due to trouble with the maid": our urchin ripened early. After that, James Bond studied in Edinburgh and at the University of Geneva. In 1941, attributing a couple of years to himself, James Bond volunteered for the front. He served in the Royal Navy, from where he retired at the end of the Second World War with the rank of commander, which in our Navy corresponds to the rank of captain of the 2nd rank. At the same time, his spy career began.

Note that James is not a military man, but a civilian employee of the spy agency - the Secret Intelligence Service, or, as it is often called, MI6. Therefore, he is rather cheeky in dealing with superiors and often "decides things" at his own discretion. Because of what the authorities constantly scold him. By the way, until 1994, this same SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) had no legal basis in the United Kingdom, and its very existence was not confirmed by the government. So the liberties that James Bond allowed could not have any serious consequences for him: the bureaucrats, whom Bond dislikes with passion, simply did not have leverage over him. As for his immediate boss M (who was made a woman in the last seven films in the spirit of politically correct time - this role is played by actress Judi Dench), he simply has a weakness for Bond: well done, damn it!

And not only well done, but damn good-looking. Judging by various sources, he is now slightly above average in height - eighty-three meters, in excellent physical shape, of course - weighs 76 kilograms, despite his love for strong men's drinks (bondists have calculated that our hero takes one alcoholic drink for every seven pages of books written about him) and a passion for smoking. True, in recent films, James Bond, following the dictates of the century, does not smoke, and he practically refused alcohol.

But as for the face, opinions differ on this: its features have undergone significant changes from Sean Connery's Bond No. 1 to Daniel Craig's Bond No. 6. But, by the way, Ian Fleming himself in his books gave clear indications of how his hero looks like - he looks like ... the American composer Hoagy Carmichael.

Does this name mean anything to you? And it should! After all, it was Carmichael who wrote the four most famous American pop songs of the 20th century. At least four songs that have been recorded most frequently by different artists. These are Stardust, Georgia On My Mind, The Nearness Of You and Heart And Soul. They were performed, among others, by Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole. Alisha Keys, Lil Wayne, Norah Jones, Keith Richards and many, many others continue to sing them.

Hoagy Carmichael had a narrow face with a large nose, dark hair with an unruly curl that kept falling over his forehead. The gray eyes are the same as those of Bond, but if the composer's gaze, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, was kind, then steel is seen in the gaze of agent 007, and his mouth is twisted with a contemptuous grin. And on the right cheek of Bond there is a scar, one of those that adorn a man.

As for the female sex, James Bond ... What can I say! In promiscuous relationships, as seen!

However, few people know that James Bond was married, and even twice. The first time was on Countess Teresa de Vicenzo (in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969, she was played by actress Diana Rigg). The marriage did not last even a day: immediately after the wedding, the villains kill the newly minted Mrs. Bond. For the second time, Bond had to marry US Internal Revenue Service agent Harriet Horner in the 1988 novel Scorpion, written by John Gardner, the "official successor" of Fleming's case (the book has been translated into Russian, but there is no film based on its plot yet). But this marriage did not last long, for Mrs. Bond No. 2 was obligingly bitten by a moccasin snake.

Our hero had an illegitimate son, James Suzuki Bond, whose mother, Japanese Kissy Suzuki, was the "Bond Girl" in the 1964 film You Only Live Twice (played by Japanese actress Mii Hama). The son, alas, also dies - in the story "Blast from the Past" by the writer Raymond Benson, who is also considered the official successor to Ian Fleming's case.

Bond, James Bond, must be alone, all alone. So that nothing interferes with his exploits.

Interesting Facts

• The nineteenth Bond film is called And The World Is Not Enough (1999, in the role of Bond - Pierce Brosnan). "The World Is Not Enough", or - in Latin - "Orbis non sufficit": this is the family motto of the Bond family. This motto belonged to the real-life Sir Thomas Bond (1620-1685), on the relationship with which James Bond does not insist, but from whom he does not refuse.
• According to Fleming, according to his various novels, James Baud was born in 1917, 1930, 1921 and 1924. There is no need to talk about the date of birth of the current Bonds: the main thing is that the hero is “around forty”. As Carlson used to say, "a man in the prime of his life."
• Oddly enough, but most often James Bond does not drink the famous vodka-martini cocktail, which is “shake, but do not mix”, but whiskey, as well as champagne. He also likes coffee from drinks, but he hates tea. He calls it "dirty water" and considers it indirectly responsible for the decline of the British Empire.
• He is unpretentious in food: when he is at home in London (he has an apartment in Chelsea), he prefers grilled flounder and cold roast beef with potato salad. And his favorite food is scrambled eggs, cooked by his housekeeper May, who served with his aunt.
• Whatever the relationship of Bond with another beauty, access to his bachelor apartment for ladies is closed. The threshold of his dwelling is allowed to cross only the same housekeeper Mei and the eternal secretary of the head of the Secret Service, Moneypenny.

Bond or the story of the adventures of a special British agent M16 has become the longest-running film series in history. The first episode aired on...

By Masterweb

"Bondiana" or the story of the adventures of British special agent M 16 has become the longest-running film series in history. The first episode was released in 1962, and the last one dates back to 2015. Of course, for such an extensive period, one actor could not play this role in any way. Therefore, in a James Bond film, the actors who played him changed over time. Who was honored to appear on the screen in such a daring role? Let's look at the actors of "James Bond" in order.

A small introduction

Bright, interesting, exciting and one of the most budgetary projects in the world of cinema is, of course, "James Bond". The actors who played Bond, respectively, became world-class stars and won the hearts of millions. However, critics are not asleep, and even among such perfectly matched performers of this triumphant role, there are more and less suitable, or even, one might say, ideal agents. Everything is taken into account: appearance, manners, voice, facial expressions, charisma, physical form and the ability to present oneself. Therefore, we will conditionally divide the rating of actors playing James Bond into two categories. We will consider them in chronological order, from the "oldest" to the "youngest", but each of them will be evaluated by critics. Since we have six "James Bond" actors, they will share exactly this number of places among themselves, from the most prestigious - the first - to the sixth.

Sean Connery

The very first and brightest performer of the role of James Bond. The actor was remembered by many generations and became the standard of this role. It was "for him" that in the future they selected more "young Bonds" who could adequately continue the story begun by Sean. So, Connery played 007 in six, one might say, the first films of the franchise:

• 1962 - "Dr. No";
• 1963 - "From Russia with love";
• 1964 - "Goldfinger";
• 1965 - "Ball lightning";
• 1967 - "You only live twice";
• 1971 - "Diamonds are forever".

However, there is one nuance in this chronology. Mr. Sean Connery missed a movie released in 1969 called On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The actor who played James Bond in this film will be discussed below.

Grade

The actor, who was the first to dare to play the role of agent 007, was awarded the highest rating by the audience and critics. It was Sean Connery who became the ideal of Bond, the starting and reference image that has become ingrained in the memory of people. He surprisingly managed to convey aristocracy and simplicity, charisma and courage, energy and cunning. The actor even got accustomed to the image of a man who is able to win the heart of absolutely any woman on the planet with one glance. Sean started playing in the "Bond" at the age of 32, and finished when he was 41. It is also important to note that Connery is the only performer of this role, who also has an Oscar.

George Lazenby

The Australian-born actor played the role of a secret British agent only once. He appeared before the audience in the image of Bond in 1969 in a film called "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The film itself, of course, became a sensation immediately after the release and collected a decent box office. But the actor who appeared in this tape was forgotten almost immediately. Indeed, in the next series of Bond, Connery played again, and after him the next "long-playing agent" was invited to the roles. Why was Lazenby unable to stay in this extremely lucrative position?

Criticism

In the ratings of James Bond actors, both viewers and critics give Lazenby's character the lowest score. Of course, this conclusion was not reached immediately in the year the film was released, but recently, having reviewed the entire Bond film and made the appropriate conclusions. It is not entirely clear why a very good actor could not cope with this role. He is quite handsome, charismatic, he has aristocratic features and manners. In fact, there is nothing to complain about, since he played well and fits in all respects. But when you look at the picture as a whole, you understand that George Lazenby is, alas, out of place in Bond.

Roger Moore

The triumphant Connery was replaced by the no less charismatic and aristocratic Moore. Actor who played James Bond 7 times between 1973 and 1985 considered to be the oldest. He began his career as part of the Bond at the age of 46, and finished when he was 58. The series that came out with his participation:

• 1973 - "Live and let die";
• 1974 - "The Man with the Golden Gun";
• 1977 - "The Spy Who Loved Me";
• 1979 - "Moon Racer";
• 1981 - "Only for your eyes";
• 1983 - "Octopussy";
• 1985 - "A View to a Kill".

Almost all the series with his participation is the so-called infernal comedy. That was the nature of the 007 films in the 70s and 80s, and Roger Moore coped with the task set by the director simply superbly.

Grade

According to the audience, as well as most critics, Moore is the next ideal Bond after Connery. For a long time he occupied an honorable second place, but now he has moved to third (it is clear that because of the new actor). In general, his game is rated with the highest score, he has charisma, is very cheerful and seductive, at the same time he is capable of cold calculation and madness. We also note that thanks to this actor, the James Bond film was not as harsh as before, which greatly expanded the audience.

Timothy Dalton

He took part in the filming of two films about James Bond. The actor, in theory, was supposed to play agent 007 for the third time, but this did not happen. So, Timothy starred in:

• 1987 - "Sparks from the eyes";
• 1989 - "License to Kill".

The producers scheduled a third series featuring Dalton for 1991, and it was to be released under the title "Property of a Lady". But the production was too long, and the lead actor was simply tired of waiting. In the five years that the film's release was being prepared, Dalton managed to sign a contract to shoot in the film "Scarlett", and when he was finally offered to perform Bond for the third time, he refused.

Place in the ranking

Undoubtedly, we all love Timothy Dalton, it is impossible to ignore his acting talent, drama and ability to convey the mood with just a glance. However, among the Bonds, he entrenched himself in the penultimate - fifth place. He played, of course, perfectly, however, most likely, agent 007 is not his crown role. Some critics even noted that it is like Ostap Bender performed by Andrei Mironov. And talented, and competently, and correctly, but not that.

Pierce Brosnan

Bond of the 90s era is one of the most recognizable faces for modern people. To some extent, Brosnan has become the next standard of Bond, but more modern and perfect. On his account there are four paintings of the cycle:

• 1995 - "Golden Eye";
• 1997 - "Tomorrow will never die";
• 1999 - "And the whole world is not enough";
• 2002 - "Die, but not now."

Films featuring Pierce Brosnan have become not just action films and adventures, but real action games. The most modern special effects were involved in them, the scenes became more frank and saturated, much more important and deep questions in the plot were raised.

Rating

Even despite the fact that Pierce Brosnan became the new modern standard of "Bond", he took only 4th place. To be fair, it’s worth saying that, alas, they came to this conclusion, not because he is not suitable for the role, not handsome enough, or he lacks acting talent. All this was just with him, it just so happened that other actors turned out to be more vivid and memorable, they coped with the role not only well, but put something of their own, unique into it. Nevertheless, we all remember and love four wonderful films that show the bright and daring adventures of 007, brilliantly played by Pierce Brosnan.

Daniel Craig

This is the latest James Bond actor to play a British secret agent. Craig is the highest grossing and rated Bond, the new films of the franchise with his participation are incredibly bright, spectacular and even a little confusing. It can be said with full confidence that the Bond genre has moved from the category of an action movie to a more complex one, which combines drama, tragedy, and, of course, action. Here are some films starring Daniel:

• 2006 - "Casino" Royal ";
• 2008 - "Quantum of Solace";
• 2012 - "Skyfall coordinates";
• 2015 - "Spectrum".

In 2019, the release of a new picture with his participation called "Bond 25" is planned. Daniel Craig is the so-called new format that was chosen so that the film can keep up with the times and events that are happening in the world. Not only the actor himself, but also the role of Bond, which he performs, is fundamentally different from all his predecessors.

Criticism and evaluation

In order not to pull the cat by the tail, let's say right away that the audience and critics awarded Craig the 2nd place for the role of Bond, but it was not easy for them and far from immediately. Perhaps it’s worth starting with Daniel’s appearance, which, to put it mildly, does not fit with the concept of James Bond that is familiar to the viewer. The actors who played Bond before were charismatic, even a little funny, dexterous, cunning. There was always an element of comedy in the films, and based on this aspect, the performers of the roles were selected. The new "Bondiana" has become completely different - more serious and vital, dramatic, even, one might say, "heavy". This provoked the appearance of a "hero from the real world", and not an agent who is deliberately aristocratic. Now we are all used to Craig and no longer imagine anyone else in the role of a new and improved James Bond.

Kievyan street, 16 0016 Armenia, Yerevan +374 11 233 255

This is today "Bondiana" - one of the most successful film projects. The actor for the main male role is chosen with unprecedented captiousness, and becoming a “Bond girl” is the dream of the first beauties of the world. Meanwhile, the initially famous Hollywood studios refused to finance films based on the novels of Ian Fleming, considering the story too British and frank.

Barry NELSON (1954)

Many believe that Sean Connery was the first agent 007, but the first attempt to film Fleming's books was an episode in the American television series Climax!, which was released in 1954. It was based on the book "Casino Royale", the role of "Jimmy Bond" was played by American actor Barry Nelson.

Sean CONNERY (1962-1967,1971,1983)

The Scottish actor was unknown at the time, and this role was his lucky ticket to the world of cinema. Agent Connery started playing at 32, finished at 41. And there was a tough competition. Under the contract, he was supposed to play in 5 Bond films. His fee for "Dr. No" was a modest 6 thousand pounds, but later on this role he earned more than 18 million dollars.

When the initial euphoria wore off, Connery was terrified at the prospect of becoming a one-man actor. Twice he gave his word that he would no longer undertake to play Bond. But the fears turned out to be unfounded. In 1971, in "Diamonds Are Forever" he was seduced by a fabulous fee of $ 1.25 million for those times and a share of the rental. In 1983, the Scot was persuaded to star in his last Bond film, Never Say Never. Connery, by the way, is the only Oscar winner of all the Bond performers. And in 2000, the British Queen granted him a knighthood. By the way, Connery himself called “From Russia with Love” (1963) his favorite film.

George LAZENBY (1969)

The scandalous Australian got into the tape by accident and could not gain a foothold, despite his stunning appearance and athletic build. He played 007 in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, in nine months, the 30-year-old eccentric actor managed to quarrel with both the director and his colleagues. Interestingly, in this film, Lazenby does all his own stunts. This is the only film where Bond marries - Countess Tracy, played by Diana Rigg. George Lazenby's fee was $400,000. In the future, George invested in the tape "Universal Soldier" with himself in the lead role, but it failed. Desperate to achieve fame in the movies, Lazenby was very successful in selling real estate.

Roger Moore (1973-1985)

Roger Moore is a Briton to the marrow of his bones, this is the "oldest" Bond (he started acting in Bond at 46, finished at 57). Despite all the fears, for 12 years, from the first film (“Live and Let Die”, 1973) to the last (“A View to a Kill”, 1985), he successfully coped with the mission assigned to him. Moreover, the audience fell in love with him for his sense of humor and irony, developed more than others. Shortly after saying goodbye to his hero, Moore quit film. In 1991 he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for fundraising. Now he lives for his own pleasure with 57-year-old millionaire Christina Tolstrup. The total fee of Roger Moore in the Bond films amounted to more than 24 million.

Timothy DALTON (1987-1989)

The author of The Bond Encyclopedia, Stephen Rubin, said that Dalton recreated Bond as Fleming himself saw it. By the time he was offered to become a new agent, he received a good acting education, he played at the Royal Shakespeare Theater. He became a Bond at the age of 41, finished filming at 43.

He played in two films - "Sparks from the Eyes" (1987) and "License to Kill" (1989). His Bond is not so aggressive and sexy, almost devoid of a sense of humor, but the audience fell in love with him because he is not a supermachine, but a man, less dependent on technical tricks, with principles and a steely character.

Timothy Dalton refused to play Scarlett for a long time, waiting for the next film.

Dalton waited five years for the third film, refusing the role of Rhett Butler in Scarlett, in the end, he agreed to Rhett, refusing the next film about the agent. At the same time, Timothy said that he felt real freedom: "Bond let me go, and I was able to become myself."

Dalton received high fees: $ 3 million for the film "Sparks from the Eyes", $ 5 million for the film "License to Kill". He was also offered $6 million for A Lady's Property (later renamed GoldenEye).

Pierce BROSNAN (1995-2002)

Oh, this sly look of a predator and a real heartthrob ... Pierce Brosnan, an Irishman, sought the role of James for a long time, having gone from a taxi driver to an actor. And not in vain - millions of women around the planet coveted it. He starred in four films - Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002). He starred in the first at the age of 42. He officially ended his Bond career at 49.

Initially, they planned to invite Mel Gibson instead of Dalton, but he, fortunately for Pierce, refused. Gibson was promised 15 million, Brosnan agreed to a tenfold lower fee. The image of the Brosnan Bond was considered "the way a great agent 007 should look these days." Even Sean Connery himself approved of the follower's game, saying: "It amazes me that after Brosnan they are still going to make new Bond films." For four films, the actor earned more than 41 million dollars.

Daniel CRAIG (since 2006)

Handsome Craig is the first blond among all the artists who played Bond. He has (so far) four films to his credit: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, 007: Skyfall and 007: Spectrum. He started acting in Bond at the age of 38 and became the highest grossing and highly paid James Bond. Each film brings him a fee of at least $ 10 million. Moreover, the producers spent about 500 million on the creation of the first three films, and earned more than 2 billion at the box office alone! Craig's fee for the fourth film, released in 2015, amounted to almost 46 million dollars, and at the box office the picture collected 880 million. It's scary to imagine how much the 50-year-old Hollywood star will receive for her fifth appearance in Bond. The working title of the picture - "James Bond 25", will remove her Danny Boyle, director of "Trainspotting" and "Slumdog Millionaire". The premiere is scheduled for the end of 2019.

May 4th, 2016

Here we are already acquainted with the history,, and even . We had a real story and .

Let's see who was the real prototype of "Agent 007". The adventures of James Bond have long been classics of world cinema. Dangerous adventures, amorous connections of a secret agent for several decades never tire of delighting enthusiastic viewers. Meanwhile, the on-screen hero had a real prototype under him, acting on the side of British intelligence.

In the latest James Bond film Skyfall, the action takes place in a Macau casino. An obligatory tribute to the origins. Aston Martin, beautiful women and, most importantly, casinos: in the 007 saga, created by writer Ian Fleming, the Estoril Casino in Portugal is at the heart of everything. It was at these tables on the Atlantic coast during World War II that Fleming first saw James Bond in action.

However, his real name was Popov, Dushko Popov.

Serb, from a wealthy family, was born in 1912, studied in Germany at the University of Farnburg. After he began to be recruited by German intelligence - in the person of a university friend - he went to Belgrade, where he went to the British embassy, ​​deciding to work for the British MI6, becoming a double agent. Popov was a successful lawyer, with genuine business interests in London and Lisbon. Therefore, like many of his colleagues, including Fleming, who worked for Her Majesty, Popov ended up in neutral Portugal in Cascais, a suburb of Lisbon, the capital of spies.

A neutral country is an ideal environment for espionage during times of war. The official departments of the belligerents financed their reconnaissance vehicles well. During the war years, as many as fifty special services operated here. Their agents were "cameras, microphones and computers" of intelligence. The meeting place was the largest casino in Europe "Estoril Palacio".

But the "official spies" were outnumbered by an army of freelance amateurs: waiters, cleaners, taxi drivers, and shopkeepers who watched, listened, and relayed information to the payer. American intelligence documents from 1943 reported that "a strikingly high proportion of the population is employed by one or more of the intelligence services." A fever of espionage swept through Lisbon, becoming something of a pastime for the locals.

The American correspondent Polly Peabody noted that spy-like patrons occasionally lingered in bars and cafes, while another part of the clientele waited with intense curiosity for developments or even clashes. At the same time, it was difficult to say which of them was actually a spy, and which were just cafe visitors. In addition, there was another group that was watching everyone. The Portuguese secret police not only arrested spies (mostly Germans), but also acted as arbitrators for the parties. Moreover, she was less interested in foreign workers of residencies than the Portuguese who worked for them.

The spies' elite were double agents. Although after the end of the war many of these people disappeared in an unknown direction, some of them entered the realm of folklore.

Dushan Popov

For example - Garbo, aka Juan Puyol Garcia, whose career as a spy began even more strangely than one might think. At the beginning of the war, he had strong convictions about good and evil and the talent of a liar.

The Spaniard Garbo wanted to be a spy because he really disliked the Germans. He contacted the British embassy in Madrid on his own, where they did not believe him at all. Then he contacted the German military intelligence Abwehr, who believed him so much that they sent him to withdraw money in pounds sterling from a Portuguese bank. In Portugal, he either bought or stole an entry visa to Argentina from someone, and took it with him to Madrid, where he suggested that the Abwehr go to Britain through Argentina. The Abwehr gave him invisible ink, code books, and $3,000.

But Garbo did not go to England. He stayed in Lisbon, where he bought a map, a guidebook, and an English-French phrase book of military terms (because he does not speak English) and used them, along with his unique ability to lie, to report to the Germans on British movements. Which are completely invented. But he did it so well that one of his "reports" about the British fleet mustering in Malta led the Germans to send a convoy to intercept, piqued MI6's interest in the "new spy network" along the way.

For six months the German spy Garbo was operating "in England", performing the feats of compiling "reports on the movement of the enemy" from Lisbon in the name of the Fatherland. His reports, signed under the pseudonym "Mr. Smith-Jones," abounded in valuable strategic information. He conscientiously perused old magazines, gleaning from them information about the plans of the British army. One day, having read in a tourist guide about heavy traffic on one of the railway lines, Garcia immediately gave this area a special purpose in the island's defense system. While he was receiving generous rewards from the Abwehr, MI6 had no way of identifying him.

And only when he showed up at the American embassy in Lisbon, he was recognized, recruited and brought to England. Here, already under the direct control of MI6, "the real work began." An imitation network of "an American soldier, a Dutch stewardess, a nationalist from Wales and a pretty typist of an important government office" was built, which began to feed the Germans the highest quality disinformation. And if at the beginning Garbo's lies were quite ridiculous, then by 1944, the subtleties and psychology of his reports made him the most reliable of the agents for the Abwehr. And a very valuable asset for the allies.

MI6 made Garbo the center of disinformation to cover up the Anglo-Saxon landings in Normandy. So Garbo turned out to be one of the most successful spies of World War II. And he showed the level of the Abwehr. It is impossible to call the activities of Nazi intelligence overtly subversive, but the fact that the head of German intelligence, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, was involved in conspiracies against Hitler, says a lot.

The Abwehr was far from being the most effective intelligence service. Meanwhile, the Abwehr still managed to infiltrate almost every aspect of Portuguese life, from government departments to brothels. The Germans bugged the Foreign Office, Salazar's office, bribed officials and had a much wider network of informants than the British. And they paid their agents 10 times more. What could not but rejoice the German spies - no matter who they actually worked for. Including all the same Dushan Popov.

At the same time, declassified reports say that Dushko never missed an opportunity to spoil the Germans' fighting mood. Once he even said that Germany would lose this war because of the low morale of the people and the economic crisis.

In Lisbon, Dusko Popov worked with an equally brilliant agent, Karstov, who enjoyed espionage. Alone, each of them was effectively a cinematic cliché of a spy. Popov (code name "Ivan"), drove discreetly in Karstov's car from his Moorish villa in Cascais. He also taught Popov how to avoid surveillance, secret writing, how to handle hidden cameras and coding, sending messages through his personal secretary, who became his mistress and partner in the casino.

The head of the Iberian branch of MI6 and Popov's immediate superior on the part of the British was Kim Philby, who was also a Russian agent who later fled to the Soviet Union. With their colleagues from MI5 - Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, John Kinkross (MI6) and Donald McLean (MFA) now known as the "Cambridge Five". It was they who gave Popov the code name "Tricycle" ("tricycle"), apparently because of his penchant for group sex.

He took his mistresses to the Englishbar of the Cimas restaurant, and spent his evenings at the Estoril casino itself. It was there in 1941 that Fleming saw Popov losing the money allocated for the assignment - 50 thousand dollars (more than one and a half million at today's exchange rate) in the casino. However, Popov was bluffing against the Lithuanian holding the pot. This landed him a leading role in the pages of Casino Royale, a novel Fleming wrote based on Portuguese memories.

Dushan Popov himself wrote in his memoirs Spy-Counter-Spy: “I was told that Ian Fleming said that he wrote off his James Bond from me. Perhaps this is so. I spoke with Fleming in Lisbon a few days before my flight to the United States. He accompanied me everywhere and, perhaps, embodied in the book what happened one night.

The fact is that Dusko Popov then received 80 thousand dollars from the Abwehr, which were intended to create a German network in the United States. And decided to annoy Fleming.

“Perhaps Fleming got wind of this affair ... I left my room at the Palacio Hotel and went down the hall. In the pocket of my evening suit was a thick wad of banknotes. I preferred to carry money with me instead of drawing attention to it by leaving it in a hotel safe. Seeing Fleming, I did not attach any importance to this. I then went to a bar for a drink before dinner - and bumped into him again. He had dinner at the same restaurant as me. All this caught my attention and, determined to test my suspicions, I deliberately walked slowly into the park leading to the Estoril Casino. Fleming followed me. Having a MI6 man on my tail at that moment was funny, I knew that he could only guard the money, but not me. British intelligence had enough reason to trust me. The secrets that I carried in my head were much more valuable than 80 thousand dollars ...

We walked through the halls of the casino, my "shadow" and I, watching the game. And then I don’t know what the hell got into me: perhaps the constant presence of Fleming behind me had such an effect on me. But when one of the players in my favorite Bete noire once again started bluffing, I calmly announced: "Fifty thousand dollars!" - and, counting out the required amount, put a solid bundle of banknotes on the green cloth. Everyone quieted down, I glanced at Fleming. His face turned green with anger.

It was obvious that the presumptuous player did not have such money with him. "I believe," I said to the chief croupier, "that the casino will support this man's bet." He shook his head, refusing. In feigned anger, I scooped up the money from the table and putting it back in my pocket, I said: "I hope you will bring this to the attention of the manager and this situation will not happen again in the future." Fleming was rewarded for his excitement. His face broke into a pleased smile.

If you trace the movements of Ian Fleming around the world, starting in 1938, the routes will seem mysterious. Here he becomes, following the example of his older brother, a reporter for the Reuters agency. Then he goes to Moscow on the instructions of the editors. After some time, he again travels to the USSR, where he works as a correspondent for the London Times. At the same time, Flemming collects information for the British Foreign Office - since in the summer of 1933 he becomes the right hand of the head of the British intelligence service MI6, Stuart Menzies.

And the head of MI6 in London himself continued to keep Popov for a top-secret role - obtaining information from Canaris about plans to overthrow Hitler.

After the German invasion of Yugoslavia, Popov's cover as a businessman in Lisbon stops working, then the Germans find him another task - under the guise of an employee of the Yugoslav Ministry of Information, based in New York, to create a German intelligence network. To do this, he improves his image as a playboy. During his plane trip from Lisbon to New York, his pockets were filled with spy microphotography supplies, crystals to create invisible ink in a glass of wine, used to encode Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, and $80,000 in cash ( mentioned above).

In New York, he stops at the Waldorf Astoria, and on his first day walking through Manhattan, he buys a Buick convertible with red leather seats with German money, which he sees in the showcase window. After that, he rents an apartment and spends $12,000 on furnishings and a Chinese butler. At the same time, he communicates with amazing women, such as the French actress Simone Simone and does not do any work. As a result, by his behavior, he causes a persistent disgust in the FBI director Edgar Hoover (to whom the British "leased" Popov), and also turns out to be unable to find a single German spy in the United States. His expenses are rising and the Germans are refusing to send him more money.

As a result, Hoover showed Popov the door, ignoring the dossier received by Dushan Popov from the Germans about the upcoming raid on Pearl Harbor (it is very likely that he did this intentionally, given that the financial elite wanted the United States to enter the war). And MI6 had to recall him to London.

Although during his stay in New York, Popov did not achieve results for the Germans either, they give him another $ 25,000 to return. But MI6 is not particularly angry with him either. Later, the head of MI5 noted in his memoirs that "Popov's ability to convince the Germans with the brute force of his personality was remarkable", which made him an invaluable channel for the transmission of disinformation, attractive to the Germans and the British.

As an undercover plan, he participated in organizing a "pseudo escape" of 150 Yugoslav military officials to the UK. During the journey through France, German spies were introduced into the group, and then, as soon as they found themselves in Gibraltar, they all became double agents for Britain. This plan significantly strengthened Popov's network of agents and allowed him to meet with his brother Ivo, with whom he hoped to return to England together. He did not know that he was a double agent, although both worked for the British.

While Ian Fleming was following Popov, another British novelist was taking notes on yet another secret agent, codenamed Ostro, who, along with Garbo and Tricycle, provided excellent material for literary character. Graham Greene also worked with Kim Philby for a short time in the British intelligence office while they tortured a spy who acted as a double agent but was not under their control. MI6 discovered that Ostro had direct access to the German high command and his ability to remain undetected, which was very dangerous.

Information about Ostro, aka Paul Fidrmuc, was sketchy, but the British said that he supplied German intelligence with false information. Wildly and extravagantly false. Particularly annoying, and enough for MI6 to plan his assassination, was the fact that high-ranking German military personnel came to Lisbon to consult with him and receive reports "so confidential that they could only be obtained through direct contact." Reports that British intelligence preferred to call "bad humor" and "fantastically wrong." Meanwhile, Ostro's predictions were frighteningly accurate - according to information he received from Field Marshal Montgomery's staff member, the landing was to take place on the Cherbourg Peninsula, which he told the Germans, perhaps not knowing that he made one of the most important intelligence messages of the second half of the Second World War.

But the Germans took no action on this news, as they listened to Garbo's "more persuasive" reports that Normandy was only a diversion and that the real invasion would take place at the Pas de Calais. Both spies survived the war, although not much is known about Paul Fidrmuc after he was released by the American authorities. They found nothing to charge him with, was not a member of the Nazi Party, and was not involved in war crimes.

More in keeping with the image of the hero of a spy novel, Garbo first forged documents about his death, and then fled to Venezuela, where he kept a souvenir shop for almost 40 years, until his death in 1988.

After the war, Popov settled down. He died in 1981 at the age of 69, leaving behind three children and a wife, Jill, a 30-year-old Swedish woman who would look good next to all kinds of James Bonds in all the casinos of the world.

They all fought as best they could for the happiness of the private owners of the Bank of England. It is no coincidence that the activities of British intelligence are financed from the personal funds of Her Majesty. (Secret Intelligence Service (English Secret Intelligence Service, SIS), MI-6 (English Military Intelligence, MI6) is the state body of foreign intelligence of Great Britain. Until the adoption of the Intelligence Service Act by Parliament in 1994, it had no legal basis for its existence and activities, and its very existence has not been confirmed by the UK Government.)

sources