How
to even write this one? So I write a list of the things he acted in?
We'd be here all day. Do I talk about the first time I saw him in
something? I don't remember what that was, from my point of view this
man always existed. The man's legacy was monolithic.
If
you're of a certain age he was the definitive Dracula and if you're
of any other age was an iconic Dracula. He was in Star Wars, The
Avengers, James Bond, The Wicker Man, The Lord Of The Rings, the
Discworld adaptations, he recorded metal albums about Charlemagne (I
am not kidding and they are well worth listening to).
He
was also of that great generation of actors who were just great
characters in their own right. Some highlights from his Wikipedia
biography have him, as a child, meeting the assassins of Rasputin
(one of whom he would later play), wartime operations as part of the
SAS, which he'd never discuss due to the Official Secrets Act, being
the direct reason Hammer adapted Dennis Wheatley's novels and, my
personal favourite, being tricked into narrating a softcore porn
movie.
Most
of all, though, there's that voice. That deep, resonant and
commanding voice. That voice sold Saruman's authority and Dracula's
sexual power, it even had the power to elevate his more middling
roles like Star Wars' Count Dooku into memorable performances.
The
Grand Pantheon of British Actors has lost another of the greats and
he shall be missed.
1 comment:
He will indeed be missed.
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