British Actor Risked Arrest as Secret Agent
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
LONDON — On screen, he portrayed British military heroes such as Henry V, Lord Nelson, and the Duke of Wellington.
In real life, Laurence Olivier performed some bravery of his own, risking imprisonment and even assassination as an agent for Britain. The celebrated actor worked secretly to help secure the hearts and minds of a skeptical America during the early stages of World War II, it has been shown. In 1940, Olivier was — according to “Lord Larry,” a new book by Michael Munn — enlisted into the Special Operations Executive by Lord Lothian, then the British ambassador to Washington, and Alexander Korda, the acclaimed film producer who worked for MI5, the Security Service.
