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1-50 of 253
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Although he sounded very British, Leo McKern was an Australian. By the time he was 15 years old, he had endured an accident that left him without his left eye. A glass eye replaced it - one might conjecture for the better, as far as making McKern a one-day actor of singular focus (no pun intended; his face had that extremely focused look). He failed to complete Sydney Technical High School, though his interest in engineering prompted him to transfer into the role of engineering apprentice (1935 to 1937). He expanded his horizons in a different direction with a two-year stint (1937-1940) at a commercial art college. By then World War II was escalating toward Australia, and he volunteered for service with the Engineering Corp of the Australian Army (1940 to 1942). But yet one more career move was needed, and that while the war moved northward away from Australia when America joined the fight. He studied acting and debuted on stage in 1944. He also met an Australian stage actress (Jane Holland), and mutual attraction took its course. In 1946 she had acting opportunities in England, and McKern decided that, along with the wish to propose to her, his own future as an actor lay there also.
McKern was short and stout with a great bulbous nose upon an impish face--all the ingredients for great character. His voice was a sharp and vociferous grind upon the back teeth--also perfect for character. After some touring (which included a trip to post-war Germany), he began to appear with regularity on London's premiere stages, particularly the Old Vic (1949-52 and then again 1962-63). These roles meshed with classic English work when he moved on to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon and the Shakespeare Memorial Theater (later reconstituted as the now Royal Shakespeare Theater) from 1952 to 1954. He also spent a season at the New Nottingham Playhouse. He had weaned himself off his Australian accent long before this with his bid for film roles, the first being as one of the four murderous barons in the Thomas a' Becket story Murder in the Cathedral (1951). And he kept his medieval tights on for his next screen appearances (though the small screen of TV) in some roles for the popular Richard Greene series The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1955, while he continued stage work.
From then on, McKern had roles in two to three movies a year--busy but not too busy--gradually mixing progressively more and more TV work in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The films were as varied as a good stage actor could justify moving into a popular medium. Though he was usually police officials, doctors, and authoritative figures, he always made these early parts stand out. Drama comes in various packages; he was not averse to the rise of sci-fi as a vehicle for it. He graced two British sci-fi classics: X the Unknown (1956) and the better The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). And there was also TV fantasy work, one of the best known examples being multiple outings as interrogator and chain-yanker Number Two in The Prisoner series. In the late '70s, he condescended to add some weight to two of the Omen movies, as did Gregory Peck and William Holden, putting him in good company. Great drama was McKern's meat. And doing some historically significant on a great scale was an opportunity for a Shakespearean not to miss. He was cast in the screen version of the Robert Bolt hit play A Man for All Seasons (1966). And his visage was perhaps part of the allure. Cast as ruthless political climber and fated chancellor of England Thomas Cromwell, McKern looked like the Hans Holbein court painting of the man who rather nefariously succeeded to Sir Thomas More's position. More was played by McKern's fellow RSC resident Paul Scofield. McKern gave flesh to the commoner Cromwell, making him loud and abrasive with a delightful verve. Later he and Scofield shared another film role, in the sense that the latter turned down the part of Thomas Ryan in the David Lean epic of Ireland Ryan's Daughter (1970), while McKern accepted it and made the role work. (Scofield would have been a miscast, something he probably wisely foresaw.)
McKern, from his early screen roles, could do comedy. He had a fair share of outrageous characters, and he could play them with a glint in his eye and a bit of extra cheek in his performance to show that he must have had fun in the role. In this regard, he showed his stuff supporting Peter Sellers in the endearing The Mouse That Roared (1959) and had the lead in the outlandish They All Died Laughing (1964) as a college professor who decides to snuff out humanity with poison laughing gas. He was a broad country fellow with a Shakespearean twist as Squint in The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965). In one of his later comedies, he is rather overlooked because of its clever script; in fact, it is an over-the-top tour de force for McKern. As the infamous nemesis Professor Moriarty in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), McKern manages to steal the show from funny man and director/writer Gene Wilder along with Marty Feldman and Roy Kinnear. McKern's Moriarty is devilish but tongue-in-cheek with a vengeance, especially with his nervous tic of suddenly, at any time and out of nowhere, yelling, "YAAA, YAAA!"
Yet McKern's chief legacy has been and probably will continue to be his long-running TV role in more mystery (he had done his fair share in film and TV already) as Horace Rumpole in "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978-1992), a role originally introduced by him in the teleplay "Rumpole of the Bailey" in 1975. The role had been specifically created for him by writer John Mortimer, and though every actor can appreciate the security of a long-running role, McKern feared that it was subsuming his more than considerable body of work. Along with that, McKern became increasingly self-conscious of his acting, and mixed in was the idea that his physical appearance was not appealing to the public. As a result, he had to deal with a progressively increasing stage fright. He need not have worried; he was working in diverse TV and movie roles nearly to the time of his passing, and he was beloved by movie and TV fans alike. Along with receiving the award of Officer of the Order of Australia from his home country, in 1983 McKern's memoir "Just Resting" was published.- The son of a car dealer, the British actor Simon Ward was born in London, England, in 1941, and educated there at Alleyn's School, the home of the National Youth Theatre, which he joined at age 13 and stayed with for eight years. After attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he worked in repertory in Northampton, Birmingham and Oxford, and occasionally in London's West End. His big break in theater came in 1967 when he played in Joe Orton's "Loot" which led to a number of small film and television roles. Perhaps his best work is his portrayals of the lead characters in Young Winston (1972) and All Creatures Great and Small (1975).
- Actor
- Producer
London-born character actor Derek Fowlds came to the fore on television as 'Mr. Derek', straight man to the children's puppet Basil Brush (succeeding Rodney Bewes in that capacity), then as private secretary and political advisor Bernard Woolley, diligently keeping the reins on obtuse British Cabinet Minister Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) in Yes Minister (1980), and, finally, as retired police sergeant -- turned pub proprietor -- Oscar Blaketon during the entire 18-year run of Heartbeat (1992). Having done his national service in the RAF, Fowlds based the Blaketon character on a drill instructor, commenting "I just cut my hair shorter, slicked it back and shouted a lot and Oscar was born."
In his youth, Fowlds aspired to becoming a footballer. He first tried acting in school plays as a bit of a lark. "Just for kicks" he later decided to pursue the profession more seriously, trained at RADA and debuted on stage in a 1961 production of "The Miracle Worker" at London's Wyndham Theatre. Thereafter, he popped up in the occasional motion picture but was considerably more prolific on the small screen where he regularly alternated between comedy and drama. Early on, he played the lead in his own short-lived detective series, Take a Pair of Private Eyes (1966). His autobiography "A Part Worth Playing" was released in 2015.- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Trevor Peacock was born on 19 May 1931 in Edmonton, London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Fred Claus (2007), Neverwhere (1996) and The Trial (1993). He was married to Tilly Tremayne and Iris Jones. He died on 8 March 2021 in Somerset, England, UK.- A former telephone engineer who dabbled in amateur dramatics, John Gregson served aboard a minesweeper with the Royal Navy during World War II. After demobilisation, he joined the Liverpool Old Vic, making his stage debut in 'The Knight of the Burning Pestle'. Freshly married, he moved to London and acted alongside Robert Donat and Margaret Leighton in 'A Sleeping Clergyman' at the West End Criterion Theatre in 1947. During the same period, he was also cast in his first movie, the romantic period melodrama Saraband (1948), though his scenes ended up being cut. Undeterred, Gregson established himself as a popular favorite in subsequent Ealing comedies and later as a long term contractee with the Rank Organisation. His screen personae tended to be men of integrity: regular guys who don't necessarily finish on top, introspective, somewhat diffident, and often troubled. His most fondly remembered role was that of vintage car enthusiast Alan McKim, in the idiosyncratic (and typically British) comedy Genevieve (1953). Ironically, while he is featured in almost every scene behind the wheel, Gregson couldn't drive a car when filming began - and proved to be a slow learner.
For the remainder of the decade,he became somewhat typecast in traditional 'stiff upper lip' military roles. As film opportunities began to diminish, he turned more and more towards television, enjoying his greatest popularity as titular star of the police drama series Gideon C.I.D. (1964). Until his untimely death at the age of 55, Gregson alternated television work with acting on stage, as well as doing voice-overs and appearing in commercials for Hamlet cigars. - Tall, rugged, red-haired character actor whose heavily lined face suggested a hard life. Started in show biz with his father, Nosmo King (real name Vernon Watson), as half of a music hall double act. Later worked as a monologuist and impersonator in radio. During the Second World War, he served as petty officer in the Royal Navy. An unlikely comedian during the first half of his career, he became a stalwart character actor in films of the 1960's and 70's, generally utilised as by-the-book police inspectors (Peeping Tom (1960), Konga (1961), or gruff, laconic soldiers (The Hill (1965), Tobruk (1967)). An avid sportsman in real life, he was effectively cast as Len Miller, captain of a Rugby League team, in Lindsay Anderson's This Sporting Life (1963). He also impressed in the villainous role of corrupt police officer Quince in The Strange Affair (1968).
Watson's career was rejuvenated in the 1970's, with strong parts in television, particularly as the star of The Rebellious Red Gauntlets (1970) and as Llud, right hand man to Oliver Tobias, in Arthur of the Britons (1972). He also made sporadic appearances on Coronation Street (1960) and Z Cars (1962). A man of few pretensions, Watson rejected offers from Hollywood, and remained firmly rooted to British screens. - Molly Peters was a gorgeous and voluptuous British blonde bombshell actress and model who alas only appeared in a handful of films and TV shows during her regrettably fleeting acting career in the mid 60s. Molly was born in 1942 in Walsham-le-Willows, Suffolk, England. Peters started out as a model; among the men's magazines she graced the covers of and/or posed in pictorials for are "Playboy," "Modern Man," "Calvalcade," "Beau," "Ace," "Parade," "Best for Men," "Dapper," and "Escapade." Molly achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity with her memorably sensuous portrayal of Patricia Fearing, the fetching masseuse who gets seduced by James Bond at the Shrubland health club in "Thunderball." She was discovered by director Terence Young and has the distinction of being the first Bond girl to be seen taking her clothes off on screen. In the wake of her 007 stint Peters acted in two more movies and popped up on episodes of the TV shows "Armchair Theatre" and "Baker's Half-Dozen." Molly Peters had her acting career abruptly cut short after reportedly having a falling out with her agent.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Terence Beesley was an actor and writer. He was born in London to Irish parents and attended St Marylebone Grammar School before training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1981 to 1984. Beesley was married to Ashley Jensen from 2007 until his death in 2017. They met while acting in Tom Courtenay's King Lear at the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester. They had one son, Francis Jonathan Beesley, born in 2009. Beesley committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at his Somerset home on 30th November, 2017.- Clare Kelly was born on 25 February 1922 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Cuckoo Waltz (1975), A Kind of Loving (1982) and Five to One (1963). She died on 18 February 2001 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.
- Tall, incisive, aquiline-featured British character actor. Born in Fulham, London, Archard won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1938. The following year, he made his stage debut opposite Jessica Tandy in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, at the Regent's Park Theatre. A conscientious objector during the war, Archard made the rounds of repertory theatre for several years, with intermittent periods of unemployment. In 1959, he decided to emigrate to Canada for a fresh start. Having already booked his passage, he suddenly received several offers to appear in television dramas. The resulting body of work led to an audition with writer/producer Elwyn Jones for the central role in the projected BBC series Spy-Catcher (1959).
For four seasons (24 episodes), Archard played the role of the real life Lt.Col. Oreste Pinto, who used psychology and guile to unmask foreign spies entering Britain during the Second World War. With the part came recognition and a steady stream of work. Ironically, given his pacifist disposition, Archard was frequently cast as military men or police officers. He performed these to perfection, with his trademark authoritative bearing and icy delivery. He was equally effective as a vicar in Village of the Damned (1960), and a Soviet intelligence operative in The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966). On television, he had a recurring role in Z Cars (1962) and played the ill-fated Egyptologist Marcus Scarman in Doctor Who (1963), 'The Pyramids of Mars'. A frequent face in horror movies, he essayed the vampire hunter Van Helsing in the 'Dracula' instalment of the anthology series Mystery and Imagination (1966). He was also somewhat memorable as Major General Fullard in the film version of Dad's Army (1971), in which he contemptuously referred to Captain Mainwaring as "a damn bank clerk".
On stage he was seen in Terence Rattigan's 'Cause Celebre' at the West End (1977) and in Peter O'Tooles ill-received 'Macbeth' at the Old Vic in 1980. Bernard Archard retired to his home in Somerset after his character in Emmerdale Farm (1972) was killed off. He died in May 2008 at the ripe old age of 91. - A distinguished stage actor, Ernest Clark was best known to British television viewers for his role as the crusty "Sir Geoffrey Loftus" in the long running "Doctor" comedy series during the 1970s.
Born in Maida Vale, Clark was the son of a master builder and was educated at Marylebone Grammar School. His first job was as a reporter on a local newspaper and he was also a keen amateur actor.
He made his first professional appearance at the Festival Theatre, Cambridge in 1937 and, throughout the 1930s and 40s, was rarely off the West End stage. In New York in 1950, he garnered rave reviews for his appearance in T.S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party".
A prolific screen character actor, he was usually cast in cold, tight-lipped roles in British war films.
He was vice-president of Equity, the British actor's union, from 1964-69 and president from 1970-73. An articulate, outspoken and often witty commentator for the acting profession, he always argued on the side of regulated entry into what he described as "an overcrowded industry".
Clark's first two marriages were dissolved. His third wife was 'Julia Lockwood', the daughter of the British film star Margaret Lockwood. - Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Roberts was born on 20 July 1939 in Woking, Surrey, England, UK. Mike is known for Lost in Space (1998), Mississippi Burning (1988) and Angel Heart (1987). Mike was married to Eileen Bellson. Mike died on 24 May 2000 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.- Bill Wallis was born on 20 November 1936 in Guildford, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Brazil (1985), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The Bourne Identity (1988). He was married to Karen Mills and Jean Spalding. He died on 6 September 2013 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.
- Peter Birrel married actress Stephanie Cole only a few years before he died. They appeared together in a play early in both of their careers and met up by chance some 40 or so years later. Peter is widely celebrated for his role as the Draconian Prince in Frontier in Space: Episode One (1973)-Frontier in Space: Episode Two (1973) and Frontier in Space: Episode Five (1973)-Frontier in Space: Episode Six (1973).
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had broadened their musical horizons at a time when most punk bands were painting themselves into a corner. By the early 1980s, The Clash were filling stadiums around the world; ultimately, trying to reconcile punk ethics with stardom took its toll on the band. The original line-up dissolved in 1983, and but with new members, Strummer soldiered on for a couple years longer. Ultimately embarrassed that The Clash had become a strange parody of itself, he split up the band once and for all, and then kept a low profile for a few years. When he returned, he decided to branch out in a new direction: acting.
Strummer first appeared on film playing himself in Rude Boy (1980), a quasi documentary look at The Clash through the misadventures of a young roadie who tours with the band. His first proper role as an actor was as the grimy gangster Simms in Alex Cox's cult classic Straight to Hell (1987). Apparently Strummer employed the method school of acting on the shoot, not changing his clothes for days in the hot Spanish sun.
His next notable appearance was as English Johnny in Jim Jarmusch's excellent Mystery Train (1989), a role clearly written for him by Jarmusch. His last appearance - speaking all of his dialogue in French - was in _Docteur Chance (1997)_ . Although not a professional actor by any means, Strummer's charisma went a long way, and he can be a treat to watch onscreen. Along with his acting work, Strummer also composed several film scores, including the excellent Walker (1987) and the raucous soundtrack to Permanent Record (1988).
After more than 10 years with only sporadic musical output, Strummer returned in a big way with the excellent 1999 album Rock Art & The X-Ray Style. With his new band, The Mescaleros, Strummer enjoyed a strong comeback that put him back in the spotlight. Sadly, just a few months before The Clash were due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Strummer died of a congenital heart condition at the still young age of 50. His death came as a shock to fans around the world.- The daughter of glamorous British film star Margaret Lockwood was destined for an acting career by the age of five when she was enrolled in a theatrical school. Around this time her parents separated and then divorced three years later. Young Julia was often left in the care of a nanny, though her mother remained on hand to provide gentle prodding into the world of entertainment. Julia's film debut duly followed in 1947 with a tiny role in Daphne Du Maurier's Hungry Hill (1947). Mother and daughter also shared the stage on several occasions. In 1953, Julia returned to the screen as the juvenile lead in a television adaptation of Johanna Spyri's Swiss classic novel Heidi (1953). 'Toots', as she was affectionately called, went on to reprise her role in a BBC children's serial in 1954. By decade's end, she had moved from standard teenage family fare (including The Flying Eye (1955), which is possibly the first film to presage the development of drones) to bawdy comedy (Please Turn Over (1959), directed by the regular helmsman of the Carry On franchise, Gerald Thomas). Julia spent most of the 60s alternating between stage ('Peter Pan', 'Arsenic and Old Lace') and TV work. She twice more co-starred with her mother in The Royalty (1957) and its sequel The Flying Swan (1965), about the daily goings on at a posh London hotel. Her last recurring role was in a short-lived sitcom with Richard Briers, Birds on the Wing (1971), which ran to just six episodes. Julia married the character actor Ernest Clark (best known as the bluff Sir Geoffrey Loftus in the 1970s "Doctor" comedies) in December 1972. With her husband, she retired to her 14th century Somerset farmhouse in 1976 where she devoted herself to raising a family.
- Christy Brown was born on 5 June 1932 in Dublin, Ireland. He was a writer, known for My Left Foot (1989). He was married to Mary Carr. He died on 6 September 1981 in Parbrook, Somerset, England, UK.
- Actor
- Writer
- Editor
Edward Sinclair was born on 3 February 1914 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Dad's Army (1971), The Bells (1931) and Dad's Army (1968). He was married to Gladys Green. He died on 29 August 1977 in Cheddar, Somerset, England, UK.- While doing his national service he ran three theatres helping to rehabilitate servicemen then joined The Old Vic Theatre School for acting training and after completion accepted an invitation from Tyrone Guthrie to join the theatre's company headed by Donald Wolfit. Spending a season there he appeared in King Lear and Tamburlaine then moved into London's West End appearing in such as Pay the Piper, The Burning Boat, The Devils Disciple, the Rule of Three and The Happiest Millionaire. Moving into films he appeared in such as Funeral in Berlin, Diamonds Are Forever and Pope Joan. Being fluent in German he was cast as a German in such as Operation Crossbow. and Attack on the 'iron Coast. On television he played Chingachgook in the serial of The Last of the Mohicans which won him an Emmy nomination as Best Actor, Over 10 years he took four roles in the series Dr Who and guest starred in such series as Blakes Seven and Red Dwarf and the second and third series of The Survivors. Other roles include parts in Redcap, Minder, Bergerac, The Bill and Casualty. His two sons Sebastian and Daniel are also actors.
- Alison Seebohm was born on 5 May 1939 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for A Hard Day's Night (1964), The Avengers (1961) and The Servant (1963). She was married to Frank Cvitanovich and Ray Austin. She died on 22 February 2015 in Taunton, Somerset, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Sharvell-Martin was born on 2 February 1944 in Herne Bay, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Are You Being Served? (1972), Space: 1999 (1975) and Dave Allen at Large (1971). He was married to Linda Hind. He died on 28 October 2010 in Wincanton, Somerset, England, UK.- Michael J. Reynolds was born on 15 August 1939 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Descent: Part 2 (2009), Leap Year (2010) and Blown Away (1994). He was married to Katherine Reynolds. He died on 22 March 2018 in Milverton, Somerset, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
Mick Aston was born on 1 July 1946 in Oldbury, West Midlands, England, UK. He is known for Seven Ages of Britain (2003), Time Team (1994) and Time Signs (1991). He died on 24 June 2013 in Winscombe, Somerset, England, UK.- Christopher Rozycki was born on 15 October 1943 in Rozprza, Lódzkie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Local Hero (1983), The Saint (1997) and Downton Abbey (2010). He was married to Joanna Hole and Maria Ficenes. He died on 10 April 2015 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.
- Dan van Husen had a certain look about him back then in the 1970s and all the last 40 years have done is add a sage, aged, mature wisened aura to him. He has appeared in twenty-three Italo Westerns in six or seven years and then he branched out and tackled more challenging roles and genres. Not that many from the Spaghetti Western days ever studied or hit acting with the tenacity that he has done up until the present.