''Race for the Bomb'' (french: La Course à la bombe) is a 1987 television 3-parts miniseries about the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

, starting from the initial stages of scientific discovery that led to the creation of the atomic bomb, discovery of the Ulam-Teller thermonuclear weapons design and ending with the beginning of the arms race.Jim Bawden, "Race For The Bomb joins race for ratings". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', January 30, 1987. The series was directed by

Allan Eastman Haldon Darryl Allan Eastman (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian television director and executive producer. Born in Manitoba, Eastman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in 1971. He then studied at the Film School o ...

and Jean-François Delassus. The production was a joint production of a Canadian firm, Ronald Cohen Productions, and a French firm, Société Philippe Dussart and former Yugoslavia - Jadran film, Zagreb. In Canada the series aired on both

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

in English and Télévision de Radio-Canada in French, while in France it aired on TF1. A lot of collateral roles have been performed by former Yugoslavia actors. The series covers the development of many aspects related to the origin of the bomb, such as scientific, political, and personal. It stars

Tom Rack Tom Rack is a Canadian actor and writer best known for his portrayal of henchman Zigesfeld in the 1991 film '' If Looks Could Kill'', and for twice portraying physicist Dr. Robert Oppenheimer. Career A character actor with an impactful presence, ...

Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is often ...

Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American–Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs. Personal lif ...

Leslie Groves Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (17 August 1896 – 13 July 1970) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project, a top secret research project ...

Miki Manojlović Predrag "Miki" Manojlović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Мики" Манојловић; born 5 April 1950) is a Serbian actor, famous for his starring roles in some of the most important films of former Yugoslav cinema. Since the early 1990s, he su ...

Edward Teller Edward Teller ( hu, Teller Ede; January 15, 1908 – September 9, 2003) was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who is known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb" (see the Teller–Ulam design), although he did not care fo ...

, Jean-Paul Muel as

Leo Szilard Leo Szilard (; hu, Szilárd Leó, pronounced ; born Leó Spitz; February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964) was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear ...

Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, and has also portrayed sympathetic characters. E ...

Werner Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg () (5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976) was a German theoretical physicist and one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics. He published his work in 1925 in a breakthrough paper. In the subsequent series ...

and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

Lewis Strauss Lewis Lichtenstein Strauss ( "straws"; January 31, 1896January 21, 1974) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and naval officer who served two terms on the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the second as its chairman. He was a major ...

. Muel received a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Program at the

2nd Gemini Awards The 2nd Gemini Awards were held on December 8, 1987, to honour achievements in Canadian television. It was broadcast on CBC. Awards Best Comedy Program or Series * '' Seeing Things'' * ''Hangin' In'' Best Dramatic Series * ''Night Heat'' * ''Re ...

, and the French version was a

Prix Gémeaux The Prix Gémeaux () or Gémeaux Awards honour achievements in Canadian television and digital media that is broadcast in French. It has been sponsored by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television since 1987. Introduced as a French-language equ ...

nominee for Best Miniseries. Matthew Fraser, "Hockey drama leading TV nominees". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', December 11, 1987.

References

External links

* 1987 Canadian television series debuts 1987 French television series debuts 1980s Canadian television miniseries 1980s French television miniseries Films about nuclear war and weapons Films about the Manhattan Project Television series about the Manhattan Project Nuclear history of the United States Science docudramas World War II television series CBC Television original programming {{France-tv-prog-stub