George Langelaan (January 19, 1908 – February 9, 1972) was a British writer and journalist born in Paris, France. He is best known for his 1957 short story "The Fly", which was the basis for the 1958 and 1986 sci-fi film horror classics and a 2008 opera composed by Howard Shore.
During World War II, Langelaan worked as a spy and special agent for the Allied powers as part of SOE (Special Operations Executive). According to his memoirs, The Masks ...
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George Langelaan (January 19, 1908 – February 9, 1972) was a British writer and journalist born in Paris, France. He is best known for his 1957 short story "The Fly", which was the basis for the 1958 and 1986 sci-fi film horror classics and a 2008 opera composed by Howard Shore.
During World War II, Langelaan worked as a spy and special agent for the Allied powers as part of SOE (Special Operations Executive). According to his memoirs, The Masks of War (1959), he underwent plastic surgery to alter his appearance before being dropped into France. He parachuted into occupied France on September 7, 1941 to make contact with the French resistance forces south of Chateauroux, arranged to meet Edouard Herriot, was captured on October 6, imprisoned in the Mauzac camp, condemned to death by the Nazis, and escaped and returned to England to participate in the Normandy landings. He explained that his ears were too large and that they had to be pinned back before he could be dropped into enemy...
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