OSS 117

OSS 117 is a French spy-fiction franchise centred on the secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, who uses OSS 117 as his codename.

OSS 117 is a French spy-fiction franchise centred on the secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, who uses OSS 117 as his codename. Created by Jean Bruce in 1949, it began as a series of novels and was later adapted into a long-running film series, including a modern comic revival starring Jean Dujardin.

Origins

OSS 117 was created by French writer Jean Bruce as a spy-fiction character in 1949. The character’s full name is Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, and the codename OSS 117 refers to his intelligence-service designation.

Film adaptations

The franchise has been adapted into multiple films since the 1950s. The first film, OSS 117 Is Not Dead, appeared in 1957, and the series later expanded with several 1960s productions and a modern revival beginning in 2006.

Modern revival

The 2006 film OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies reintroduced the character as a comic spy parody. It was followed by OSS 117: Lost in Rio in 2009 and OSS 117: From Africa with Love in 2021.

Character interpretation

In the original material, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is portrayed as an American with French ancestry who works for Western intelligence services. The later film series reimagines him as a French agent working for SDECE, the predecessor of today’s DGSE.