Robert Vaughn dies: ‘Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ star passes way at 83

Actor Robert Vaughn, best known for playing Napoleon Solo on the NBC spy drama "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," died surrounded by his family after battling acute leukemia, his manager Mathew Sullivan confirmed.

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." aired from 1964-68 and made Vaughn one of TV's biggest stars.

Before moving to the small screen, Vaughn got his start in the movies as an extra on "The Ten Commandments" in 1956. Three years later he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "The Young Philadelphians," and played a gunman in the classic 1960 film "The Magnificent Seven."

It was "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." that made Vaugh a household name. The show was an immediate hit when it debuted in 1964.

In recent years, Vaughn had starred for eight seasons on the British crime-caper series "Hustle," playing Albert Stroller, the lone Yank in a band of London-based con artists. "Hustle" also aired in the U.S.