My Heroes and Heroines: Robert Vaughn I love the observations and humour in his writing but also admired his character, especially his resolute atheism. As he neared death, people kept expecting him to find God but he just said: "No way, there's no God to find." He stuck to his principles to the last. He was sent to the Soviet Union as a young American diplomat but made a huge impact there, boldly suggesting that the Soviets needed to be contained within their quarters. He was brave, smart and continued to lead the thinking on international relations until he died, aged 101. When I first met him in 1960 he was reticent, bordering on rude, but we became very close friends. He was a kind and gentle man and I will remember him forever. His candlelit funeral was one of the most emotional nights of my life. George McGovern He was a dear friend of mine and an outstanding man who should have been president. I admired him so much that I worked on his 1972 election campaign with Warren Beatty, Julie Christie and Jack Nicholson. Laurence Olivier He combined the passion of American acting with the beauty of British acting and as a young aspiring actor I idolised him. Whenever he performed in the West End I was there in the front row. He was remarkable. "Hustle" returns on Friday at 9pm on BBC One