Bogarde was at risk of gay ‘entrapment' sting by KGB

Actor left disturbed’ after warning from MI5, files show

- GAVIN CORDON

Dirk Bogarde, one of Britain's most celebrated actors, was once warned by MI5 that he could be the target of a gay "entrapment" sting by the KGB, according to newly declassified intelligence files. The documents, released to the National Archives in Kew, west London, reveal that Bogarde was informed in the 1970s that his name appeared on a list of “six practising British homosexuals” reportedly passed to the Soviet intelligence agency. The revelation left the actor “clearly disturbed”, although MI5 ultimately concluded he was an unlikely target for a KGB operation, describing him as a “retiring, serious” man.

Bogarde, who passed away in 1999, never publicly came out as gay, though he shared a long-term relationship with his manager, Anthony Forwood. His career – which saw the majority of his roles come in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies – ranged from lighthearted comedies such as Doctor in the House and its sequels, to pioneering and serious films tackling gay themes, including Victim and Death in Venice. He also won a Bafta for his role in Darling, which co-starred Julie Christie.