Harold Adrian Russell 'Kim' Philby was born in Ambala, India, in 1912, where his father was a high-ranking civil service officer. After graduating from Westminster School in 1928, Philby went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became one of the 'Cambridge Spies'. After working as a journalist, Philby was recruited into the British Secret Intelligence Service in 1940 where he rose through the ranks. He was, however, working as a double agent for the KGB, continuing to do so until his defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. He wrote My Silent War in 1968 and lived out the rest of his life in Russia, where he died in 1988, an official Soviet hero.

The best true spy story ... a superbly cynical combination of truth, half-truth, falsehood and propaganda

Harold Adrian Russell 'Kim' Philby was born in Ambala, India, in 1912, where his father was a high-ranking civil service officer. After graduating from Westminster School in 1928, Philby went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became one of the 'Cambridge Spies'. After working as a journalist, Philby was recruited into the British Secret Intelligence Service in 1940 where he rose through the ranks. He was, however, working as a double agent for the KGB, continuing to do so until his defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. He wrote My Silent War in 1968 and lived out the rest of his life in Russia, where he died in 1988, an official Soviet hero.

The best true spy story ... a superbly cynical combination of truth, half-truth, falsehood and propaganda

Harold Adrian Russell 'Kim' Philby was born in Ambala, India, in 1912, where his father was a high-ranking civil service officer. After graduating from Westminster School in 1928, Philby went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became one of the 'Cambridge Spies'. After working as a journalist, Philby was recruited into the British Secret Intelligence Service in 1940 where he rose through the ranks. He was, however, working as a double agent for the KGB, continuing to do so until his defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. He wrote My Silent War in 1968 and lived out the rest of his life in Russia, where he died in 1988, an official Soviet hero.

The best true spy story ... a superbly cynical combination of truth, half-truth, falsehood and propaganda