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Hollywood Double Agent: The True Tale of Boris Morros, Film Producer Turned Cold War Spy Audiobook
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Publisher Description
The Cold War and the Golden Age of Hollywood meet in this story of the remarkable career of Boris Morros, film producer and Russian double agent.
Boris Morros was a major figure in the 1930s and 1940s. The head of music at Paramount, nominated for Academy Awards, he then went on to produce his own films with Laurel and Hardy, Fred Astaire, Henry Fonda, and others. But as J. Edgar Hoover would discover, these successes were a cover for one of the most incredible espionage tales in the history of the Cold War—Boris Morros also worked for Russian intelligence.
Morros’s assignments took him to the White House, the Vatican, and deep behind the Iron Curtain. The high-level intelligence he provided the KGB included military secrets and compromising information on prominent Americans: his friends. But in 1947, Morros flipped. At the height of the McCarthy era, he played a leading role in a deadly tale.
Jonathan Gill’s Hollywood Double Agent is an extraordinary story about Russian spies at the heart of American culture and politics, and one man caught in the middle of the Cold War.
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“Like a multiplex blockbuster, this biography of a Russian-born Hollywood player turned spy has it all: intrigue, glamour, humor, romance and danger…Readers of Hollywood Double Agent may come for the glitter, but they’ll stay for the intrigue. Although Gill’s book reads like a Cold War thriller, at heart it’s the amazing true story of an American dream gone wrong.”
— Shelf Awareness
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“Convincing and extensive…well-written and perceptive…Morros was an empty vessel who could be turned left or right depending on how it satisfied his personal interest.”
— New York Journal of Books -
“Reads like an espionage thriller…with malevolent, powerful—and sometimes bumbling—characters. A lively biography of an opportunist, traitor, and patriot.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Fascinating and detailed…Gill’s captivating, fast-paced narrative reads like a thriller and will leave readers wanting more. Highly recommended for those who love stories of espionage.”
— Library Journal -
“A fascinating book about a fascinating man. I couldn’t put it down.”
— Irwin Winkler, writer, director, and Academy Award–winning producer -
“Gill’s real-life thriller uncovers the improbable tale of a Russian Jewish immigrant impresario who played both the FBI and the KGB for fools. The result is a riveting read.”
— James Loeffler, author of Rooted Cosmopolitans
Awards
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A Parade Magazine Pick of Best Staycation Reads
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A Connecticut Post Pick of Sit, Stay, and Read Books
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A Crime Reads Pick of Best True Crime
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About Jonathan Gill
Jonathan Gill is the author of the acclaimed history Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America. He is a professor of American history and culture at the University of Amsterdam, formerly on the faculties of Columbia University, City College of New York, Fordham University, and the Manhattan School of Music. He has written for the New York Times, the Village Voice, The Nation, the Guardian, and other publications.
About Mike Chamberlain
Mike Chamberlain is an actor and voice-over performer in Los Angeles whose audiobook narration has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards. His voice credits range from radio commercials and television narration to animation and video game characters. Stage trained at Boston College, he has performed works from Shakespeare and the classics to contemporary drama and comedy.