Stierlitz

Max Otto von Stierlitz
The Stierlitz novels character
Vyacheslav Tikhonov portraying Stierlitz
First appearance	No Password Required, 1966 novel
Last appearance	Isaev, 2009 television series
Created by	Yulian Semyonov
Portrayed by	Rodion Nakhapetov (1967) Vladimir Zamansky (1968) Vyacheslav Tikhonov (1973) Vladimir Ivashov (1975) Vsevolod Safonov (1976) Uldis Dumpis (1980) Vasily Antonov (2001) Daniil Strakhov (2009)
Voiced by	Vyacheslav Tikhonov (1984)
Information
Aliases	Bruno, Bolsen, Max, Massimo etc.
Gender	Male
Occupation	Secret agent
Affiliation	People's Commissariat for State Security
Title	Polkovnik (USSR) SS-Standartenführer (Germany)
Family	Vladimir Vladimirov (father) Olesia Prokopchuk (mother)
Spouse(s)	Alexandra Gavrilina
Children	Alexander Vladimirov
Nationality	Soviet

Max Otto von Stierlitz (Russian: Шти́рлиц, IPA: [ˈʂtʲirlʲɪts]) is the lead character in a popular Russian book series written in the 1960s by novelist Yulian Semyonov and of the television adaptation Seventeen Moments of Spring, starring Vyacheslav Tikhonov, as well as in feature films, produced in the Soviet era, and in a number of sequels and prequels. Other actors portrayed Stierlitz in several other films. Stierlitz has become a stereotypical spy in Soviet and post-Soviet culture, similar to James Bond in Western culture.

In the universe of the Seventeen Moments of Spring, Stierlitz is the cover name for a Soviet super-spy Colonel Maxim Maximovich Isaуev (Макси́м Макси́мович Иса́ев), whose "real" name is Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov (Все́волод Влади́мирович Владимиров).

Stierlitz takes a key role in SS Reich Main Security Office in Berlin during World War II, infiltrating Ausland-SD (foreign intelligence) headed by Walter Schellenberg. Working deep undercover, Stierlitz tries to collect intelligence about the Germans' war plans and communicate it to Moscow. He receives instructions from Moscow on how to proceed, on one occasion traveling to Switzerland on a secret mission. He diverts the German nuclear "Vengeance Weapon" research program into a fruitless dead-end, thwarts separate peace talks between Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, engages in intellectual games with members of the Nazi high command and sacrifices his own happiness for the good of his motherland. Despite being wracked with desire to return home to his wife he subordinates his feelings to his duty, thus embodying an idealised Soviet vision of patriotism.