Saturday, November 5, 2016

John Carson obit

John Carson obituary

Stalwart film and television actor with a talent for playing snarling villains 

He was not on the list.


John Carson, who has died aged 89, was a busy actor whose velvet voice and distinguished looks could flit easily between cold villainy or testy eccentricity. This made him much in demand on screen in many popular television series and during his cinematic association with Hammer Films.

Having secured his big break (two shows a week for £40 per week) as Dr Donald Latimer in the popular hospital soap opera Emergency Ward 10 (1959), he was unable to use London Underground due to constant recognition by the public. In the final series of the long-running oil industry drama The Troubleshooters (1971), he played James Langley, the liberal deputy chairman of Mogul Oil who knocked heads with Geoffrey Keen’s scheming and hard-nosed autocrat Brian Stead.

His aptitude for snarling villains made him perfect casting as the evil squire in Hammer’s The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and he also appeared in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), and in Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974), achieving second billing for his turn as the tragic Dr Marcus (enduring an unsuccessful staking and hanging in order to prevent his metamorphosis into one of the undead).

Although he had a memorably saturnine face with deep blue eyes which could burn with malevolence or twinkle on demand, his voice was just as recognisable. Described by the Guardian as having “the languid opulence of a falling £10 note” it was put into good service on a number of television advertisements, notably when his seductive tones – which often found him mistaken for the similar sounding James Mason – accompanied John Barry’s score on the advertising campaign for Sunsilk shampoo.

Son of British parents, Elizabeth and Cyril Carson-Parker, he was born in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where his father worked on tea and rubber plantations. Educated in Australia during the second world war, John went to Britain to do national service as an artillery officer in an anti-aircraft regiment in 1944-45. After a period as a pianist’s page turner at Covent Garden (where he got his first taste for the theatre), he studied law at Queen’s College, Oxford, and then left for New Zealand.

While there he performed in amateur theatre before working in professional radio drama, learning all facets of the business from acting to music selection. He then joined the theatre company the New Zealand Players before working his way back to the UK.

Having established himself with seasons at Sheffield in the late 1950s he then limited his stage work, though it included playing Will Roper in the original production of A Man For All Seasons at the Globe theatre in London (1960), with Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. One of his favourite roles was the well-meaning Freddie for Michael Blakemore in the premiere of Peter Nichols’s A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Comedy theatre, 1967, transferring to Broadway in 1968).

He appeared in the film Quentin Durward in 1955 and then moved on to television fare, including Sword of Freedom (1957) and Ivanhoe (playing numerous guest roles in 1958 and 1959). After the fame Emergency Ward 10 gave him he enjoyed a healthy three decades on TV and was rarely out of work. His parts included Monks in a 13-episode Oliver Twist with Max Adrian as Fagin, 1962, Count von Stauffenberg, Hitler’s would-be assassin, in the Wednesday Play The July Plot (1964), Mr Dombey in Dombey and Son (1969), Mr Knightley in a six-part version of Emma (1972), Heatherstone in Children of the New Forest (1977) and two Dennis Potter plays, Paper Roses (1971) and Shmoedipus (1974). Between his appearances in The Avengers (1963-1965) and Poirot (1989-2005) he appeared as the guest lead in practically every popular drama on television.

In 1983 he moved to South Africa for family reasons. Not being well known there, he had to build a career again but was soon playing leading roles. With no sympathy for apartheid, he found his phone was bugged (his second wife, Luanshya Greer, was a writer whose historical novels explored themes of racial division) and he was under government surveillance – something he found especially pertinent when playing Thomas Becket in a 1992 stage production of Murder in the Cathedral, at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. He was very useful to visiting film and television productions, appearing in the TV mini-series Shaka Zulu (1986) and Rhodes (1996, with Martin Shaw).

His last major film roles were as a forgetful old actor in The Deal, with William H Macy, and in Neil Marshall’s Doomsday (both 2008). His return to Britain in 2007 saw more television appearances – Doctors (2011), Silent Witness (2012) and Midsomer Murders (2013) – but he eventually went back to South Africa.

He is survived by Luanshya and their two children, Ben and Suzanna, and by four children, Richard, Chris, Katie and Harry, from a previous marriage, which ended in divorce.

 

SActor

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Video

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Marie Everett in Picture Perfect (2013)

Picture Perfect

7.6

Short

David

2013

 

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

Midsomer Murders

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Older Gentleman

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Amanda Burton, Emilia Fox, Sam Barnard, David Caves, and Genesis Lynea in Silent Witness (1996)

Silent Witness

7.9

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Mears' Father

2012

1 episode

 

Doctors (2000)

Doctors

4.6

TV Series

The Announcer

2011

1 episode

 

Lee-Anne Liebenberg and Rhona Mitra in Doomsday (2008)

Doomsday

5.9

George Dutton

2008

 

Meg Ryan and William H. Macy in The Deal (2008)

The Deal

5.6

Nigel Bland

2008

 

Boys Briefs 4 (2006)

Boys Briefs 4

5.6

Video

Man (segment "Build")

2006

 

Courts mais GAY: Tome 11 (2006)

Courts mais GAY: Tome 11

Man (segment "Elève-toi")

2006

 

David Suchet in Poirot (1989)

Poirot

8.6

TV Series

Richard Abernethie

Sir George Carrington

1989–2006

2 episodes

 

Build (2004)

Build

6.3

Short

Man

2004

 

I Dreamed of Africa (2000)

I Dreamed of Africa

5.5

Pembroke Headmaster

2000

 

CI5: The New Professionals (1998)

CI5: The New Professionals

5.2

TV Series

Admiral

1999

1 episode

 

Jim Fitzpatrick and Danny Lerner in Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target (1998)

Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target

4.7

President Farrington

1998

 

George Buza and Zen Gesner in The Adventures of Sinbad (1996)

The Adventures of Sinbad

7.0

TV Series

Sultan

1998

1 episode

 

Black Velvet Band

8.2

TV Movie

Col. Rowan

1997

 

Operation Delta Force 2: Mayday (1997)

Operation Delta Force 2: Mayday

3.6

TV Movie

US Hearing Official

1997

 

Maigret (1991)

Maigret

8.0

TV Series

Docteur

1997

1 episode

 

Mandela and de Klerk (1997)

Mandela and de Klerk

7.0

TV Movie

Willem de Klerk

1997

 

Martin Shaw in Rhodes (1996)

Rhodes

8.0

TV Mini Series

Sir Hercules Robinson

1996

5 episodes

 

The Syndicate

TV Series

Max Durrant (1995)

1995

 

The Visual Bible: Acts (1994)

The Visual Bible: Acts

7.7

Video

Ananias, High Priest

1994

 

Robert Mitchum, Bo Derek, and Jeff Fahey in Woman of Desire (1994)

Woman of Desire

4.1

Judge Parker

1994

 

Death in the Family

8.2

TV Mini Series

Ted

1993

 

The Last Hero (1991)

The Last Hero

5.0

Fred Zimmerman

1991

 

My Daughter's Keeper (1991)

My Daughter's Keeper

5.5

Bernard Eton

1991

 

The Sheltering Desert (1991)

The Sheltering Desert

5.9

Harding

1991

 

Schweitzer (1990)

Schweitzer

6.9

Horton Herschel

1990

 

Screen One (1985)

Screen One

6.6

TV Series

Lauderdale

1989

1 episode

 

The Last Warrior (1989)

The Last Warrior

5.2

Priest

1989

 

Diamonds High

Heinrich

1988

 

Kitty Aldridge and John Kani in An African Dream (1988)

An African Dream

6.5

Harry Endicott

1988

 

Tenth of a Second (1987)

Tenth of a Second

4.6

Man from Organization

1987

 

Survivor (1987)

Survivor

4.4

Engineer Councillor

1987

 

City of Blood (1987)

City of Blood

3.1

Prime Minister

1987

 

The Merchant of Venice

TV Movie

Antonio

1987

 

Shaka Zulu (1986)

Shaka Zulu

7.7

TV Mini Series

Lord Kimberley

1986

10 episodes

 

Heroes

TV Movie

1986

 

Red Alert

TV Series

Minister (1985)

1985

 

Pieter-Dirk Uys in Skating on Thin Uys (1985)

Skating on Thin Uys

BBC Man

1985

 

Westgate III

TV Series

Richard Sidley (1985)

1985

 

Strangers and Brothers (1984)

Strangers and Brothers

7.2

TV Series

Jago

1984

2 episodes

 

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark

TV Movie

Ghost

1983

 

For King and Country

TV Movie

Capt. Prescott

1983

 

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who

8.4

TV Series

Ambril

1983

4 episodes

 

Squadron (1982)

Squadron

7.8

TV Series

Air Vice Marshall Geoffrey Swindon

1982

1 episode

 

Frost in May (1982)

Frost in May

7.8

TV Mini Series

Claude Batchelor

1982

4 episodes

 

King's Royal

TV Series

Anderson

1982

1 episode

 

Alan Dobie in Cribb (1980)

Cribb

7.7

TV Series

Russell Haygarth

1981

1 episode

 

Sunday Night Thriller (1981)

Sunday Night Thriller

TV Series

Sir Ernest Blandy

1981

2 episodes

 

BBC2 Playhouse (1973)

BBC2 Playhouse

6.8

TV Series

Neilson

1981

1 episode

 

Sam Waterston in Oppenheimer (1980)

Oppenheimer

8.2

TV Mini Series

Narrator (voice)

1980

7 episodes

 

Hammer House of Horror (1980)

Hammer House of Horror

7.5

TV Series

Charles Randolph

1980

1 episode

 

The Enigma Files (1980)

The Enigma Files

7.2

TV Series

MacMillan

1980

1 episode

 

Tales of the Unexpected (1979)

Tales of the Unexpected

7.6

TV Series

Arthur

1980

1 episode

 

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1980)

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson

7.6

TV Series

Vickers

1979

1 episode

 

Faith Brook and John Carson in After Julius (1979)

After Julius

TV Series

Felix King

1979

3 episodes

 

Peter Barkworth and Hannah Gordon in Telford's Change (1979)

Telford's Change

8.7

TV Series

Jean Dieber

1979

2 episodes

 

Kidnapped (1978)

Kidnapped

7.6

TV Mini Series

More

James More Drummond

1978

8 episodes

 

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

The Professionals

8.0

TV Series

Brian Forrest

1978

1 episode

 

The Famous Five (1978)

The Famous Five

7.4

TV Series

Mr. Lenoir

1978

2 episodes

 

Send in the Girls

TV Series

Mr. Weston

1978

1 episode

 

1990 (1977)

1990

7.6

TV Series

William Grainger

1978

1 episode

 

The Children of the New Forest

7.8

TV Series

Col. Heatherstone

1977

5 episodes

 

Bernard Hepton, Angela Richards, and Clifford Rose in Secret Army (1977)

Secret Army

8.6

TV Series

Hans Van Reijn

1977

1 episode

 

Centre Play (1973)

Centre Play

7.5

TV Series

Bill

1977

1 episode

 

Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle (1977)

Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle

7.5

TV Series

Rex

Jack

1977

2 episodes

 

Jubilee

TV Series

Terry Iverson

1977

1 episode

 

Raffles (1975)

Raffles

7.8

TV Series

Carstairs

1977

1 episode

 

The Mackinnons

7.8

TV Series

James Connor

1977

1 episode

 

Twiggy in Victorian Scandals (1976)

Victorian Scandals

7.8

TV Series

Sir Hardinge Giffard

1976

1 episode

 

Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt, and Joanna Lumley in The New Avengers (1976)

The New Avengers

7.2

TV Series

Freddy

1976

1 episode

 

Killers

TV Series

Mr. Donald Finnemore

1976

1 episode

 

Don Henderson, Diane Keen, Peter Sallis, and Don Warrington in Crown Court (1972)

Crown Court

7.3

TV Series

Arnold Griffiths

1976

3 episodes

 

Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green (1955)

Dixon of Dock Green

6.7

TV Series

Joe Conway

Francis Spurling

1976

1 episode

 

BBC Play of the Month (1965)

BBC Play of the Month

6.9

TV Series

Charles Winsor

1976

1 episode

 

Shades of Greene (1975)

Shades of Greene

8.3

TV Series

Duval

1975

1 episode

 

Iain Cuthbertson in Sutherland's Law (1973)

Sutherland's Law

7.6

TV Series

Nicholas Fallon

1975

1 episode

 

Affairs of the Heart (1974)

Affairs of the Heart

7.9

TV Series

Charles Faversham

1975

1 episode

 

Nightingale's Boys (1975)

Nightingale's Boys

6.3

TV Series

Major Alistair James Cartwright

1975

1 episode

 

The Collaborators (1973)

The Collaborators

7.4

TV Series

1974

1 episode

 

Polly Bergen, Donna Mills, Paul Burke, Judy Carne, and Barbara Feldon in The Wide World of Mystery (1973)

The Wide World of Mystery

7.4

TV Series

1974

1 episode

 

Brian Blessed, Diana Dors, Sinéad Cusack, Don Henderson, Freddie Jones, Nyree Dawn Porter, Robert Powell, and Dennis Waterman in Thriller (1973)

Thriller

7.8

TV Series

Arthur Lewis

Ray Burns

1973–1974

2 episodes

 

Play for Today (1970)

Play for Today

7.8

TV Series

Tom Carter

Ellis Anderson

1970–1974

2 episodes

 

Horst Janson and Caroline Munro in Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

6.4

Dr. Marcus

1974

 

Special Branch (1969)

Special Branch

7.4

TV Series

Phillip Weston

1974

1 episode

 

Judi Bowker in The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972)

The Adventures of Black Beauty

6.6

TV Series

Joshua Eglinton

1973–1974

2 episodes

 

Armchair 30

TV Series

Alan

1973

1 episode

 

Debbie Bowen, Doran Godwin, and Timothy Peters in Emma (1972)

Emma

6.7

TV Mini Series

Mr. Knightley

1972

6 episodes

 

No Exit

TV Series

Alex Foster

1972

1 episode

 

ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969)

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

6.3

TV Series

Johnny Brown

Joe

1971–1972

2 episodes

 

Donald Pleasence and Betsy Blair in Love Story (1963)

Love Story

7.5

TV Series

John

1972

1 episode

 

Ray Barrett, Geoffrey Keen, and Philip Latham in Mogul (1965)

Mogul

7.3

TV Series

James Langley

Ted Kihl

Tom Sinclair

1966–1972

15 episodes

 

Male Bait

1971

 

Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965)

Thirty-Minute Theatre

7.6

TV Series

Mullard

Tom Grafton

1967–1971

2 episodes

 

Angela Down, Liza Goddard, and Susan Jameson in Take Three Girls (1969)

Take Three Girls

8.0

TV Series

Jason Phillips

1971

1 episode

 

Out of the Unknown (1965)

Out of the Unknown

7.5

TV Series

Allen Meredith

1971

1 episode

 

Paul Temple (1969)

Paul Temple

7.5

TV Series

Dr. Stephen Banning

1971

1 episode

 

Rules, Rules, Rules

TV Series

Johnny Dawson

1971

1 episode

 

Happy Ever After

TV Series

Dick

1970

1 episode

 

Menace (1970)

Menace

8.2

TV Series

Harry Selter

1970

1 episode

 

The Sinners

TV Series

Maj. Frank Keene

1970

1 episode

 

Roger Moore and Olga Georges-Picot in The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

The Man Who Haunted Himself

6.4

Ashton

1970

 

Christopher Lee in Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

Taste the Blood of Dracula

6.3

Jonathon Secker

1970

 

Wicked Women

8.5

TV Series

James Maybrick

1970

1 episode

 

Dombey and Son (1969)

Dombey and Son

7.5

TV Mini Series

Mr. Dombey

1969

13 episodes

 

Detective (1964)

Detective

8.4

TV Series

Alan Grant

Roger Sheringham

1968–1969

2 episodes

 

Department S (1969)

Department S

7.2

TV Series

Kilvern

1969

1 episode

 

Thunderbird 6 (1968)

Thunderbird 6

6.3

Captain Foster (II) (voice)

1968

 

Alexandra Bastedo, Stuart Damon, and William Gaunt in The Champions (1968)

The Champions

7.5

TV Series

Symons

1968

1 episode

 

The Expert (1968)

The Expert

8.2

TV Series

Sewell

1968

1 episode

 

Man in a Suitcase (1967)

Man in a Suitcase

7.7

TV Series

John Gilsen

1967

1 episode

 

Ian Hendry and Jean Marsh in The Informer (1966)

The Informer

8.3

TV Series

Peter Pallister QC.

1967

1 episode

 

Conflict

TV Series

Jack Tanner

1967

1 episode

 

No Hiding Place (1959)

No Hiding Place

7.7

TV Series

Dr. Neil Blair

1967

1 episode

 

Girl in a Black Bikini

TV Series

Robert Sheridan

1967

6 episodes

 

Roger Moore in The Saint (1962)

The Saint

7.5

TV Series

Godfrey Quillen

Theron Netlord

Ramon Venino ...

1962–1967

4 episodes

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

7.2

TV Series

Philip

1966

1 episode

 

Adam Adamant Lives! (1966)

Adam Adamant Lives!

7.0

TV Series

Randolph

1966

1 episode

 

Alfred Burke in Public Eye (1965)

Public Eye

8.5

TV Series

Steve Burrell

Robert Spanier

1965–1966

2 episodes

 

Steve Forrest in The Baron (1966)

The Baron

7.2

TV Series

Harry Revell

1966

2 episodes

 

Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves in Court Martial (1965)

Court Martial

7.7

TV Series

Willem

1966

1 episode

 

The Liars

9.5

TV Series

Lord Quorn

1966

1 episode

 

Arthur Haynes and Nicholas Parsons in The Arthur Haynes Show (1956)

The Arthur Haynes Show

6.6

TV Series

1966

1 episode

 

The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

The Plague of the Zombies

6.6

Clive Hamilton

1966

 

Maurice Denham, Patricia Haines, and John Saxon in Blood Beast from Outer Space (1965)

Blood Beast from Outer Space

5.5

Major

1965

 

The Man in a Looking Glass

TV Movie

Revell

1965

 

Alfred Lynch in Hereward the Wake (1965)

Hereward the Wake

9.0

TV Series

William of Normandy

1965

9 episodes

 

The Avengers (1961)

The Avengers

8.3

TV Series

Fitch

Marten Halvarssen

Ariston

1963–1965

3 episodes

 

Diane Cilento in Blackmail (1965)

Blackmail

7.9

TV Series

Major Gollage

1965

1 episode

 

Nigel Patrick in Zero One (1962)

Zero One

8.6

TV Series

Mackay

1965

1 episode

 

Derek Godfrey and Roddy McMillan in Front Page Story (1965)

Front Page Story

TV Series

John Fairley

1965

1 episode

 

Gary Raymond in About Religion (1956)

About Religion

TV Series

Tim

1965

1 episode

 

Act of Murder (1964)

Act of Murder

6.9

Tim Ford

1964

 

Smokescreen (1964)

Smokescreen

6.8

Trevor Bayliss

1964

 

Patrick Allen in Crane (1963)

Crane

8.2

TV Series

Hennessey-Bodley

1964

1 episode

 

The Wednesday Play (1964)

The Wednesday Play

7.6

TV Series

Colonel Claus Schenk Count von Stauffenberg

1964

1 episode

 

The Old Wives' Tale

TV Series

Samuel Povey

1964

4 episodes

 

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959)

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre

7.7

TV Series

Tim Ford

Paul Lanson

Insp. Jackson ...

1962–1964

4 episodes

 

Peter Cushing in The Caves of Steel (1964)

Story Parade

6.0

TV Series

R. Daneel Olivaw

1964

1 episode

 

The Protectors (1964)

The Protectors

7.7

TV Series

Smokey Grey

1964

1 episode

 

Earl Cameron, Lee Grant, and Fred Sadoff in The Respectful Prostitute (1964)

Festival

8.3

TV Series

Tempter

Knight

1964

1 episode

 

Keith Barron and William Mervyn in It's Dark Outside (1964)

It's Dark Outside

7.9

TV Series

Anthony Brand

1964

8 episodes

 

The Set Up (1963)

The Set Up

6.6

Insp. Jackson

1963

 

Accidental Death (1963)

Accidental Death

6.1

Paul Lanson

1963

 

Master Spy (1963)

Master Spy

5.8

Richard Colman

1963

 

Rupert Davies in Maigret (1959)

Maigret

7.9

TV Series

Richard Gendreaux

Liotard

1962–1963

2 episodes

 

John Gregson in First Night (1963)

First Night

8.5

TV Series

Paul Drury

1963

1 episode

 

Maupassant (1963)

Maupassant

TV Series

Comte de Sallure

1963

1 episode

 

Michael Quinn and Donald Wolfit in Ghost Squad (1961)

Ghost Squad

7.2

TV Series

Franz Hartmann

Arny Long

1961–1963

2 episodes

 

Suspense

7.1

TV Series

Hugh Mindell

Joseph Blake

Harry Stinton

1962–1963

3 episodes

 

Locker Sixty Nine (1962)

Locker Sixty Nine

5.7

Miguel Terila

1962

 

Drama 61-67 (1961)

Drama 61-67

7.3

TV Series

Robert Perrott

1962

1 episode

 

The Bacchae

TV Series

Pentheus

1962

2 episodes

 

Craig Stevens in Man of the World (1962)

Man of the World

7.7

TV Series

Said

1962

1 episode

 

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

BBC Sunday-Night Play

8.8

TV Series

Count Orloff

Marshall Armitt

Sam Holford ...

1960–1962

4 episodes

 

Out of This World (1962)

Out of This World

7.9

TV Series

Roger Carter

1962

1 episode

 

Guns of Darkness (1962)

Guns of Darkness

6.1

First Officer

1962

 

Max Adrian and Bruce Prochnik in Oliver Twist (1962)

Oliver Twist

7.5

TV Mini Series

Monks

1962

9 episodes

 

The Cheaters (1960)

The Cheaters

8.2

TV Series

Robert

Bill Demerest

1961–1962

2 episodes

 

Louis Hayward in The Pursuers (1961)

The Pursuers

8.3

TV Series

Joe

1961

1 episode

 

You Can't Win

TV Series

Robert Stobart

1961

1 episode

 

Debt to a Spy

TV Movie

Lieutenant Paul Clermont

1961

 

The Secret of the Nubian Tomb

TV Series

Sheikh Ahmed

1961

2 episodes

 

Seven Keys (1961)

Seven Keys

6.8

Norman

1961

 

The Mask of the Clown

TV Series

Ranjit Singh

1961

 

Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955)

The Adventures of Robin Hood

7.6

TV Series

Sir Geoffrey Claire

Sir Nigel Fitzhulme

1959–1960

2 episodes

 

Identity Unknown

5.7

Ray (uncredited)

1960

 

Formula for Danger

TV Series

Landauer

1960

3 episodes

 

Saturday Playhouse (1958)

Saturday Playhouse

TV Series

Hubert Drew

1960

1 episode

 

Portrait of Man

TV Movie

Man

1960

 

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950)

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre

7.8

TV Series

Harold

1959

1 episode

 

Armchair Theatre (1956)

Armchair Theatre

7.6

TV Series

Aengus MacOgue

Tom Brook

Borghem

1958–1959

3 episodes

 

Emergency-Ward 10 (1957)

Emergency-Ward 10

6.4

TV Series

Donald Latimer

1959

24 episodes

 

Van Johnson and Vera Miles in Web of Evidence (1959)

Web of Evidence

6.3

Jack Hancock (uncredited)

1959

 

William Tell (1958)

William Tell

7.2

TV Series

Fritz

1959

1 episode

 

Frankie Vaughan in The Lady Is a Square (1959)

The Lady Is a Square

5.8

Reporter (uncredited)

1959

 

Ivanhoe (1958)

Ivanhoe

7.1

TV Series

Sir Robert

Sir Roderick

Sir Morten ...

1958–1959

5 episodes

 

Television Playwright

8.8

TV Series

Lieutenant Vossiloff

1959

1 episode

 

Tim Turner in The Invisible Man (1958)

The Invisible Man

7.0

TV Series

Port Official (uncredited)

1958

1 episode

 

Intent to Kill (1958)

Intent to Kill

6.7

Hospital Receptionist

1958

 

Sword of Freedom (1957)

Sword of Freedom

7.8

TV Series

Filippo

Cipriano

1957–1958

2 episodes

 

A Picture of Autumn

TV Movie

Frank Denham

1957

 

Ramsbottom Rides Again (1956)

Ramsbottom Rides Again

5.0

(uncredited)

1956

 

Robert Taylor in Quentin Durward (1955)

Quentin Durward

6.3

Duke of Orléans

1955

 

Kent Taylor in Boston Blackie (1951)

Boston Blackie

7.6

TV Series

Eric Keating

1952

1 episode

Friday, November 4, 2016

Eddie Harsch obit

Former Black Crowes Keyboardist Eddie Harsch Dies at 59

Former Black Crowes keyboard player Eddie Harsch died on Friday morning (Nov. 4) at age 59. No information was available about the cause of death for the musician, who joined the Black Crowes in 1991…

He was not on the list.


Former Black Crowes keyboard player Eddie Harsch died Friday morning (Nov. 4) at age 59. No information was available about the cause of death for the musician, who joined the Black Crowes in 1991 before the release of their sole No. 1 album, 1992’s Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. He also appeared on 1994’s Amorica, 1996’s Three Snakes and One Charm, 1999’s By Your Side and 2001’s Lions. A tribute to Harsch was posted on the Facebook page for the Magpie Salute, the band formed by former Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson that featured the keyboardist.

“It is with the saddest of hearts that we bid farewell to our dear friend Eddie Harsch,” Robinson wrote. “Eddie was a brilliant musician, with a beautiful heart. We should remember Eddie for his music, his great sense of humor, and his positive outlook on life. We ask that everyone please respect the privacy of Eddie’s family at this time. Let’s honor him by celebrating his musical contributions to the world, and by sending positive thoughts and prayers to him and his family. Our hearts will forever remain with our musical brother.”

Harsch played with the Black Crowes from 1991 until just before their breakup in 2002. The versatile musician, who was born May 27, 1957, in Toronto, Ontario, was back behind the keys from 2005-06 during the band’s brief reunion. He also performed with the jam band Bulldog during the Crowes’ hiatus, as well as garage rock band the Detroit Cobras.


Thursday, November 3, 2016

Kay Starr obit

Kay Starr obituary

Versatile US jazz and pop singer best known for her 1950s hit Wheel of Fortune

 

 She was not on the list.


In the pre-rock’n’roll era, popular vocalists often flirted with jazz. Many grew up surrounded by the music of the big bands and felt at home with jazz phrasing. Some, like Kay Starr, who has died aged 94, performed and recorded with jazz musicians before finding wider success with pop songs and novelties.

Starr’s early recordings have the kind of bluesy warmth and distinctive swing sense that suggest she might have emulated the likes of Peggy Lee or Ella Fitzgerald had she chosen to stay closer to jazz. One trade paper of the time called her a “deep-voiced brunette thrush”. Instead, she became a jukebox favourite, first with Bonaparte’s Retreat in 1950 and then with Wheel of Fortune two years later, a major hit that became her “signature” song.

Katherine Starks was born in the small town of Dougherty, Oklahoma, of Native American stock: her father, Harry, was an Iroquois and her mother, Annie, part Choctaw, Cherokee and Irish. The family moved to Dallas when Starr was three, where her father found work installing sprinklers in buildings while her mother raised chickens. An aunt noticed the nine-year-old’s pleasure in singing around the house and encouraged her to enter a talent contest at the local radio station. Starr won a prize for singing and operating a yo-yo simultaneously, and continued to win contests, so much so that the radio station WRR, Dallas, gave her a 15-minute programme of her own, paying her three dollars a show.

This process continued when the family moved to Memphis, where she landed her own Starr Time segment on WREC and appeared on the station’s popular Saturday Night Jamboree. It was at this time that she changed her name to Kay Starr, supposedly because fans consistently misspelled her name in their letters.

Starr’s first foray into the wider world of show business came in 1937, when the jazz violinist Joe Venuti arrived in Memphis to play a season at the Peabody hotel. Needing a female singer, he hired the youngster for the three-week season, and she toured with his band for the next two years during her summer holidays, her mother acting as chaperone. She praised Venuti for “teaching me to sing with authority”. It was Venuti who recommended Starr to the Bob Crosby band when they needed a female vocalist for their radio show. Starr travelled to New York, but lasted only two weeks because the show’s sponsor thought her “too earthy”. She was then engaged by bandleader Glenn Miller for another short stint at the legendary Glen Island Casino, making her first recordings with Miller for the Bluebird label.

Returning to Memphis, Starr completed high school and then moved to California to resume her association with Venuti. After two years the draft had stripped the Venuti outfit of its players and Starr moved on to work with Wingy Manone, the testy one-armed jazz trumpeter from New Orleans (with whom she later recorded).

She was enticed away to join the nationally prominent Charlie Barnet swing band, replacing Lena Horne. Starr’s recording of Share Croppin’ Blues with Barnet pleased the critics before a severe bout of pneumonia laid her low and she lost her voice completely. After her vocal nodes were frozen for three months, Starr recovered to find that her voice was deeper and huskier, and altogether more distinctive.

Now set up as a solo performer, and building on her success with Barnet, Starr appeared in all the best Los Angeles clubs to great acclaim. She also made her celebrated recordings with the Capitol International Jazzmen (including Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter and Nat King Cole) in 1945, adding others for smaller labels with Venuti, Carter and the veteran jazz drummer Ben Pollack.

Contracted to Capitol from 1947, Starr concentrated on popular material, looking for Top 30 chart success, first striking lucky with Bonaparte’s Retreat, an old Oklahoma fiddle tune that sold just short of a million copies. She sang at Harry Truman’s presidential inauguration, flying straight from her engagement at the Casbah in Los Angeles. In 1952, Wheel of Fortune went gold and earned her a fortune. With this, Starr was made, recording prolifically as a “utility singer”, handling jazz and country, pop songs and spirituals.

When she moved to RCA-Victor in 1955 for a guarantee of $250,000 a year, Starr scored again with Rock and Roll Waltz, the first song to have “rock and roll” in the name, although Starr laughed at this claim, saying: “It sure wasn’t rock.”

Back with Capitol in 1959, she recorded a number of notable albums, including the jazz-influenced Movin’ as well as the more conventional Just Plain Country. Despite her flexibility and popularity, Starr was dropped by Capitol in 1966, but continued to tour the US and Europe, playing Las Vegas and recording an album with Count Basie in 1968 before visiting London in 1983 with a small group.

She had largely faded from view when an appreciative profile penned by the Village Voice critic Gary Giddins in 1985 brought her back into the spotlight. He especially liked her “brassy fusion of urban swing and country twang” and placed her among the “very small pantheon of great working jazz singers”.

Despite such praise, Starr failed to secure a new recording contract, but continued to perform with other singers of her era in nostalgic hit-song revues and to sing for corporate functions. She was much admired by her peers – including Dinah Washington, whom she resembled – for what Giddins described as her “zest and savvy blues-coloured phrasing”. In later years, she devoted herself to Native American affairs.

She was married six times, and is survived by her daughter, Katherine.

 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Bob Cranshaw obit

Bassist Bob Cranshaw Dies at 83

Recorded on many Blue Note classics, worked steadily with Sonny Rollins for over five decades 

He was not on the list.


Bassist Bob Cranshaw, a consummate and influential sideman best known for his long-running association with saxophone great Sonny Rollins, died yesterday at his home in New York City, following a lengthy battle with bone cancer. He was 83.

Cranshaw was born Melbourne Robert Cranshaw in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 3, 1932. Prior to taking up bass and tuba as a high-schooler, he trained on piano and drums. Cranshaw was a founding member of drummer Walter Perkins’ MJT+3 in 1957. He moved to New York at the start of the following decade and joined up with Rollins in 1962. Cranshaw moved in and out of Rollins’ touring and recording bands-mostly remaining in-over the following half-century, up until Rollins stopped touring a few years ago. He appears on many of the Saxophone Colossus’ essential albums, beginning with 1962’s “comeback” LP, The Bridge, and continuing through Rollins’ albums for RCA Victor, Milestone and into the Road Shows series, which many critics believe to be among the most important live recordings in jazz history.

During the 1960s, Cranshaw played on many classic Blue Note albums, including some of the most important LPs in the label’s history. Among Cranshaw’s credits are Dexter Gordon’s Gettin’ Around, Grant Green’s Idle Moments, Joe Henderson’s Inner Urge, Bobby Hutcherson’s Happenings, Jackie McLean’s Right Now, Grachan Moncur III’s Evolution, Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, a handful of albums by both Duke Pearson and Stanley Turrentine, Hank Mobley’s A Caddy for Daddy and Horace Silver’s The Cape Verdean Blues, among others. Cranshaw also made the studio rounds elsewhere, recording for labels including Riverside, on albums led by Nat Adderley, Barry Harris and Milt Jackson, among others; Prestige, on sessions helmed by Harris, Jaki Byard, Sonny Criss, Eric Kloss, James Moody and Gene Ammons; Impulse!, on records credited to Oliver Nelson, McCoy Tyner, Shirley Scott and Kai Winding; Verve, with albums like Wes Montgomery’s Movin’ Wes and Bumpin’; and Atlantic, including dates for Yusef Lateef, Nat Adderley, Mose Allison and Joe Zawinul.

Cranshaw was also heavily involved in television, having worked on Saturday Night Live during its 1970s heyday and Sesame Street, in addition to innumerable TV and film scores. He also acted as musical director for various talk shows, including those hosted by Merv Griffin and Dick Cavett.

In the ’70s Cranshaw took up the electric bass, a necessary move caused by a car accident, and one that garnered him criticism. Still, though the shift was noticeable tonally, Cranshaw maintained his approach. “I play the electric just like I play the string bass,” he told JT writer Chip Stern in 2001. “I mean, there’s a certain characteristic to the electric, but I play it like an upright, because I’m not really a funk player-I’m still a jazz bassist.” The electric bass, Cranshaw explained, has a strong, loud signal, and players like Rollins enjoyed really hearing the bass in the mix.

In recent decades Cranshaw was active as an advocate for musicians’ rights, working on behalf of the New York City musicians’ union, Local 802. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, five children and many grandchildren.

Jud Kinberg obit

Producer Jud Kinberg, Father of Simon Kinberg, Dies at 91

 

He was not on the list.


Jud Kinberg, father of Simon Kinberg and a producer of “Lust for Life” and “The Collector,” died on Nov. 2 at his home in New York City, according to a rep for his son. He was 91.

Kinberg was a Brooklyn native who attended the University of North Carolina. He served with the U.S Army in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.

Kinberg began working in Hollywood under John Houseman, collaborating with him on films for MGM including “Julius Caesar,” starring Marlon Brando; “Executive Suite,” starring William Holden; “Her Twelve Men,” with Greer Garson and Robert Ryan; Vincente Minnelli’s “The Cobweb,” with Richard Widmark and Lauren Bacall; and “Lust for Life,” starring Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gogh.

Kinberg also produced the British psychological thriller “The Collector,” directed by William Wyler, and “The Magus,” starring Michael Caine.

Kinberg also worked for ABC, Embassy, Michael Grade Productions, and Universal as a television executive and received an Emmy nomination for outstanding drama series for producing NBC’s “Quincy M.E.,” starring Jack Klugman. Kinberg wrote and produced the TV movie “To Catch a Killer.”

Kinberg also taught film and television at California State University, Northridge, and the University of Southern California.

His son Simon Kinberg is a producer of the “X-Men” franchise, “Deadpool,” and “The Martian.” Jud Kinberg is also survived by his wife, Monica, sons Steven and Robert and grandsons Toby and Oliver.

Producer

Brian Dennehy in To Catch a Killer (1992)

To Catch a Killer

7.3

TV Mini Series

executive producer

1992

2 episodes

 

A Stoning in Fulham County (1988)

A Stoning in Fulham County

5.9

TV Movie

producer (produced by)

1988

 

Kane & Abel (1985)

Kane & Abel

7.8

TV Mini Series

executive producer

1985

2 episodes

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy, M.E. (1976)

Quincy, M.E.

7.3

TV Series

executive producer

1977

9 episodes

 

Story of a Love Story (1973)

Story of a Love Story

5.4

producer

1973

 

The Magus (1968)

The Magus

5.6

producer

1968

 

Anthony Quinn, Faye Dunaway, George Maharis, Michael Parks, and Robert Walker Jr. in The Happening (1967)

The Happening

5.1

producer

1967

 

Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar in The Collector (1965)

The Collector

7.5

producer

1965

 

Janette Scott in Siege of the Saxons (1963)

Siege of the Saxons

4.8

producer

1963

 

Reach for Glory (1962)

Reach for Glory

7.2

producer

1962

 

The Four Just Men (1959)

The Four Just Men

7.1

TV Series

producer

1959–1960

20 episodes

 

The Seven Lively Arts (1957)

The Seven Lively Arts

6.1

TV Series

producer

1957–1958

2 episodes

 

Van Gogh: Darkness Into Light

6.4

Short

producer

1956

 

Lust for Life (1956)

Lust for Life

7.3

associate producer

1956

 

Stewart Granger in Moonfleet (1955)

Moonfleet

6.6

associate producer

1955

 

Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer, Lillian Gish, Richard Widmark, and Gloria Grahame in The Cobweb (1955)

The Cobweb

6.3

associate producer

1955

 

Greer Garson, Lee Aaker, Tim Considine, Dale Hartleben, Donald MacDonald, Robert Ryan, Stuffy Singer, David Stollery, Barry Sullivan, and Peter J. Votrian in Her Twelve Men (1954)

Her Twelve Men

6.3

associate producer

1954

 

Executive Suite (1954)

Executive Suite

7.4

associate producer

1954

 

Marlon Brando, John Gielgud, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Greer Garson, Louis Calhern, and Edmond O'Brien in Julius Caesar (1953)

Julius Caesar

7.2

associate producer (uncredited)

1953

 

Writer

In the Best Interest of the Children (1992)

In the Best Interest of the Children

6.9

TV Movie

teleplay

1992

 

Brian Dennehy in To Catch a Killer (1992)

To Catch a Killer

7.3

TV Mini Series

written by

1992

2 episodes

 

A Stoning in Fulham County (1988)

A Stoning in Fulham County

5.9

TV Movie

teleplay

1988

 

Sylvia Kristel in The Million Dollar Face (1981)

The Million Dollar Face

4.7

TV Movie

teleplay

1981

 

Oliver Reed, Richard Widmark, and Gayle Hunnicutt in The Sell-Out (1976)

The Sell-Out

4.8

screenplay (as Judson Kinberg)

1976

 

Vampire Circus (1972)

Vampire Circus

6.3

screenplay by (as Judson Kinberg)

1972

 

Jenny Agutter, Derek Fowlds, and Sylvia Syms in East of Sudan (1964)

East of Sudan

5.0

screenplay

1964

 

Janette Scott in Siege of the Saxons (1963)

Siege of the Saxons

4.8

written by

1963

 

Reach for Glory (1962)

Reach for Glory

7.2

writer

1962

 

Production Manager

Generation (1985)

Generation

5.2

TV Movie

executive production manager

1985