About Michael Leshing
Lived 1882 – 1953 (aged 70). Michael Leshing was an American inventor and spy.
Michael S. Leshing was an American citizen and the Superintendent of Twentieth Century Fox film laboratories in the 1940s. In 1945 he was one of five honored with an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for his laboratory work in color film processing.
During World War II, Leshing was linked to a covert relationship with Soviet intelligence. In 1943, a Venona project decryption reported that he provided the KGB's Technical Line intelligence documents and a formula for color motion pictures and other film-processing technology.
Leshing is referenced in the following Venona project decryption:
512 KGB San Francisco to Moscow, 7 December 1943.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Michael Leshing?
American spy
When was Michael Leshing born?
Michael Leshing was born on 15 November 1882 in Russian Empire.
When did Michael Leshing die?
Michael Leshing died on 13 April 1953.
What was Michael Leshing's occupation?
Michael Leshing was an inventor and spy.
What nationality was Michael Leshing?
Michael Leshing was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Michael Leshing. https://biography.guide/michael-leshing/
MLA: "Michael Leshing." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/michael-leshing/.
Chicago: "Michael Leshing." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/michael-leshing/.
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