While homosexual acts had been decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967, discrimination and prejudice remained widespread, and MI5’s notes suggest an awareness of Bogarde’s private life.

Dirk Bogarde played countless roles on and off screen—but he kept just as many secrets, including one with the power to destroy his life. Medicaid ruling by Senate parliamentarian sparks ...

From then on, he lived a considerably more private life in the south of France, though he found a second career as a successful author, penning a series of best-selling books.