Tristram Jellinek, a British character actor trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, is known for his portrayal of refined, often disdainful upper-class figures. In Lassiter (1984), he brings a distinct presence to the film, embodying the type of character that reflects his theatrical background. Jellinek's career spanned stage, film, and television, allowing him to explore various roles while maintaining his signature style. His work in Lassiter contributes to the film's exploration of class dynamics within the crime genre.
Lassiter
Nick Lassiter prefers wealthy victims and carefully planned exits, but Scotland Yard gives him a choice between prison and an impossible robbery. To protect the woman he loves, he must penetrate a guarded embassy and outplay a seductive Nazi operative who knows exactly what he wants. Nick Lassiter (Tom Selleck) is a gentleman jewel thief in 1939 London, England. He is arrested by the police after breaking into a London mansion and, after being a member of a phony lineup in which he is positively identified by a law enforcement plant, British law enforcement and the FBI blackmail Lassiter to break into the German Embassy and steal $10 million in Nazi diamonds from a German spy (Lauren Hutton), but first he must locate their hiding place. The gems are en route to South America and will be sold to help finance Hitler's military buildup. The authorities want the Nazi diamonds and to put Lassiter away for good, but he has other plans, and a surprise twist ending changes everything. Scotland Yard and the FBI force a thief and his girlfriend to steal Nazi diamonds from a German countess. Lassiter is a handsome jewel thief operating in London is arrested and told that if he wishes to avoid prison, he must break into the heavily guarded German Embassy in London and steal millions in Gems.
