Basil Zaharoff - Cultural References

Cultural References

  • In the Tintin album The Broken Ear, Zaharoff is parodied as the weapon trader Basil Bazarov, who sells to both parties of a single conflict that he helps provoke.
  • Zaharoff was the model for the title character in the 1938 novel No Innocent Abroad (published in USA as Forever Ulysses) by Constantine P Rodocanachi, translated from the Greek into English by Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor
  • Zaharoff was portrayed by Leo McKern (of Rumpole of the Bailey fame) in the 1983 ITV series Reilly, Ace of Spies.
  • Zaharoff was depicted in the "Lanny Budd" series by reformer Upton Sinclair.
  • Zaharoff's adventures in the arms trade (particularly the machine gun sales) resemble those of the main character, Hector Sarek, in Gerald Kersh's short story "Comrade Death". Sarek also sells arms to two (fictitious) South American countries while inciting their leaders against each other.
  • Rayt Marius in Knight Templar and The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal, featuring Leslie Charteris' the Saint, appears to be based on Zaharoff, with the last referring specifically to the theft of his explosive memoirs.
  • Zaharoff's Machiavellian ethic as an arms dealer was a cultural influence on Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. LaVey included Zaharoff on the dedication page to The Satanic Bible.
  • In his novel A Coffin for Dimitrios, Eric Ambler is claimed to have patterned Dimitrios on Sir Basil Zaharoff, although Ambler denied having first-hand knowledge of him.
  • Zaharoff appears in Thomas Pynchon novel Against the Day.
  • In Ezra Pound's "Canto XVIII" and "Canto XXXVIII," Zaharoff makes numerous appearances under the name "Metevsky."
  • Zaharoff was one of the inspirations for the unscrupulous arms manufacturer Andrew Undershaft in George Bernard Shaw's play Major Barbara.
  • Zaharoff is a character in the novel The King's Commisar by Duncan Kyle.
  • 'Zaroff' is an unscrupulous arms dealer in the Tom Mix serial The Miracle Rider (1935).
  • Some aspects of Zaharoff's life were used as the basis for elements of Citizen Kane.

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