R.I.P Robert Vaughn (1932 - 2016)
This one hurts.
I loved Robert Vaughn in so much of his work. I think I first saw him in BBC TV series Hustle (2004 - 2012), as con man and elder statesman Albert Stroller, which he played with wonderful utter confidence. I totally believed he had been a con man his whole life; living off his own confidence. He absolutely seemed to enjoy his work which was infectous for sure.
I remembered watching The Magnificent Seven with my brother and being so transfixed by it. Of course we were mostly loving Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, who spend the whole film trying to outdo each other lol, but I remember Vaughn.
The two main TV series I hold him in my heart for are The Man from UNCLE and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. UNCLE I don't think needs any explanation but he was the wonderful Napoleon Solo, America's version of James Bond on the TV, framed through the Sixties vision of spy-dom. He was so good in that role, debonair, charming but also ruthless in his work and brilliantly partnered by David McCallum as Ilya Kuryakin, his cool Russian counterpart, a time when America and Russian were at international loggerheads to put it mildly. I've always been more of a girl for The Avengers and for Mission: Impossible but I do love UNCLE too. I adore vintage TV, it means more to me than anything modern day, and UNCLE, and Vaughn, have always warmed my heart. It's a series of its time but that makes it all the more enjoyable, for the escapism and the breathless fun.
I'm aware I am one of the few who loves TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, a Ninties stew of police procedural and family drama, overlaid with Buddhist teachings. But love it I do. And once again I find myself talking about the two 'Dragonswing' episodes which both star Vaughn as Rykker, a powerful but jaded mercenery who finds himself working with the good guys because he owes the main character for a past debt. I love his assuredness - his first line to Peter in the second episode 'your father's been kidnapped. We'll have to do something about that; it's been disturbing my sleep', how he casually asks Peter to move a little so that he can shoot the armed man hiding a little way off behind Peter, how it's always clear through Vaughn's body language and facial expressions just how dangerous Rykker is (he's definitely no hero) and brings gravitas and believibility to the B-movie style dialogue, and how despite his age, his skills are never once in question. In fact, age isn't even mentioned.
His political activism is to be admired - he has an FBI file of over 140 pages - and I remember being really surprised by it when reading his autobiography a few years ago, just how much of his life was tied up in it. I also loved how he watched an episode of NCIS - the show McCallum now stars in - and was happy with Kuryakin was mentioned as a wonderful meta moment. I loved that affectionate side of him.
I've always wanted to see Bullitt. I must pick it up one day.
In 2016, we have lost both Patrick McNee and Robert Vaugh - John Steed of The Avengers and Napoleon Solo of The Man from UNCLE respectively. Truly, the world won't feel safe again. I know I won't. I am still processing this truly. I feel I haven't done him justice. I am so sorry and sad that we are without Vaughn now, for all he gave us, over an extraordinary career. Thank you, sir, for all of those missions.