Nicholas Amer obit

Nicholas Amer (1923 - 2019) RIP

 He was not on the list.

Actor Nicholas Amer died 17 November in Denville Hall actors retirement home.

The actor participated in some well-known film and TV works, among which was series The Avengers. Sadly, as there are no screenshots with Nicholas from Avengers episode "Crescent Moon", we can not say with certainty that he played a part on the video record too, but in any case, he took part in rehearsals.

Nicholas Amer was born Thomas Harold Amer in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England in 1923. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Royal Navy and served as a wireless officer for four years during World War II. He saw plenty of action, serving mainly on Motor Torpedo Boats, at first in North Africa. He was wounded in action during the Allied Invasion of Sicily in 1943.

Following demobilisation in 1945 he became an actor, studying at the Webber-Douglas Academy Drama School from 1946 to 1948 and winning, in his final year, their Best Actor Award, presented to him by Sir Donald Wolfit. Thereafter he devoted himself to the plays of William Shakespeare and performed with The Old Vic Company, The Oxford Playhouse Company and others in 31 different countries, and winning the Best Foreign Actor Award in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Amer's big break came in 1953 when John Gielgud asked him to play 'Green' in his production of Richard II, starring Paul Scofield. After the London run he made his first overseas tour by going with Sir John and the Company to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). His most recent tour overseas was to the USA with the Old Vic Company in 1996, playing Duncan in Macbeth. In between he played many of Shakespeare's juveniles, including Romeo, Laertes (three times), Ferdinand in The Tempest (twice) and finally, in 1958, Hamlet at the Wimbledon Theatre. Other West End appearances include The Wolf with Judi Dench and Leo McKern, Captain Brassbound's Conversion with Penelope Keith, and A Man for All Seasons with Charlton Heston.

In 1960, with The Oxford Playhouse Company, he toured India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) playing Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. Three years later, in 1963, he formed, along with fellow actors Harold Lang and Greville Hallam, their own company, Voyage Theatre. They produced the play Macbeth in Camera, which they wrote themselves to demonstrate the various techniques that actors use to bring Shakespeare's printed words to life. This they offered to the British Council who liked it so much that they sent them, eventually, on three long world tours.

Nicholas Amer's TV career began in the early days of television with the first medical soap, Emergency-Ward 10 (1957). Among many appearances since then are Messalina's lover Mnester in I, Claudius (1976), The Aedile in The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1984) (part of the BBC's complete TV cycle) and Fortunes of War (1987) with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thomson. In 2011 he appeared in an episode of Borgia (2011), filmed in Prague, playing the rich and evil Prospero Santacroce on his death bed trying desperately to persuade Cesare Borgia to grant him absolution, so that, free of his wicked life, he might enter Paradise.

The following year he travelled to Thailand to play the role of returning veteran Jack Jennings in Heroes Return (2012), a TV short directed by John Hillcoat that was part of Camelot UK's campaign to provide Lottery funding to help World War II veterans take part in commemorative visits to mark the anniversary of events that led to the end of the war.

His first film role was as a pot boy in The Mudlark (1950) (uncredited) with Irene Dunne and Alec Guinness. Other films include The Message (1976) with Anthony Quinn, The Prince and the Pauper (1976) with Rex Harrison, Nelson's Touch (1979), in which he played the great Admiral himself, Peter Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract (1982), The Whipping Boy (1994) for Disney studios, a remake of A Man for All Seasons (1988) with Charlton Heston and Vanessa Redgrave, Treasure Island (1990), in which he played Ben Gunn, also with Charlton Heston, The Awakening (2011) with Rebecca Hall, Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea (2011), as the grandfather in Segment "G is for Grandad" of ABCs of Death 2 (2014) and as Oggie in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).

Nicholas Amer has been a teacher at many of the London drama schools, including the Central School in Swiss Cottage, the Webber-Douglas School in South Kensington and also the Rose Bruford School and Drama Centre. In Australia, the Drama Academy N.I.D.A. in Sydney asked him to give classes to their students, and in Egypt too he was asked to do the same. While filming The Message (1976) in Libya, he was delighted when a fellow actor, appearing in a leading part in the Arabic version of the film, surprised him by reminding him that he been taught by Nicholas in Cairo.

Actor

Lost Hearts (2018)

Lost Hearts

Short

Mr. Abney

2018

 

Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Pixie Davies, Lauren McCrostie, Cameron James-King, Thomas Odwell, and Joseph Odwell in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

6.7

Oggie

2016

 

ABCs of Death 2 (2014)

ABCs of Death 2

5.4

Granddad (segment "G")

2014

 

Heroes Return

Short

Jack Jennings

2012

 

Borgia (2011)

Borgia

7.7

TV Series

Prospero Santacroce (as Nicolas Amer)

2011

1 episode

 

Rebecca Hall in The Awakening (2011)

The Awakening

6.4

Edgar Hirsthwit

2011

 

Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston in The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

The Deep Blue Sea

6.2

Mr Elton

2011

 

Lost Hearts

Short

Mr. Abney (as Nicolas Amer)

2011

 

Waiting for Gorgo (2009)

Waiting for Gorgo

6.3

Short

Mr Archibald (as Nicolas Amer)

2009

 

Benjamin's Struggle (2005)

Benjamin's Struggle

7.3

Short

Mr. Heinrichson (as Nicolas Amer)

2005

 

Annette Badland, Neil Dudgeon, and Nick Hendrix in Midsomer Murders (1997)

Midsomer Murders

7.9

TV Series

Arthur Leggott

2005

1 episode

 

Barry Chuckle and Paul Chuckle in ChuckleVision (1987)

ChuckleVision

7.2

TV Series

Mr. Naza

2004

1 episode

 

Merseybeat (2001)

Merseybeat

6.3

TV Series

Herb Garner

2003

1 episode

 

My Dad's the Prime Minister (2003)

My Dad's the Prime Minister

6.9

TV Series

Old Bloke 2

2003

1 episode

 

Alexander Armstrong, Richard Griffiths, and Reece Shearsmith in tlc (2002)

tlc

7.1

TV Series

Patient in Corridor

2002

1 episode

 

Alan Davies in Jonathan Creek (1997)

Jonathan Creek

8.1

TV Series

Bill

1999

1 episode

 

Vincent Schiavelli, George C. Scott, Kevin Conway, Nic Knight, Truan Munro, and Karen Salt in The Whipping Boy (1994)

The Whipping Boy

6.3

TV Movie

Lord Chancellor (as Nicolas Amer)

1994

 

Eldorado (1992)

Eldorado

4.9

TV Series

Ramon Colorado

1993

1 episode

 

Treasure Island (1990)

Treasure Island

7.0

TV Movie

Ben Gunn

1990

 

James Hazeldine and Amanda Redman in Streets Apart (1988)

Streets Apart

6.7

TV Series

Harold Pinner

1989

1 episode

 

A Man for All Seasons (1988)

A Man for All Seasons

7.0

TV Movie

Chapuys

1988

 

Nigel Havers in The Charmer (1987)

The Charmer

7.8

TV Mini Series

Hotel Receptionist (as Nicolas Amer)

1987

1 episode

 

Fortunes of War (1987)

Fortunes of War

7.8

TV Mini Series

Palu

1987

3 episodes

 

Paul Nicholas in Bust (1987)

Bust

7.0

TV Series

Philippe

1987

1 episode

 

Paradise Postponed (1986)

Paradise Postponed

8.0

TV Mini Series

'Contessa's' Friend

Contessa's friend

'Contessa's' friend

1986

4 episodes

 

Michael Moor and Julie Walters in Love and Marriage (1984)

Love and Marriage

7.4

TV Series

Guido

1986

1 episode

 

Tom Berenger, Liam Neeson, David Keith, and Madolyn Smith Osborne in If Tomorrow Comes (1986)

If Tomorrow Comes

7.7

TV Mini Series

Carlton Hotel clerk (as Nicolas Amer)

1986

1 episode

 

Artists and Models (1986)

Artists and Models

8.2

TV Series

Casanova

1986

1 episode

 

Sean Young, Mary Steenburgen, and Peter Strauss in Tender Is the Night (1985)

Tender Is the Night

8.0

TV Mini Series

Spanish Patient (as Nicolas Amer)

1985

1 episode

 

Alan Howard and Irene Worth in The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1984)

The Tragedy of Coriolanus

7.4

TV Movie

Aedile (as Nicolas Amer)

1984

 

Jemima Shore Investigates (1983)

Jemima Shore Investigates

7.1

TV Series

Carlo

1983

1 episode

 

Pig in the Middle (1980)

Pig in the Middle

5.1

TV Series

Second Waiter (as Nicolas Amer)

1981–1983

2 episodes

 

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

The Draughtsman's Contract

7.2

Mr. Parkes (as Nicolas Amer)

1982

 

John Cleese, John Barron, Richard Griffiths, Peter Jones, David Kelly, Bruce Montague, and Barry Morse in Whoops Apocalypse (1982)

Whoops Apocalypse

7.2

TV Series

French Agent

1982

1 episode

 

The Greeks: A Journey in Space and Time (1980)

The Greeks: A Journey in Space and Time

8.3

TV Series

Second Chorus

1980

1 episode

 

Gauguin the Savage (1980)

Gauguin the Savage

6.8

TV Movie

Mallarmé

1980

 

Nelson's Touch

Short

Lord Nelson

1979

 

Lewis Collins, Gordon Jackson, and Martin Shaw in The Professionals (1977)

The Professionals

8.0

TV Series

Khadi (as Nicolas Amer)

1979

1 episode

 

The Bitch (1979)

The Bitch

3.8

Restaurant Maître D' (uncredited)

1979

 

Lady Oscar (1979)

Lady Oscar

5.8

M. De Chantilly, the pistol duelist

1979

 

Spaghetti Two-Step

7.1

TV Movie

Arthur (as Nicolas Amer)

1977

 

Mona Wassef and Abdallah Gheith in The Message (1976)

The Message

8.9

Suheil (as Nicolas Amer)

1976

 

I, Claudius (1976)

I, Claudius

8.8

TV Mini Series

Mnester

1976

1 episode

 

Rogue's Rock (1974)

Rogue's Rock

6.2

TV Series

Uncle Achmed

1976

3 episodes

 

The Message (1976)

The Message

8.1

Suheil (as Nicolas Amer)

1976

 

Disciple of Death (1972)

Disciple of Death

4.0

Melchisidech, the Cabalist (as Nick Amer)

1972

 

Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher, Jenny Bos, Frances Cuka, Lynne Frederick, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, and Keith Michell in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)

Henry VIII and His Six Wives

6.8

Chapuys

1972

 

Crime of Passion (1970)

Crime of Passion

7.9

TV Series

Victor Suse

1972

1 episode

 

Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965)

Thirty-Minute Theatre

7.4

TV Series

Universo Sanchez

1970

1 episode

 

Horst Janson and Jacqueline Pearce in The Root of All Evil? (1968)

The Root of All Evil?

TV Series

Partner

1969

1 episode

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1965)

For Whom the Bell Tolls

8.2

TV Series

Corporal (as Nicolas Amer)

1965

1 episode

 

Bob Dylan, David Warner, Ursula Howells, Reg Lye, and Maureen Pryor in The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963)

BBC Sunday-Night Play

8.5

TV Series

Lieutenant Cristenek

1962

1 episode

 

Parbottle Speaking

TV Series

Rahbi

Dr. Leighton

1962

6 episodes

 

Louis Hayward in The Pursuers (1961)

The Pursuers

7.7

TV Series

Pinky (as Nicolas Amer)

1961

1 episode

 

Hamlet (1961)

Hamlet

TV Series

Rosencrantz

1961

3 episodes

 

Top Secret (1961)

Top Secret

7.1

TV Series

Policeman

1961

1 episode

 

The Return of the Old Pull 'n Push

TV Series

Signor Perelli

1961

2 episodes

 

The Avengers (1961)

The Avengers

8.3

TV Series

Luis Alvarez

1961

1 episode

 

The Old Pull 'n Push

TV Series

Signor Perelli

1960

2 episodes

 

Armchair Mystery Theatre (1960)

Armchair Mystery Theatre

8.0

TV Series

Customer

1960

1 episode

 

The Roving Reasons

TV Series

1960

1 episode

 

The Red Grass

TV Mini Series

Kaliakos

1959

6 episodes

 

Armchair Theatre (1956)

Armchair Theatre

7.5

TV Series

1958

1 episode

 

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950)

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre

6.9

TV Series

Edward Horning

Sebastian

1957–1958

2 episodes

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.8

TV Series

Miguel

1957

1 episode

 

King's Rhapsody

TV Movie

Volkoff

1957

 

Sing for Your Supper

TV Movie

Carlo Ponchi

1957

 

The Hands

TV Movie

Albert

1957

 

Nom-de-Plume

TV Series

Pallas

Suitor

Aurelien de Seze

1956

3 episodes

 

The Mudlark (1950)

The Mudlark

6.9

Servant (uncredited)

1950

 

Writer

Macbeth in Camera

TV Special

original play

1964