He was… the Man. Robert Vaughn, the versatile actor and eponymous ‘Man from Uncle‘ passed away on Friday after a battle with acute leukemia. He was 83.
Perhaps most famous for his role as Napoleon Solo (opposite co-star David McCallum) in NBC’s 1960s cult spy series (created to emulate the success of the cinematic derring-do of James Bondesque adventures on a regular tv schedule) Vaughn’s career was an even more extensive one than some might have realised.
From a non-speaking role in The Ten Commandments to an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win for The Young Philadelphians (1959) to his gun-playing in The Magnificent Seven (1960), Bullitt (1968), The Towering Inferno (1974), Superman III (1983), a host of guest-starring tv roles (Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, the final season of The A-Team etc), and regular appearances as Albert Stroller in several seasons of the BBC‘s light-hearted, light-fingered heist-drama Hustle, he was always a notable star.
Most recently he was on the London stage, appearing in an acclaimed production of the classic Twelve Angry Men court drama at the capital’s Garrick Theatre.
Many colleagues and fans alike talked off his approachable and kind demeanour and he was generally considered a respected elder statesman and gentleman wherever he was or whomever he was with.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, and children, son Cassidy and daughter Caitlin.
