''Covert Action'' () is a 1978 Italian/Greek co-production

Eurospy Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Cinema of Italy, Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the ...

film starring the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

actor

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

. The plot was based on the experiences of former

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

agent

Philip Agee Philip Burnett Franklin Agee (; January 19, 1935 – January 7, 2008) was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and writer of the 1975 bestseller, ''Inside the Company: CIA Diary'', detailing his experiences in the Agency. Age ...

who initiated a lawsuit with the producers over his fees and expenses.

Plot

A former CIA agent decides to write about his CIA career that leads him into danger.

Production

The original female lead

Catherine Bach Catherine Bach (born Catherine Bachman; March 1, 1954) is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' and Margo Dutton in '' African Skies''. In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS ...

dropped out and was replaced with

Corinne Cléry Corinne Marie-Madeleine Geneviève Pierrette Picolo (born 23 March 1950), better known as Corinne Cléry, is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was as the title character in ''Story of O'' (1975), based on the novel of the same name. She su ...

. Due to a then new Italian ordinance that prohibited the firing of firearms in Italian movies, gunfire scenes were filmed in Greece.

Cast

... Lester Horton *

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

... CIA Chief Maxwell of Station, Athens *

Maurizio Merli Maurizio Merli (February 8, 1940 – March 10, 1989) was an Italian film actor and a star of many Italian police thrillers. Career After a decade of minor film roles, 1974 saw a breakthrough for Merli with his first starring role in a rema ...

... Joe Florio *

... Anne Florio *

Philippe Leroy Philippe Marie Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (15 October 1930 – 1 June 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1960 and 2019, and worked extensively in Italian cinema, as well as in his native country. After an early career as ...

... Greek Inspector *

Ivan Rassimov Ivan Đerasimović ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Ђерасимовић; 7 May 1938 – 14 March 2003), known professionally as Ivan Rassimov, was an Italian actor of Serb descent who appeared in many horror and exploitation films. Biography Born in Tr ...

... The Silent *

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart Giacomo Rossi Stuart (25 August 1925 – 20 October 1994) was an Italian film actor often credited as Jack Stuart or Giacomo Rossi-Stuart. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1953 and 1989. including the ''Gamma One'' science fiction f ...

... Grant

References

External links

* 1978 films Italian spy action films English-language Italian films English-language Greek films 1970s English-language films 1970s Italian-language films 1970s spy action films Films about the Central Intelligence Agency Films directed by Romolo Guerrieri Films scored by Stelvio Cipriani 1970s Italian films English-language action films {{1970s-Italy-film-stub