Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer explored the many figures that orbited J. Robert Oppenheimer during the making of the atom bomb, and included in this array of characters was Russian spy Klaus Fuchs, but what actually happened to the real-life scientist after the events of the film? Oppenheimer is a biopic following the theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and in particular, his involvement in the Manhattan Project and nuclear weapon policy post World War II. The film includes a spectacular cast of Hollywood stars playing an intricate network of unique, real-life characters.

In Oppenheimer, Klaus Fuchs is introduced as one of many scientists joining the Manhattan Project. In particular, he is a theoretical physicist under the jurisdiction of the British after being kicked out of Germany during the war. After his introduction, he doesn’t make any more significant appearances until it is revealed that he was the spy leaking information about Los Alamos to the Russians, leading them to work on their own nuclear weapons. Although Fuchs doesn’t make a huge physical impression in Oppenheimer, his work as a Russian spy is imperative to the story and was a major, real-life oversight for the Americans during the Manhattan Project.

How Long Klaus Fuchs Spied On Oppenheimer For

Klaus Fuchs spied on Oppenheimer and the Manhattan project for a total of two years. In the first year, Fuchs arrived at Columbia University alongside German-British physicist Rudolf Peierls to help work on the atom bomb. Then, in August 1944, Fuchs was transferred to Los Alamos Laboratory, where Oppenheimer worked. As seen in the film, Fuchs worked under Hans Bethe and focused on the problem of implosion. While Fuchs helped with pivotal moments in the creation of the atom bomb, his most important mission at Los Alamos was to pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union.

While Fuchs spent two years with Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, his spying was not limited to that brief space of time. In fact, Fuchs was a Russian spy before his time in America. In May 1941, Rudolf Peierls first approached Fuchs about joining the Tubes Alloy programme, otherwise known as the British atom bomb project. During his time there, he contacted Jürgen Kuczynski, a communist and Soviet spy, who led him into becoming a spy himself. For a time, he worked under the experienced Russian intelligence agent, Ursula Kuczynsk.

Klaus Fuchs Was Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Spying On Oppenheimer (But Served 9)

In 1950, Klaus Fuchs was convicted on four counts of breaking the Official Secrets Act after passing information to a potential enemy, the Soviet Union. Although Fuchs pled guilty, he tried to earn leniency due to his state of mind at the time and his hope that spying for Russia would help defeat the Nazis. Ultimately, Fuchs’ trial lasted for under 90 minutes, and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In the end, Fuchs only served nine of those years due to a British law stating good behavior cut 1/3 off a prisoner’s sentence. In 1959, after his release, he returned to the German Democratic Republic.

Klaus Fuchs Continued His Scientific Career After Being Released From Prison

Despite his career as a Soviet Union spy and his consequent stint in prison, Klaus Fuchs moved on with his life, ultimately returning to science. In fact, he made quite the name for himself for his work in research. In 1967, he became of the SED central committee, and from 1974 to 1978, he acted as the head of research in physics, nuclear and materials science at the Academy of Science. Additionally, he became the deputy director of the Institute for Nuclear Research in Rossendorf. Fuchs also received the Patriotic Order of Merit, the Order of Karl Marx and the National Prize of East Germany.

Related: Every Christopher Nolan Actor In Oppenheimer

While Fuchs’ history with the Soviet Union and the communist party may be a significant aspect of his life, his scientific achievements aren’t necessarily surprising. This can be seen in the fact that, while he was communication information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviets, he also played a vital role in developing the atom bomb in both America and Britain. More than that, while being interned in Canada in 1940, he published four scientific papers. In this way, Fuches’ passion for science overwhelmed much of his other political activities.

How Long After Oppenheimer Did Klaus Fuchs Die?

Klaus Fuchs died in 1988, 43 years after Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb and World War II’s end. As previously mentioned, he spent the 1950s in prison in the United Kingdom for his role as a Soviet spy, then dedicated the rest of his life to scientific pursuits in research and physics. In 1988, at the age of 76, Fuchs died of unknown causes. Although Fuchs’ actions in Oppenheimer were paramount to the global development of nuclear weapons, it’s clear that his life continued well past those days of espionage, and he eventually became much more than the character portrayed in the film.