The Real-Life James Bond

Sidney Reilly was a Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by the British Secret Intelligence Service. His notoriety during the 1920s was owed in part to his friend, British diplomat and journalist Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart, who sensationalised their aborted operation to overthrow the Bolshevik government in 1918.After Reilly's death, the London Evening Standard published in May, 1931, a Master Spy serial glorifying his exploits. Later, Sir Ian Fleming would use Sidney Reilly as a model for James Bond. Today, many historians consider Reilly to be an examplary prototype of the first 20th century super-spy.