On Wings of Eagles (miniseries)
| On Wings of Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Based on | On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett |
| Screenplay by | Ken Follett and Sam Rolfe |
| Directed by | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Starring |
Burt Lancaster Richard Crenna Paul Le Mat |
| Theme music composer | Laurence Rosenthal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Lynn Raynor |
| Editor(s) | Alan Strachan |
| Cinematography | Robert Steadman |
| Running time | 241 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Taft Entertainment Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | May 18, 1986 |
On Wings of Eagles is a 1986 NBC TV mini series starring Burt Lancaster and Richard Crenna, and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. It was adapted from Ken Follett's 1983 novel of the same name.
Synopsis
The story is set during the Iranian revolution. As the king is overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini in the takeover of Iran, two executives of Electronic Data Systems, are arrested on false charges and then imprisoned. The head of the company, H. Ross Perot (Richard Crenna), travels to Tehran to negotiate for their release. Meanwhile, a retired US Army Special Forces Colonel, Arthur D. 'Bull' Simons (Burt Lancaster), is hired by Perot to formulate a rescue plan at any cost.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Burt Lancaster | Colonel Arthur E. 'Bull' Simons |
| Richard Crenna | H. Ross Perot |
| Paul Le Mat | Jay Coburn |
| Louis Giambalvo | Paul Chiapparone |
| Jim Metzler | Bill Gaylord |
| Lawrence Pressman | Bill Gayden |
| Esai Morales | Rashid |
| Martin Doyle | Jim Schwebach |
| Robert Wightman | Keane Taylor |
| Cyril O'Reilly | Pat Scully |
| Bob Delegall | Ron Davis |
| William Bumiller | Rich Gallagher |
| James Sutorius | Joe Poche |
| Richard Anthony Crenna | Ross Perot Jr. |
| Constance Towers | Margot Perot |
| Karen Carlson | Ruth Chiapparone |
| Patrick Collins | John Howell |
| Patty McCormack | Liz Coburn |
Awards
The miniseries was nominated for Outstanding Miniseries at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards.
References
- Burt Lancaster: An American Life, by Kate Buford