Mark Slate is a fictional character from the 1960's TV series 'The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.', a spin-off of the popular spy show 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' He is portrayed by Noel Harrison. Another version of the character who is much older appears in the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode, 'The Moonglow Affair'. Due to the age difference, fans speculate that this is either an entirely different person, or else that they are related, e.g. uncle/nephew.
Mark is a British spy who works for an international espionage organisation known as U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) with his partner April Dancer.
Biography[]
General[]
Although never seen during the series, in the tie-in novels Mark Slate is said to have an apartment on the second floor of a brownstone tenement on the East Side below Fourteenth Street.[3]
Early Life[]
Very little is known about Mark Slate's early life except that at one point he was at school with Prince Nicholas of Topango.[4] It can be assumed that he grew up in an upper-class household. According to the tie-in novels, he was educated at Cambridge.[3][5]
Prior to joining U.N.C.L.E. Mark was enlisted in the RAF.[5][6][7] He was also at some point an aerialist in a circus[8] and a member of the British Olympic ski team.[5]
U.N.C.L.E. Career[]
Agent Slate was transfered to U.N.C.L.E. New York from the London headquarters[5] and was partnered with U.N.C.L.E.'s first ever female enforcement agent, April Dancer.
Relationships[]
April Dancer[]
April and Mark have a close relationship and are very comfortable around each other. They are often described as having a sibling relationship, which is backed up by how often they tease each other. The two of them tend to flirt with each other quite a bit, though this can be interpreted as being either romantic or platonic. Mark is very protective of April and probably considers himself to be the more responsible of the two, however his relaxed and somewhat mischevious attitude means that this is rarely the case.
Alexander Waverly[]
Mark's laid back attitude irritates Mr. Waverly and he is often seen chastising him for his handling of assignments - to the point that telling him not to "bungle" his missions becomes something of an informal catchphrase from Mr. Waverly to agent Slate. Slate, for his part ranges between contrite and exasperated at these admonishments, but never seems to take them too seriously. Though he has respect for his boss, Mark has been known to leave a conversation whilst Mr. Waverly's back is turned once he has heard what he wanted to hear from him.[9] He also isn't affraid to manipulate Mr. Waverly into doing an assignment himself.[10] This is an attitude towards each other that they share and Mr. Waverly will occasionally completely ignore Mark when he tries to raise concerns with him[11] and once ordered him to be the guineapig of a THRUSH experiment.[12] He also once decided that Mark had become hysterical after he gave a description of an assaliant that Mr. Waverly found to be "ludicrous", despite there having been many T.H.R.U.S.H. villains in the series who had also been outlandishly dressed.[13] Although on the face of things it might seem that Mr. Waverly dislikes Mark, he admits that it is only because he reminds him of himself at that age[9] and seemed genuinely upset when he thought that he might have died (although it is worth noting that he also thought that April Dancer had died, who he shows preferential treatment).[14]
Illya Kuryakin[]
Mark and Illya do not interact very much in the one episode that they are in together, but they seem to have a friendly, if professional relationship.[15]
RAF friends[]
Mark had a group of friends in the RAF consisting of Jeff Hale and twins Stan and Jack Dill. Stan and Jack were involved in a crash and passed away. Mark and Jeff later met Ginger Coke who was one of the replacement pilots. Jeff became a high-up member of the British Ministry who Mark sometimes calls upon for favours. Ginger eventually joined THRUSH.[5]
Skills[]
Languages[]
Sports & Hobbies[]
- Skiing[16]
- Swimming[17]
- Scuba diving[14][17]
- Surfing[18]
- Allegedly a black belt in karate[14]
- Circus aerialist[8]
- Plays guitar[4][18]
Weaknesses[]
- Injections (claims to pass out from flu shots)[19]
Gadgets[]
- Communicator pen. Mark is most often seen using the standard issue U.N.C.L.E. communicator that is disguised to look like a pen. It is shown multiple times to have his full name written along it in block capitals.[4]
- Communicator pipe. In one episode Mark uses a communicator which is disguised as a tobacco pipe.[20]
- Explosive watch. In one episode, Mark pulls a pocket watch from his hat which, when opened, contains an explosive device.[21] Also, Mark's wristwatch has an explosive device in it which he can set to go off at a distance.[9]
- Spare button. The spare button in Mark's jacket creates a smoke screen when thrown to the ground.[22]
- Ring. There is an acid capsule secreted in a ring that Mark wears in one episode.[23]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Paradise Lost Affair
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Kooky Spook Affair
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michael Avallone, The Birds of a Feather Affair (1966)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Jewels of Topango Affair
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Simon Latter, The Global Globules Affair (1967)
- ↑ The U.F.O. Affair
- ↑ Michael Avallone, The Blazing Affair (1966)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Petit Prix Affair
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Double-O-Nothig Affair
- ↑ The Low Blue C Affair
- ↑ The Drublegratz Affair
- ↑ The Lethal Eagle Affair
- ↑ The Kooky Spook Affair
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 The Paradise Lost Affair
- ↑ The Galatea Affair
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Garden of Evil Affair
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Danish Blue Affair
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The U.N.C.L.E. Samurai Affair
- ↑ The Fountain of Youth Affair
- ↑ The High and the Deadly Affair
- ↑ The Dog-Gone Affair
- ↑ The Mata Hari Affair
- ↑ The Prisoner of Zalamar Affair