''On Wings of Eagles'' (also known as ''Teheran'') is a 1986 American television miniseries starring Burt Lancaster and

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...

, and directed by

Andrew V. McLaglen Andrew Victor McLaglen (July 28, 1920 – August 30, 2014) was a British-born American film and television director, known for Westerns and adventure films, often starring John Wayne or James Stewart. According to one obituary "His career ...

. It was adapted from

Ken Follett Kenneth Martin Follett, (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works. Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the ...

's 1983 book of the same name.

Synopsis

The story is set during the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

(1978–1979). As Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is overthrown by Ayatollah Ruhollah 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 Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...

(Richard Crenna), travels to

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

to negotiate for their release. Meanwhile, a retired

US Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...

Colonel, Arthur D. 'Bull' Simons (Burt Lancaster), is hired by Perot to formulate a rescue plan at any cost.

Cast

Awards

The miniseries was nominated for Outstanding Miniseries at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards.

References

*''Burt Lancaster: An American Life'', by Kate Buford

External links

* *{{tcmdb title, 21731, On Wings of Eagles 1986 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1980s American television miniseries 1986 television films 1986 films Adaptations of works by Ken Follett English-language television shows Films set in Iran Films shot in Mexico Iranian Revolution films Ross Perot Television series set in 1978 Television series set in 1979 Television shows set in Iran Films directed by Andrew McLaglen Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal