Robert Vaughn

Vaughn 2nd from left in 12 Angry Men

I'm in the bath.
I've left The Prof in bed, he's muttering about the new Vice President elect, who is a known homophobe..I've had enough of bad feeling and elections and feel a tiny bit more optamistic after watching a dignified and entertaining Henry Kissinger being interviewed last night about the Trump debacle
His " this too will pass" view poured some oil on some waters for me.

Two years ago I took my best friend Nu to see Twelve Angry Men . It had a short but successful stink in the West End, and featured that old suave sixties star Robert Vaughn in the fairly small role of Juror 9 ( The old man ) Vaughan was obviously enjoying himself and ar the curtain call, I noticed with some amusement just how he larked around with the younger and more serious actors. He was 81 then,
Hollywood didn't really know what to do with Vaughn which was a shame, but he was a successful actor for over 50 years appearing in The Magnificent Seven , The Towering Inferno, Bullet and of course The Man From Uncle as well as literally hundreds of tv shows.

He had a twinkle in his eye, which was very evident to me in Angry Men .
It's sad that he has gone.

36 comments:

  1. Robert Vaughn had some fun over here in the TV series Hustle a few years back which was great.

    I'm told the vice president is praying for you John xx

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  2. 'a short but successful STINK' ... really, instead of a stint .... that's what you get from relaxing and blogging from a bath full of bubbles ;-)

    Robert Vaughn was always a very classy actor and brought a certain something to everything he appeared in, I always loved him in Hustle a very watchable tv series of a few years back. We have the full box set and now you've brought it to mind I feel a bit of a binge watch coming on :-)

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  3. I was very young when I first saw Robert Vaughn in A Man From Uncle.... and I was immediately enthralled.
    Sx

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  4. Thursday nights - Top of the Pops followed by the Man from Uncle, 1968. Of course we were all in love with David McCallum at the time and Robert Vaughn was the less sexy of the two. But geat memories of him.

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  5. "The Jingle Bells Affair" (1966)
    Priscilla Worth: Oh, Mr. Solo, you are a gay one, aren't you?
    Napoleon Solo: Only on holidays.

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  6. Acting at 81, was working for the love of the craft. I hope I am able to keep doing the things I love - late into my life.

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  7. It says something about the times when you can favourably compare Kissinger to the President Elect's 2nd in command!

    Robert Vaughn came into a small and seedy cafe I was in here in Bath a few years ago, and was obviously dominated by his wife, who did not let him go for the unhealthy options on the menu. He looked at the rest of the customers and rolled his eyes.

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  8. Vaughn was brilliant in The Man from UNCLE, at least to my 12-year-old eyes.

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  9. I watched countless uncle episodes. The theme tune was pretty cool I seem to remember.

    Pence's first overseas telephone call was to Boris J.
    Trump's 9th overseas call was to T. May.

    Where do they get all this bromide from? Or do they just make it up.

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  10. Saw him sitting alone at a table in the corner at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Ma. maybe 20 years ago. He was known to have a summer place in the Berkshires.

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  11. Saw him sitting alone at a table in the corner at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Ma. maybe 20 years ago. He was known to have a summer place in the Berkshires.

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  12. I don't think I've seen anything with him in it

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  13. Loved The Man From Uncle back in the day, they were way ahead of the times with a communicating device small enough for a pocket.

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  14. It seems like he has always been around .. from early memories of the Man From UNCLE to various shows and movies .. sad to see another good one gone.
    We had a home in Egremont NY (summers) and spent time in Stockbridge Ma .. We saw him once :)

    His book :
    Robert Vaughn: A Fortunate Life: An Autobiography
    https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1907532536

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  15. Kissinger be damned. There is not enough oil in the world to quiet the anguished sea that is the majority popular vote in the U.S. Homophobia is only one of many standards held dear by the new regime.

    Where's the Man From Uncle when you need him?

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  16. Robert Vaughn was part of the soundtrack to my life for the time when I was around 20. 'UNCLE' on TV was unmissable yet, oddly, something we just took for granted.
    I always felt he was never given the opportunity to use his full potential, and he consequently went largely under-appreciated. This came out strongly on the news yesterday evening when his death was reported on the BBC 6 o'clock bulletin right at the end, almost as an afterthought (Fiona Bruce actually smiling!), and was not mentioned at all on the ITV and Channel 4 bulletins.
    Anyway, I'm one who mourns his passing.

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  17. I don't believe I ever saw that man in anything but a suit. He was smooth ...

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  18. Ah Napoleon Solo...what a gent. Although Ilya Kurayakin was more to my taste at the time. I got the impression that Mr Vaughan was probably quite a nice guy in real life.

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  19. I have no fondness for Kissinger,

    The Man from UNCLE was a great show, stylish stars, clever dialogue and a great theme song.

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  20. Pence is maybe worse than Trump. He has a horrible record of trying to undo gay rights and the rights of women. That's why I take no comfort in knowing that Trump can be impeached if he goes too far--Mike Pence is equally abhorrent.

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  21. Yes, I loved Napoleon Solo. Loved him in Hustle too.
    Wonderful man and actor

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  22. Jennifer - like Brexit in the UK, the U.S. election result has unleashed a can of worms. I feel so very sorry for all those who voted for Hillary - not because she would make a good President, but simply because she was the lesser of two evils.
    We could do with The Man From Uncle right now - he did well at dispatching the baddies !

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  23. He didn't have much of a twinkle in his eye the day I met him.

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    1. Trust you to put a dampener on things

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  24. I remember thinking Robert Vaughn was a 'hunk' in The Man from UNCLE when I was a teenager, and enjoying him in so many more recent programmes. We were in the UK recently and saw Stephanie Powers in 84 Charing Cross Road - she was wonderful too, even at 74 - those actors really knew their stuff.

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  25. Robert Vaughn is my eight cousin if that even counts.

    The election is over. We move on no matter what...

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  26. I think we all may have to send these comments to the John Gray Fan Club Secretary if we really want a response.

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    1. Apologies for not replying people, I was working a 13 hour shift at the hospital !

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  27. For some reason Robert Vaughn and Robert Palmer are intertwined in my brain. Maybe it was the dress oode?

    My childhood is dying one entertainer at a time.

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  28. My sister and I both loved The Man from Uncle when we were little girls. I had a massive crush on Ilya Kurayakin, but my sister was sold on Solo. As I’ve grown older I can see why, he was an attractive, charming and humorous man. Another golden oldie laid to rest.

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  29. He always seemed a 'seriously' good actor to me; even in his lighter roles.

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  30. The best comment yet from 50 and counting you are so right made for a right conversation between husband and myself thinking about all who are no longer with us.

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  31. John even captures comments from other blogs.

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  32. Beginning when I was 11, I was a Man from U.N.C.L.E. fanatic. "Open Channel D." My best friend and I even told other kids Robert Vaughn was our cousin, which was especially odd since everyone knew my best friend and I were not related.

    Thanks for your comment, "This too shall pass," while not belittling the fear, sadness, and anger people are feeling. You're right, it SHALL pass. And I hope it passes without too much damage.

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  33. Loved him in UNCLE though more of a David McCullen fan,even as Duckie in NCIS. Many don't believe he is the same actor as David wasn't on tv much.

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  34. I like this testimonial. I like the image of the curtain call. He was a fine actor who did particularly well in The Hustle TV series a few years ago, appearing with a good looking young cast. He stood tall among them - authoritative, cool and convincing.

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