--- title: Bridge of Spies: The Man Behind Tom Hanks Character description: James B. Donovan's daughter remembers her father's belief in advocacy and the law canonical: https://time.com/4062896/bridge-of-spies-tom-hanks-james-b-donovan/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-19T14:30:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:34.992Z article:section: Ideas og:title: My Dad Was the Real-Life Tom Hanks Character in Bridge of Spies og:description: James B. Donovan's daughter remembers her father's belief in advocacy and the law og:url: https://time.com/4062896/bridge-of-spies-tom-hanks-james-b-donovan/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4868006390187f0/69886899a988cad6cc6b4d4f/strangers-on-a-bridge-9781501118784_hr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1400 og:image:height: 788 og:image:alt: strangers-on-a-bridge-9781501118784_hr.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: My Dad Was the Real-Life Tom Hanks Character in Bridge of Spies twitter:description: James B. Donovan's daughter remembers her father's belief in advocacy and the law twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4868006390187f0/69886899a988cad6cc6b4d4f/strangers-on-a-bridge-9781501118784_hr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # My Dad Was the Real-Life Tom Hanks Character in _Bridge of Spies_ > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=7720a579-07f5-44e8-a476-fbb94da5abd5&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Bridge of Spies Trailer [Watch (HLS stream): Bridge of Spies Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/h4ahYibR.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2015-06-05_ by [Mary Ellen Fuller](https://time.com/author/mary-ellen-fuller/) ## Mary Ellen Fuller Oct 19, 2015 2:30 PM UTC  Scribner by [Mary Ellen Fuller](https://time.com/author/mary-ellen-fuller/) ## Mary Ellen Fuller Oct 19, 2015 2:30 PM UTC History is remarkable. One thinks it belongs to the world for viewing and ownership, but it can be so very personal. James B. Donovan served as general counsel of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and presented visual evidence as the associate prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials. He stood as the defense counsel for a Russian spy, Rudolf Abel, captured in the U.S. and negotiated the spy’s exchange for the captured U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers, who was imprisoned in Russia. He negotiated with Fidel Castro during the Cuban missile crisis for the release of the Bay of Pigs prisoners captured and imprisoned on the Isle of Palms in Cuba. At the same time, he ran for the U.S. Senate in New York against Jacob Javits. He served as president of the Board of Education in New York City during the integration busing issues and died as president of Pratt Institute during the turbulent student uprisings. He was just 53 years old. He was also my father. I lived history each day because of my dad. He taught me to fight the good fight no matter the outcome. He loved his country, believed in the importance of public service, and used the art of negotiation as his weapon of choice. He felt that a person simply wants to be respectfully heard, and that it is only when you listen well that you can reach the most just results. History taught him that, and we could stand to use this weapon today. A lawyer or the average person must defend the rights of a person’s beliefs even when they do not agree with them. They should talk it out with aggressors and meet with them to find out what they truly want. Such action dissipates intractable positions rather quickly. Jim Donovan loved the lines of a 13th century Persian poet: “Out beyond ideas of wrong doings and right doings, there is a field. I will meet you there.” That is how I will always remember my father—a man of just compassion who understood the gravity of his actions, whether he was crossing Check Point Charlie in Berlin, bargaining in Cuba with Fidel Castro, or helping me with my homework. He had tenacity and believed in the strength of advocacy and the law. I am humbled because I have spent years with a quiet connection to his national and world exploits. I grew up thinking all fathers had done these simple things. My father’s den in our home was an axis for all his private discussions and late night ruminations, where I was permitted to bring a glass of sherry to the world-famous. He loved an 8-year-old’s drawing of Rudolf Abel in black and white stripes with a ball and chain, yet would speak of his intelligence and how they had to connect for his defense trial. Castro would call the house at the same time as his Senate campaign manager. I traversed through varying picket lines to get to school and learned to ignore hurled shouts of “Commie Lover” with a cheery wave as my reply. All of this seemed like quite an ordinary day in our home. Several years ago, I had the honor of going to Miami to celebrate 50 years since the release of the Bay of Pigs Brigade prisoners. All these years later, they now expressed their love to me directly for my father’s belief in this effort. Individuals came up and clasped my hands, told me they loved America and what it stands for, and that they prayed each day for my father. I was humbled yet again. Even though he died 45 years ago, he was still teaching me the long lasting effects of fighting for a just cause. Recent events have brought all of these memories into focus. The world today is more strident and unbendable, so we need to revert and study important behaviors and the outcomes of past crises to bring some flexibility to our intolerance. _Mary Ellen Fuller is the daughter of Cold War attorney and negotiator James B. Donovan, whose role in the trial and exchange of spies is the subject of the Steven Spielberg film_ Bridge of Spies. _Donovan’s memoir_ [Strangers on a Bridge](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1501118781/?tag=timecom-20) _the first-hand account of the same historical events has just been re-issued by Scribner._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You've been selected for a mission in which you are not to discuss with anyone outside of this room. We are engaged in a war with the Soviet Union. This war does not for the moment involve men in arms. It involves information. [ NOISE ] Something important has come up. We've got a Soviet spy. [ NOISE ] [ CROSSTALK ] But there's a A wrinkle. [ NOISE ] They got a spy pilot [ NOISE ] with a handful of classified information. [ MUSIC ] The Russians want their man back before he cracks. We want you to negotiate the swap. I'm an insurance lawyer. Not sure I want to pick that up. Are you good at what you do? This will be a first for the both of us. You should be careful. I'm talking to you about the security of your country. Why can't we hang him? You're asking me to violate the Constitution. Do you know how people will look at us? The family of a man. Trying to free a traitor. Every ones deserves a defense. Every person matters. Where do they want this negotiation? East Berlin. Just tell me you're not going to be in any danger. I don't even care if it's the truth. Give me something to hold onto. We need to have the conversations our governments can't. People in my country consider this an act of war. You can call it what you want. Let's be clear, nobody is safe. We're in a battle for civilization. The Constitution. It's what makes us Americans. Shouldn't We show our enemy who we are. Things have started to fall apart. Is this your position or your government's? Is there any outcome here where I'm not either detained or shot? Do we need to worry about you? No. Once you move, then you don't know what the game is. 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