Shane Rimmer obit

Shane Rimmer, voice of Thunderbirds' Scott Tracy, dies aged 89

He was not on the list.

Actor Shane Rimmer, who voiced the character of pilot Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds, has died. The official Gerry Anderson website carried the news, saying that the death of the 89 year old had been confirmed by his widow Sheila Rimmer. Rimmer died at home in the early hours of 29 March. No cause of death has been given.

Rimmer, who was born in Toronto in 1929 and moved to the UK in the 1950s, played the leader of the Thunderbirds crew in 32 episodes produced between 1964 and 1966. The actor also contributed his voice to other Gerry Anderson projects including Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and appeared in person in the Anderson’s live action project UFO. Behind the scenes, Rimmer also wrote episodes of Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Secret Service and The Protectors.


As well as his work with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson he appeared in over 100 films including Dr Strangelove, Gandhi and Out of Africa. He played three different roles in three different James Bond movies, appearing in Diamonds Are Forever, You Only Live Twice, and The Spy Who Loved Me.
Rimmer was also regularly cast in science fiction and fantasy projects, having appeared in William Hartnell era Doctor Who story The Gunfighters, as well as in Space: 1999, and having minor roles in Star Wars and Superman movies. He also played two different characters in British soap opera Coronation Street – in 1988 as shopkeeper Malcolm Reid, and between 1967 and 1970 as Joe Donnelli, an American GI who had murdered an army colleague and eventually shot himself.
Rimmer had continued to work in his later years, and as recently as 2017 was supplying a voiceover in cult kids’ TV show The Amazing World of Gumball.

He told the Washington Times in 2017 that it was his Bond work he was most proud of. “That was crazy. I have no idea how it happened. I did Diamonds Are Forever first. It wasn’t much. I just came on and got into a bit of a slanging match with Sean Connery, who slangs very well. Then I did You Only Live Twice. They got rid of me up in space in that one. The third, The Spy Who Loved Me was a good one all around. It was Roger Moore’s favorite of all the ones he did. You just get a kind of intuitive thing about a movie. It worked very well.”

 Filmography

    

A Dangerous Age (1957) as Nancy's Father

Flaming Frontier (1958) as Running Bear

The Day the Sky Exploded (1958) as John McLaren (voice)

Dr. Strangelove (1964) as Captain "Ace" Owens

The Bedford Incident (1965) as Seaman 1st Class

Thunderbirds Are GO (1966) as Scott Tracy (voice)

You Only Live Twice (1967) as Hawaii Radar Operator (uncredited)

Thunderbird 6 (1968) as Scott Tracy (voice)

The Persuaders (1971) as Lomax

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) as Tom (uncredited)

Baffled! (1973) as Race Track Announcer / Commentator

Scorpio (1973) as Cop in Hotel (uncredited)

Live and Let Die (1973) as Hamilton (voice, uncredited)

Take Me High (1973) (uncredited)

S*P*Y*S (1974) as Hessler

Rollerball (1975) as Rusty, Team Executive

The 'Human' Factor (1975) as Carter, CIA Man

Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) as Colonel Alexander B. Franklin

Nasty Habits (1977) as Officer

Star Wars (1977) as Rebel Fighter Technician (uncredited)

Silver Bears (1977) as American Banker

The People That Time Forgot (1977) as Hogan

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as Commander Carter (USS Wayne)

Julia (1977) as Customs Officer (uncredited)

Warlords of Atlantis (1978) as Captain Daniels

The Billion Dollar Bubble (1978)

Superman (1978) as Naval Transport Commander (uncredited)

Hanover Street (1979) as Col. Ronald Barth

Arabian Adventure (1979) as Abu

Charlie Muffin (1979) as Braley

Superman II (1980) as Controller #2

The Dogs of War (1980) as Dr. Oaks

Priest of Love (1981) as Immigration Officer

Reds (1981) as MacAlpine

Gandhi (1982) as Commentator

The Hunger (1983) as Arthur Jelinek

Superman III (1983) as State Policeman

The Lonely Lady (1983) as Adolph Fannon

Gulag (1985) as Jay

Morons from Outer Space (1985) as Redneck (Melvin)

Reunion at Fairborough (1985) as Joe Szyluk

The Holcroft Covenant (1985) as Lieutenant Miles

Dreamchild (1985) as Mr. Marl

White Nights (1985) as Ambassador Smith

Out of Africa (1985) as Belknap

The Last Days of Patton (1986) as Dr. Col. Lawrence Ball

Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) as Harvey Coward

Whoops Apocalypse (1986) as Marvin Gelber

The Bourne Identity (1988) as Alexander Conklin

A Very British Coup (1988) as Marcus Morgan

Crusoe (1989) as Mr. Mather

A Kiss Before Dying (1991) as Commissioner Malley

Company Business (1991) as Chairman, Maxine Gray Cosmetics

Year of the Comet (1992) as T.T. Kelleher

Piccolo Grande Amore (1993) as Mr Hughes

A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) as Coach

Space Truckers (1996) as E.J. Saggs

One of the Hollywood Ten (2000) as Parnell Thomas

Spy Game (2001) as Estate Agent

The War of the Starfighters (2003) as Tantive Base Operative (voice)

Batman Begins (2005) as Older Gotham Water Board Technician

Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (2005) as Bob Anderson

Alien Autopsy (2006) as Colonel

Lovelorn (2010) as The Barman

Dark Shadows (2012) as Board Member 1

Darkwave: Edge Of The Storm (2016) as Captain S. Anderson