Coverage of the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes' was reduced to a single listing with no supporting photographs.
Showing posts with label What Big Eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What Big Eyes. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 December 2023
Ann Hollowood (Costume Designer for What Big Eyes)
Born in 1942 Hollowood was educated at Wimbledon College of Art in Theatre Design before entering television as a costume designer. During her career she would win two Emmy awards and a BAFTA for her outstanding costume design work.
Amongst her earliest television credits is the 1968 BBC adaptation of the classic story The Railway Children (12th May – 23rd June 1968) directed by Julia Smith. Hollowood is credited on all eight episodes. This was followed by work on a couple of episodes of the Alistair Sim starring BBC comedy series Misleading Cases – 'Right of Way' (9th October 1968) and 'Who Giveth This Woman' (30th October 1968). She began work for independent television with the ATV series This Is Tom Jones, a light entertainment series which ran for over fifty episodes between 1969 and 1971. Hollowood was the main costume designer for the series during this period.
She continued being employed by ATV during the 1970s and moved into providing costumes for serials and plays during this period. After her work on the Tom Jones series Hollowood worked on episodes of Thriller – 'Possession', 'Where the Action Is' AKA 'The Killing Game' and 'The Eyes Have It'. She then worked as the costume designer on the prestigious period drama Edward the Seventh (1st April – 1st July 1975) and after the series was transmitted in America in 1979 she was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series for her work on the programme. Her costume budget for each episode was reputed to be £5,000, more than double the BBC budget for a costume drama from this period.
Her first association with the Muppets was during work on the entertainment special Julie: My Favourite Things (18 April 1975) with Hollowood supplying costumes for both Julie Andrews and several Muppets that featured in sketches. As well as working on the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes' during 1976 Hollowood also consolidated her association with The Muppet Show providing costumes for guest stars including John Denver, Dudley Moore, Marty Feldman and Gene Kelly amongst many others. She would work on the series throughout its run from 1976 up until 1981.
Following her sterling work on Edward the Seventh Hollowood was assigned to another prestigious period drama, Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic (1978), a four episode dramatization of the life of the famous prime minister with Ian McShane in the eponymous role. Along with Sue Le Cash and Christine Wilson her work on the series earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series of a Special in 1979 following transmission in the US.
After the main series of The Muppet Show had finished Hollowood still continued to be regularly recruited to work on special editions or one-off programmes featuring them such as The Muppets Go to the Movies (20th May 1981) and The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (17th September 1982). After ATV had ceased to exist following a shake-up in the television franchises Hollowood decided to go freelance, emboldened by her Emmy awards. Amongst her first freelance roles was costume designs for an American television version of Pygmalion (1983), which cast Peter O’Toole as Professor Higgins and Margot Kidder as Eliza Doolittle. Her career also took in a couple of low budget British films – the Southport lensed Mr Love (1985), Birmingham set musical drama Hearts and Emeralds (1986) and romantic drama Vroom (1988) which starred Clive Owen and David Thewlis.
She was reunited with Jim Henson to work on the anthology series The Storyteller during 1987 and 1988 and received a BAFTA award in 1989 for her work on the series beating the BBC’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. Work for Jim Henson continued with the fourth wall breaking anthology series The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and the single drama Living with Dinosaurs (1989). During 1990 Hollowood provided costume designs for the Clive Barker horror film Nightbreed and the TV movie The Old Man and the Sea (1990) which featured Anthony Quinn. She was also the costume designer on the first season of children’s science fiction comedy series Kappatoo produced by Tyne Tees Television. In 1991 she shared another BAFTA nomination alongside Polly Smith for their work on The Storyteller: Greek Myths (1991) which was a four-part spin off from the main anthology series. This was followed with design work on the film The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992).
She worked on the second series of the Dawn French comedy vehicle Murder Most Horrid 1994 followed with credits for the film The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo (1997) and the American TV movie Mother Teresa: In The Name of God’s Poor (1997) which featured Geraldine Chaplin as Teresa.
In 1998 she was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design in a Miniseries or Movie for her creations for the mini-series Merlin which starred Sam Neil as the titular wizard. The production was co-produced by Hallmark Entertainment who also bank rolled her next project, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999). She continued her association with Hallmark for her next two projects – the mini-series Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001), directed by Brian Henson, and Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale (2003). Her final TV credit was on the American mini-series The Ten Commandments (2006). In 2009 the opera Alban was staged at St Alban’s Cathedral, Holborn. Hollowood was the costume designer for the production.
Hollowood died of a brain tumour in February 2014 at the age of 72. After her death the Ann Hollowood Prize for Costume Design was established and is awarded each year to a promising student at the Wimbledon College of Art.
Amongst her earliest television credits is the 1968 BBC adaptation of the classic story The Railway Children (12th May – 23rd June 1968) directed by Julia Smith. Hollowood is credited on all eight episodes. This was followed by work on a couple of episodes of the Alistair Sim starring BBC comedy series Misleading Cases – 'Right of Way' (9th October 1968) and 'Who Giveth This Woman' (30th October 1968). She began work for independent television with the ATV series This Is Tom Jones, a light entertainment series which ran for over fifty episodes between 1969 and 1971. Hollowood was the main costume designer for the series during this period.
She continued being employed by ATV during the 1970s and moved into providing costumes for serials and plays during this period. After her work on the Tom Jones series Hollowood worked on episodes of Thriller – 'Possession', 'Where the Action Is' AKA 'The Killing Game' and 'The Eyes Have It'. She then worked as the costume designer on the prestigious period drama Edward the Seventh (1st April – 1st July 1975) and after the series was transmitted in America in 1979 she was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series for her work on the programme. Her costume budget for each episode was reputed to be £5,000, more than double the BBC budget for a costume drama from this period.
Her first association with the Muppets was during work on the entertainment special Julie: My Favourite Things (18 April 1975) with Hollowood supplying costumes for both Julie Andrews and several Muppets that featured in sketches. As well as working on the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes' during 1976 Hollowood also consolidated her association with The Muppet Show providing costumes for guest stars including John Denver, Dudley Moore, Marty Feldman and Gene Kelly amongst many others. She would work on the series throughout its run from 1976 up until 1981.
Following her sterling work on Edward the Seventh Hollowood was assigned to another prestigious period drama, Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic (1978), a four episode dramatization of the life of the famous prime minister with Ian McShane in the eponymous role. Along with Sue Le Cash and Christine Wilson her work on the series earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Limited Series of a Special in 1979 following transmission in the US.
After the main series of The Muppet Show had finished Hollowood still continued to be regularly recruited to work on special editions or one-off programmes featuring them such as The Muppets Go to the Movies (20th May 1981) and The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (17th September 1982). After ATV had ceased to exist following a shake-up in the television franchises Hollowood decided to go freelance, emboldened by her Emmy awards. Amongst her first freelance roles was costume designs for an American television version of Pygmalion (1983), which cast Peter O’Toole as Professor Higgins and Margot Kidder as Eliza Doolittle. Her career also took in a couple of low budget British films – the Southport lensed Mr Love (1985), Birmingham set musical drama Hearts and Emeralds (1986) and romantic drama Vroom (1988) which starred Clive Owen and David Thewlis.
She was reunited with Jim Henson to work on the anthology series The Storyteller during 1987 and 1988 and received a BAFTA award in 1989 for her work on the series beating the BBC’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. Work for Jim Henson continued with the fourth wall breaking anthology series The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and the single drama Living with Dinosaurs (1989). During 1990 Hollowood provided costume designs for the Clive Barker horror film Nightbreed and the TV movie The Old Man and the Sea (1990) which featured Anthony Quinn. She was also the costume designer on the first season of children’s science fiction comedy series Kappatoo produced by Tyne Tees Television. In 1991 she shared another BAFTA nomination alongside Polly Smith for their work on The Storyteller: Greek Myths (1991) which was a four-part spin off from the main anthology series. This was followed with design work on the film The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992).
She worked on the second series of the Dawn French comedy vehicle Murder Most Horrid 1994 followed with credits for the film The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo (1997) and the American TV movie Mother Teresa: In The Name of God’s Poor (1997) which featured Geraldine Chaplin as Teresa.
In 1998 she was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design in a Miniseries or Movie for her creations for the mini-series Merlin which starred Sam Neil as the titular wizard. The production was co-produced by Hallmark Entertainment who also bank rolled her next project, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999). She continued her association with Hallmark for her next two projects – the mini-series Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001), directed by Brian Henson, and Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale (2003). Her final TV credit was on the American mini-series The Ten Commandments (2006). In 2009 the opera Alban was staged at St Alban’s Cathedral, Holborn. Hollowood was the costume designer for the production.
Hollowood died of a brain tumour in February 2014 at the age of 72. After her death the Ann Hollowood Prize for Costume Design was established and is awarded each year to a promising student at the Wimbledon College of Art.
Monday, 4 December 2023
Patricia Mason (2nd Woman Customer in What Big Eyes)
Mason was active onscreen between 1962 and 1980. She had extensive experience in theatre with early employment including time as part of the Lichfield Repertory Company in such productions as Search No More at the David Garrick theatre during June and July 1950 and When We Are Married over August 1950. She appeared as Cleopatra in The Enchanted Garden at the Saville theatre during October and November 1951 and as part of the newly formed Fraser Neal Players who opened a new season at the Dunfermline Opera House with the play Jeannie. This was followed by productions of Gaslight, Little Lambs Eat Ivy, Pick Up Girl and Mary Rose from April 1952. For a time she was a member of the Castle Players based at the Grand Theatre in Lancaster where she was involved in such productions as Black Coffee, Wuthering Heights, Madam Tic-Tac and This Happy Breed during 1953 and 1954.
Her earliest television role was as a cook in the Dr Finlay’s Casebook episode 'A Spotless Reputation' (25th October 1962). This debut was followed by Mason playing Lady Winseal in the ITV Play of the Week episode 'Double Stakes' (7th May 1963). Next was a small role as Miss Patterson in 'Slim Jim' (1st February 1964), an episode of Dixon of Dock Green, and another role in Dr Finlay’s Casebook playing Mrs Snoddie in the episode 'Stranger in Town' (22nd March 1964).
She played supporting roles in The Benny Hill Show episode 'Opportunity Calls' (6th November 1965) and was then absent from the screen for over a year before she featured in The Wednesday Play instalment 'Kippers and Curtains' (6th December 1967), followed by 'The Golden Dart' (4th August 1968), an episode of the BBC anthology series Detective. Her third and final appearance in Dr Finlay’s Casebook was as a matron in the episode 'The Visitation' (9th March 1969). She joined Terry Scott as part of the cast of his show Scott On… contributing to the episode 'Superstitions' (28th September 1969).
She had a rare big screen role playing a gentlewoman in Roman Polanski’s film version of Macbeth (1971). Her next television role was as Mrs Abbot in 'Public Concern' (20th October 1974), an episode of the business drama The Brothers. She then appeared in the BBC Play for Today production 'Sunset Across the Bay' (20th February 1975) which was written by Alan Bennet and directed by Stephen Frears. Mason played the role of Miss Venables.
Following her appearance as a shop customer in the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes' Mason has a small role as a wife in the tenth episode of the BBC series Anna Karenina (9th April 1978). She also appeared as a Scottish lady in the first episode of the Armchair Thriller story 'Rachel in Danger' (21st February 1978).
TV Credits
1962 Dr Finlay’s Casebook – 'A Spotless Reputation'
1963 ITV Play of the Week – 'Double Stakes'
1964 Dixon of Dock Green – 'Slim Jim', Dr Finlay’s Casebook – 'Stranger in Town'
1965 The Benny Hill Show
1967 The Wednesday Play – 'Kippers and Curtains'
1968 Detective – 'The Golden Dart'
1969 Dr Finlay’s Casebook – 'The Visitation', Castle Haven (as Mrs Bolan), Scott On… 'Superstitions'
1974 The Brothers – 'Public Concern'
1975 The Dick Emery Show
1976 Beasts – 'What Big Eyes'
1977 Anna Karenina
1978 Armchair Thriller – 'Rachel in Danger'
Film Credits
1971 Macbeth
1975 The Adolescents
Janice Bean (Woman Customer in What Big Eyes)
Janice Bean was a popular stage actress who made her mark as a vocalist in several musical productions. Bean was active on television screens for a brief time during the 1970s.
During the 1973 pantomime period Bean was a cast member of a production of Jack and the Beanstalk at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne during December 1973 and January 1974. Bean played the role of Joan Blunderbore. Prior to her appearance in Beasts she was seen in the first season of the ATV children’s drama production The Siege of Golden Hill, playing the role of Mrs Adams.
Her only other notable credit was as a woman with a letter in 'Match of the Day' (18th January 1981) a fourth season episode of the sitcom A Sharp Intake of Breath.
STAGE CREDITS
Haymarket Theatre
1964 Fifty Years Ago (supporting lead actress Jessie Matthews)
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
1968 No, No Nanette
Manchester Palace Theatre, Manchester
1969 Mr and Mrs (musical)
Champagne Follies (touring production)
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
1970 The Hollow (written by Agatha Christie)
Derby Playhouse
1970 Up The Rams (playing a history lecturer)
Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate
1971 – 1972 Salad Days (short tour of UK cities followed)
DEVONSHIRE PARK, Eastbourne
1973 – 1974 Jack and the Beanstalk
TV Credits
1975 Golden Hill (as Mrs Adams)
1976 Beasts – 'What Big Eyes'
1981 A Sharp Intake of Breath – 'Match of the Day'
Gerald James (Joe Nash in What Big Eyes)
His stage work during the 1950s includes Les Derniers Outrages presented by students of RADA at the Vanbrugh Theatre at the start of July 1957. He was cast as Sir William Davison in a production of Mary Stuart presented by the Old Vic Company at the Assembly Hall theatre during September 1958. On television James was amongst the cast of the obscure one-off musical drama The Orpheans (1st March 1956) and played the character of Mr Hobbs, a grocer, in two episodes of the BBC adaptation of Little Lord Fauntleroy (1957). Big Guns was a BBC crime drama which featured Warren Mitchell and Nigel Davenport amongst the cast. James had a small role as a hotel porter in the first episode, 'Go West Young Man' (1st January 1958). Just over three weeks later James appeared in the BBC drama anthology Television World Theatre playing the character Kassel in 'The Dark is Light Enough' (26th January 1958). Adapted for television by Christopher Fry from his own play the production boasted an impressive cast that also included Dame Edith Evans, Peter Wyngarde, Melvyn Hayes and fellow Beasts cast member Peter Halliday. James then joined Peter Cushing and Mary Morris in the cast of the BBC play Uncle Harry (8th May 1958) in the role of Mr Jenkins, which would be his last TV appearance for a few years.
He returned to television to appear in the Armchair Theatre production 'Clip Joint People' (4th December 1960) in a small role and, just over a fortnight later, he appeared in the one off drama The Eye of Allah (21st December 1960) playing Roger Bacon in an adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story. Whilst his above appearances were broadcast James was toiling away in a theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Old Vic from 20th December 1960. The anthology series One Step Beyond filmed a block of episodes in the UK using English actors and James featured in one episode, 'The Confession' (11th April 1961), alongside Donald Pleasence and Adrienne Corri. Between TV work James took on theatre work including Empress with Teapot at the Royal Court theatre during June 1961. This was followed by a role as Detective-Superintendent Hurst in 'Listen James' (23rd July 1961) an episode of the prestigious BBC Sunday Night Play series.
A look at the role that Wales and the Welsh have played in Shakespeare’s body of work was the topic of a BBC Wales programme, We Band of Brothers (29th July 1964). James was one of the actors interviewed for the documentary. He made his second Armchair Theatre appearance in the episode 'Daughter of the House' (16th April 1965) in the role of Henry. The stage continued to be James’ main area of employment; Much Ado About Nothing presented at The Old Vic during February 1965, Armstrong’s Last Goodnight by John Arden for the National Theatre at the Chichester Festival Theatre during early July 1965, a revival of Arthur Pinero’s play Trelawny of the Wells at the Chichester Festival Theatre in late July 1965 and the National Theatre Company production of The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the Old Vic during December 1966.
W Somerset Maugham was a series of BBC adaptations of the eponymous authors work. James appeared in the episode transmitted 5th August 1969 in the role of Mr Carter, with his wife played by Joan Hickson. He then guest starred as Joe Jacklin in 'Anybody Here Seen Kelly?' (12th August 1969), an episode of the series Fraud Squad. Perhaps his most notable stage role of 1970 was in Back to Methuselah at the Old Vic presented by National Theatre Company. The production was directed by Donald McWhinnie who would cast James in the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes'.
The Ten Commandments was a themed drama anthology produced by Yorkshire Television in which each episode explored one of the commandments. James appears in the episode 'A Bit of Family Feeling' (1st June 1971) as the father of the family which also included George Cole and Mary Ure. James continued with prestigious stage productions for both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company taking in Coriolanus during May 1971, Tyger – A Celebration of William Blake during July and August 1971 and The National Health during January 1972. James played Doctor Rees. All these performances were based at the Old Vic
After an absence of over a year James reappeared on TV with Gravediggers (24th November 1972), a half-hour single drama produced by BBC Wales. James featured as Harry. He made more appearances the following year with another thirty minute single drama, I Want to Marry Your Son (8th March 1973) and in Marked Personal, an afternoon drama series centred on the human resources department of a large company. James appeared as Ron Beavis in episode five (13th November 1973) and six (14th November 1973). James undertook the recurring role of Charlie Caldwell, the father of Hadleigh’s wife, in the second season of Hadleigh with the character appearing in seven episodes of the season. His final television role of 1973 was as a band leader in 'The Cornet Lesson' (24th December 1973) an edition of Centre Play.
James was seen as Fred Feeley in the ITV Sunday Night Drama story 'Harry Lifters' (17th November 1974) and guest starred as Mr Evercreech in 'Bed, Beautiful Bed' (22nd December 1974), an instalment of the John Alderton and Pauline Collins starring sitcom No, Honestly. 'Harry Lifters' featured James in the main role as a steward of a local yacht club. The Stage commented on his performance when reviewing the play: “But it was the faces that one remembered: Gerald James puzzled and hurt and truculent all at the same time, like a dog that doesn’t know whether to snap at his master or lick his hand.[1]” His most high profile acting job for 1974 was as Professor Frazier in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
The following year would see James guest star in a second season episode of The Last of the Summer Wine, playing Mr Green in 'The Changing Face of Rural Blamire' (19th March 1975). before a short return to Crown Court to appear as George Wilcox in the first episode of 'The Obsession' (14th May 1975). He undertook the role of Peters in the Play for Today production 'After The Solo' (25th November 1975). Written by John Challen the play also featured Leonard Rossiter as the father of a boy who has a superb singing voice but is due to lose it due to the onset of puberty. State of Emergency (4th – 18th December 1975) was a three-part contemporary thriller set in a parallel Britain under the control of a fascist regime. Resistance is growing and the country is on the brink of civil war. James played the character of John Godstone. He guest starred as Mr Cooper in 'Three’s Company' (16th January 1976), an episode of the sitcom Yus My Dear, and continued with comedy roles with the role of Uncle Boris in 'Sitting at My Piano' (12th March 1976) an episode of the sitcom sequel Yes, Honestly. James was next seen as Mr Potter, a ghost hunter, in The Ghosts of Motley Hall episode 'Old Gory' (2nd May 1976) before returning to the role of Charlie Caldwell for three episodes of the fourth season of Hadleigh. More guest roles followed with Bill Brand in the episode 'Resolution' (12th July 1976) and BBC 2 Playhouse: The Mind Beyond with James appearing in the episode 'Stones' (27th October 1976) which also featured Beasts actor J P McKenna in the cast.
Next was the role of George Tully, possibly his most widely recognised role due to the cult following of the series Sapphire and Steel. Tully is an ill-fated ghost hunter who becomes embroiled in a time invasion on a train station in an eight-part adventure that formed the second televised adventure for Sapphire and Steel. The story had no official title but has become known as 'The Railway Station' (31st July – 8th November 1979). This was followed by a regular role, as Major Cartwright, in Sally Ann (28th October – 16th December 1979), a drama centred on the work of The Salvation Army. His television roles for 1980 included Percy Fobbes in the Jukes of Picadilly episode 'Dulverton Green Part One' (10th March 1980) and Gabelle in a Hallmark television adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities. After this James was not present on screen until the guest role of Sticky Watts in 'Family Affairs' (7th January 1982), an episode of Ennal’s Point, a BBC drama set around a Royal National Lifeboat Association on the Welsh coast. He was then absent from television until the recurring role of Professor David Evans in episodes of the first season of the BBC wartime drama The Fourth Army (7th January – 25th March 1983). During 1984 James could be seen as Doctor Edward Cuss in the BBC adaptation of The Invisible Man (4th September – 9th October 1984) and the following year he was seen as Doctor Slammer in the first two episodes of The Pickwick Papers (6th and 13th January 1985).
It would be several years before James graced the screen again, but he returned in style with the award winning single play Written Off (1991). The play was only broadcast in Wales and won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Drama in English in 1991. He then undertook the role of Percy Morgan in two episodes of The Old Devils (16th and 23rd March 1992), a three-part BBC series about ageing, friendship and Welsh nationalism. He then lent his vocal talents to Shakespeare: The Animated Tales voicing the role of Malvolio in 'Twelfth Night' (14th December 1992). The Sherman Plays was a HTV drama anthology series. James appeared in the episode 'The Sound of Stillness' (27th April 1993) which recalled how the Eppynt mountains in Wales were taken over by the army in 1941 resulting in the hill farmers being ousted from their homes for the creation of a firing range. Both James and his co-star Jack Walters had, in 1952, took the lead roles for the play’s premiere in Brecon. Forty one years later neither actor needed make up to age them as had been required in the theatre iteration. James made a further contribution to the BBC series Shakespeare: The Animated Tales voicing the role of Baptisa in the second season episode 'The Taming of the Shrew' (9th November 1994). More animation voice work followed with the role of Jacob (27th November 1996) in Testament: The Bible in Animation. For the London Weekend Television production of Tess of the D’Urbervilles (8th and 9th March 1998) James was the voice of the narrator. His final screen role was as William Campbell in 'Perfide Albion' (19th April 2001), an episode of the French television thriller series Une femme d’honneur.
James passed away on 10th June 2006 aged 88. The Royal Welsh College of Music Drama has an annual award called the Gerald James Memorial Award for Acting which it gives each year to an acting student showing talent and potential.
Monday, 27 November 2023
Bill Dean (Duggie Jebb in What Big Eyes)
His career as an actor began under the name Billy Dean with work as a supporting artist or extra from the early 1960s. Amongst his first roles was as an extra as a Nazi follower in The Saint episode 'The Saint Plays with Fire' (1963). He could be seen as a German soldier (credited as Billy Dean) in the ITV Play of the Week story 'Jacko at War' (20th April 1964). Dean also contributed to several film productions, including an uncredited appearance as a policeman in the Margaret Rutherford starring Miss Marple production Murder Ahoy (1964), and another uncredited role as a German aircraft mechanic in the comedy film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965).
His breakthrough role was as John Coyne in the Ken Loach directed Play for Today production 'The Golden Vision' (17th April 1968). The play was written by Neville Smith and Gordon Honeycombe, who at the time was an ITV newsreader, and detailed the lives of Everton football club fans in Liverpool. At the time Dean was working as a local government officer in Liverpool and he gave this role following 'The Golden Vision' to concentrate on acting fulltime. Loach later recalled that “we wanted to find new actors to match the novelty of the style. So Ernie Mack, a booking agent for social and working men's clubs, introduced us to a whole group of performers including Billy Dean (as he was always known to me), and it was immediately clear that he was ideal for a leading comic role.”[1]
Following his role as John Coyne Dean found himself a popular choice as a character actor playing dour and downbeat Northeners. Loach reused him in a small role for his Wednesday Play episode 'The Big Flame' (19th February 1969), playing a landlord in a drama about dock workers facing redundancy. Loach also utilised him for his BAFTA winning film Kes (1969) in which Dean appeared as a grumpy chip shop owner.
More dramatic work followed with the role of the schoolteacher Arthur Foster in the ITV Sunday Night Theatre production 'Roll on Four O’clock' (19th December 1970), a play written by Colin Welland and based on his own experiences as a teacher in an inner city comprehensive school. Dean was reteamed with Ken Loach for a second ITV Sunday Night Theatre episode, 'After A Lifetime' (18th July 1971), playing Uncle Sid in another script supplied by Neville Smith. A particular highlight of the play is when Sid and a colleague attempt to carry a carpet across a busy road in order to lend dignity to a family funeral. His final television appearance for the year was as Charlie Keen in 'No Flowers, By Request' (19th November 1971) an episode of the anthology series Justice.
Dean’s television work during this period was bolstered by a couple of film roles. Ken Loach used Dean once more in his film Family Life (1971) giving him the meaty role of Mr Baildon, the father of a teenage girl who suffers a nervous breakdown. The film showed Dean at his best giving a moving performance of great sincerity. Director Stephen Frears, working from a script by Neville Smith, cast Dean as Tommy, a night club manager, in his Liverpool set crime comedy Gumshoe (1971) which starred Albert Finney and Billie Whitelaw.
Back on television Dean played Ernest Dewhurst in a couple of episodes of the Yorkshire Television drama series The Challengers during January 1972. He also had a small role as a labour agent in 'Under New Management' (12th January 1972), an episode of the World War Two domestic drama series Family at War. He had appeared in the series previously playing the character Alan Mills in three episodes during the programme’s first and second seasons in 1970.
Ken Loach cast him in Dean’s first appearance in a Play for Today production with the role of Billy in 'The Rank and File' (20th May 1971). Neville Smith, who had written several scripts featuring Dean, also featured in the cast. The Last of the Baskets is an obscure Granada sitcom that featured Arthur Lowe and Patricia Hayes. Dean appeared in the episode 'Nice Work If You Can Keep It' (7th February 1972) as a ‘rough man’. Dean then went on to appear as Dutchie Holland in the Budgie instalment 'Dreaming of Thee' (21st April 1972) which opened the second season of the series. Scene was a programme aimed at schools and colleges which used a mixture of fictional and documentary short films to provoke discussion on current topics. Dean appeared in two episodes during his career starting with playing the father in the episode 'Bank Holiday' (2nd March 1972).
Following his appearance as Bernard Hobbs in the New Scotland Yard episode 'All That Glitters' (18th May 1974) and a cameo as a club owner in the film Slade in Flame (1975), Dean commenced on a lengthy run of television only roles which would occupy the rest of the decade starting with Stephen Frears’ Second City Firsts entry 'Match of the Day' (18th March 1974), again written by Neville Smith. Rooms was a twice weekly afternoon drama series which featured various characters who rented rooms in a lodging house. Dean appeared in the storyline 'Jo and Anne' (10th and 11th December 1974) playing the role of Frank. This was followed with a guest role as Charlie Norton in The Sweeney episode 'Thin Ice' (16th January 1976) and a rare upper class character as Sir Bernard Fickle in a second season instalment of the comedy series A Little Bit of Wisdom (31st January 1975). Alongside Bob Peck and Brian Glover he also appeared in the Second City Firsts edition 'Waiting at the Field Gate' (3rd April 1975). Also during 1975 Dean was cast as Charlie in the Liverpool set sitcom The Wackers (19th March – 23rd April 1975). This Thames Television production was so unpopular that the final episode was never aired.
Dean could be seen in a small role as the doomed shopkeeper, Mr Greenhead, in The Tomorrow People adventure 'A Man for Emily' (16th April 1975). Next was the Armchair Cinema production 'In Sickness and in Health' (21st May 1975) playing the character Mr Jackson. Amongst the cast was fellow Beasts actor Michael Sheard. 'Nothing To Declare' (11th August 1975) was another case to be solved by the contestants of Whodunnit, presented by Jon Pertwee. Dean appeared as Mr Campbell. He then played a character called Dixie in his second appearance in the series Scene. 'Break' (6th November 1975) was written by Willie Russell.
The year 1976 was a busy one for Dean with several appearances besides his role in the Beasts story 'What Big Eyes'. Red Letter Day was a Granada drama anthology series created by Jack Rosenthal though Dean appeared in another script by Neville Smith, 'Bag of Yeast' (22nd February 1976). Smith himself also appeared alongside Dean in the cast. Rocky O’Rourke was a BBC children’s drama based on the book A Pair of Jesus Boots by Sylvia Sherry. Dean played the character Simpson in the first four episodes (3rd – 24th March 1976). He then guest starred as Sam Platte in the Dixon of Dock Green episode 'Reunion' (1st May 1976) and was cast as Alf Bowen in the Softly Softly: Task Force instalment 'Not With a Bang…' (8th September 1976), which opened the eighth season of the police drama. He could also be seen as Leslie Stevens in The Expert episode 'Fail Safe' (12th November 1976). Between 1976 and 1977 Dean appeared as Jack in two seasons of the sitcom Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt.
Post-Beasts Dean featured in the Dennis Potter drama Pennies From Heaven playing Alf in two episodes. During May 1978 he popped up in two episodes of the rural soap opera Emmerdale playing Abraham Scarsdale. Further roles for the year included 'A Detective’s Tale' (6th April 1978), an episode of BBC drama Law and Order, his third appearance in Z Cars – 'Exposure' (2nd August 1978) and playing Sid in 'Freedom of the Dig' (23rd October 1978), an episode of the BBC drama series Premiere. The year ended with Dean playing the character Ted in the BBC Play of the Week production 'Night People' (6th December 1978) penned by Alan Plater. His only onscreen role during 1979 was in the film version of the controversial Scum (1979) directed by Alan Clark. He then had a blink and you’d miss him role as a workman in the film version of the sitcom Rising Damp (1980).
The Good Companions was a Yorkshire Television series based on the novel by J B Priestley about a touring concert party and was adapted for TV by Alan Plater. Dean appears in 'A Wind in the Triangle' (2nd January 1981). He then went on to a guest role as Stobbs in the When the Boat Comes In instalment 'Back to Dear Old Blighty' (17th February 1981) which opened the fourth season of the drama series. His final Play for Today appearance was audio only. He played one of several voices, alongside John Challis and Ian Sharp, in 'A Turn for the Worse' (28th April 1981). He had a small role as a painter in the BBC 2 Playhouse episode 'Going Gently' (5th June 1981) which provided Norman Wisdom with a rare dramatic role as a man dying of cancer. Maybury was a BBC drama series that starred Patrick Stewart as psychiatrist. Dean appears in the episode 'Maisie' (14th July 1981) in a small role. He then played Mr Bentham in the Juliet Bravo story 'Barriers' (14th November 1981).
Dean had a fleeting role credited simply as ‘Liverpool Man’ in the Channel Four single drama Lovers of the Lake (1983). He was also a recurring cast member as Billy Eccles in the BBC drama The Gathering Seed (7th September – 12th October 1983). He could be seen as Mr Hove in 'The Clergyman’s Daughter' (27th November 1983), an episode of the London Weekend Television crime drama Partners in Crime. He then had a cameo appearance as a garage attendant in the sitcom In Loving Memory – 'Flying Undertaker' (28th November 1983) and appeared as a compere in the film Slayground (1983).
Dean joined the Channel Four soap opera Brookside with the episode transmitted 5th October, 1983, playing the role of grumpy pensioner Harold Cross. The character would become his signature role and made him a household face, if not name. Dean finally left Brookside in August 1989 having appeared in the role of Harry for over six years. He appeared in the music video for Groovy Train by the pop group The Farm which was released in August 1990 as the first single off their debut album Spartacus. The single reached number six in the UK singles chart. The video was filmed at the amusement park Pleasureland in Southport. Dean appeared as a train driver with the band as passengers. The Brookside character Harry Cross was a retired train driver. This wasn’t Dean’s only musical connection as he also wrote the lyrics of the theme tune to the sitcom Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt (1976 - 1977) which were unique to each episode.
Post-Brookside Dean he could be seen in the film Let Him Have It (1991) as the foreman of the jury who sentence Derek Bentley (Christopher Eccleston) to a death sentence and had a small role as a priest in the final episode of the BBC costume drama Clarissa (11th December 1991). He could be seen as Harry Capshaw in 'Endangered Species' (21st November 1993), an episode of the 1950s set cosy police drama Heartbeat. This was followed by a cameo role as an old man in the Screen Two production Skallagrigg (9th March 1994). Dean was the recurring character Albert Dawson in the second season of the Granada’s children’s drama series Three Seven Eleven (13th April – 15th June 1994).
Dean had previously appeared in two episodes of the original run of the sitcom The Liver Birds playing Uncle Jack in 'Birds on the Dole' (18th February 1972) and 'Birds on Strike' (3rd March 1972). When the sitcom was relaunched in the 1990s Dean appeared as the new character of Mr Hennessey for a trio of episodes; 'Mrs Boswell Comes To Call' (13th May 1996), 'Spare That Tree!' (20th May 1996) and 'Moving Out' (24th June 1996). Dean was also in a small role in Hillsborough (5th December 1996) which based on the real life events of April 1989 when 96 Liverpool football fans lost their lives during a FA Cup semi-final match.
Dean had a fleeting role credited simply as ‘Liverpool Man’ in the Channel Four single drama Lovers of the Lake (1983). He was also a recurring cast member as Billy Eccles in the BBC drama The Gathering Seed (7th September – 12th October 1983). He could be seen as Mr Hove in 'The Clergyman’s Daughter' (27th November 1983), an episode of the London Weekend Television crime drama Partners in Crime. He then had a cameo appearance as a garage attendant in the sitcom In Loving Memory – 'Flying Undertaker' (28th November 1983) and appeared as a compere in the film Slayground (1983).
Dean joined the Channel Four soap opera Brookside with the episode transmitted 5th October, 1983, playing the role of grumpy pensioner Harold Cross. The character would become his signature role and made him a household face, if not name. Dean finally left Brookside in August 1989 having appeared in the role of Harry for over six years. He appeared in the music video for Groovy Train by the pop group The Farm which was released in August 1990 as the first single off their debut album Spartacus. The single reached number six in the UK singles chart. The video was filmed at the amusement park Pleasureland in Southport. Dean appeared as a train driver with the band as passengers. The Brookside character Harry Cross was a retired train driver. This wasn’t Dean’s only musical connection as he also wrote the lyrics of the theme tune to the sitcom Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt (1976 - 1977) which were unique to each episode.
Post-Brookside Dean he could be seen in the film Let Him Have It (1991) as the foreman of the jury who sentence Derek Bentley (Christopher Eccleston) to a death sentence and had a small role as a priest in the final episode of the BBC costume drama Clarissa (11th December 1991). He could be seen as Harry Capshaw in 'Endangered Species' (21st November 1993), an episode of the 1950s set cosy police drama Heartbeat. This was followed by a cameo role as an old man in the Screen Two production Skallagrigg (9th March 1994). Dean was the recurring character Albert Dawson in the second season of the Granada’s children’s drama series Three Seven Eleven (13th April – 15th June 1994).
Dean had previously appeared in two episodes of the original run of the sitcom The Liver Birds playing Uncle Jack in 'Birds on the Dole' (18th February 1972) and 'Birds on Strike' (3rd March 1972). When the sitcom was relaunched in the 1990s Dean appeared as the new character of Mr Hennessey for a trio of episodes; 'Mrs Boswell Comes To Call' (13th May 1996), 'Spare That Tree!' (20th May 1996) and 'Moving Out' (24th June 1996). Dean was also in a small role in Hillsborough (5th December 1996) which based on the real life events of April 1989 when 96 Liverpool football fans lost their lives during a FA Cup semi-final match.
In 1999 he returned to Brookside for three more episodes reprising his role as Harry Cross. The character was frailer and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and it made for powerful and poignant viewing, especially as this would be Dean’s final screen performance. He passed away on 20th April 2000 in Upton, Merseyside at the age of 78 after suffering a heart attack. Dean had three children, sons Peter and David, and a daughter called Diane with whom he had been living with shortly before his passing.
Madge Ryan (Florence Raymount in What Big Eyes)
Ryan made her first British television only appearance in an episode of Armchair Theatre playing Mrs Cornelius in the episode 'The Deaf Heart' (21st December 1958). 1959 was definitely a breakthrough year for Ryan with a flurry of television roles including two episodes of the ITV Play of the Week – 'A Dead Secret' (3rd March 1959) and 'A Man Involved' (8th December 1959). She also returned to Armchair Theatre for two episodes – 'Star in the Summer Night' (29th March 1959) and 'The Girl on the Beach' (24th May 1959). For the BBC Sunday Night Theatre series she made three appearances; 'The Exiles #4: Full Circle' (15th February 1959) as Hilda Binns, 'The Philadelphia Story' (14th June 1959) playing Margaret Lord[1] and 'The Potutukawa Tree' (18th October 1959) in the role of Mrs Atkinson. The same year she also had two roles in two films; playing a police woman in the comedy Upstairs and Downstairs (1959) and the more substantial role of Mrs Finch in the thriller Witness in the Dark (1959). Nicholas Palmer, who would later produce the series Beasts, supplied the script for Ryan’s final television production of the year, another single play, entitled A Man Involved (8th December 1959). On the stage Ryan appeared in The Shifting Heart, which had a pre-London tour in July 1959 taking in venues in Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham. The play dealt with the difficulties an immigrant Italian family experiences when they settle in a Melbourne suburb and are not accepted by their neighbours.
1960 would see Ryan continue to be cast in prestigious plays with her making five separate appearances in episodes of Armchair Theatre; 'Where I Live' (10th January 1960), 'A Night Out' (24th April 1960) written by Harold Pinter, 'Pig’s Ears with Flowers' (2nd October 1960), 'The Cake Baker' (6th November 1960) and 'The Stranger' (20th November 1960). The ITV Television Playhouse series episode 'A Holiday Abroad' (12th February 1960), written by John Bowen, saw Ryan cast as Sylvia Bates whilst the anthology series Armchair Mystery Theatre furnished her with the role of Maud in the episode 'Flag Fall' (26th June 1960). She also appeared in an episode of the long running drama series Probation Officer (25th April 1960) playing Ella Rhodes.
During February 1961 she appeared in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs at the Pembroke Theatre, Croydon followed by Time and Yellow Roses, which was headlined by Flora Robson. The play debuted in Aberdeen on 20th March 1961 and then toured in major cities including Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Oxford before arriving in the West End in early May. She also appeared in the film Hand in Hand (1961) and this was complimented with another television appearance in an ITV Play of the Week in the production 'Ivanov' (1st August 1961).
During February 1961 she appeared in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs at the Pembroke Theatre, Croydon followed by Time and Yellow Roses, which was headlined by Flora Robson. The play debuted in Aberdeen on 20th March 1961 and then toured in major cities including Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Oxford before arriving in the West End in early May. She also appeared in the film Hand in Hand (1961) and this was complimented with another television appearance in an ITV Play of the Week in the production 'Ivanov' (1st August 1961).
Ryan joined the National Theatre Company during 1965 with her debut role coming with a staging of the Brecht play Mother Courage and Her Children. Ryan played the eponymous mother. During September 1965 the National Theatre players toured Russia with productions of Othello and Hobson’s Choice with Ryan as part of the cast. Television work for the year included playing Mrs Sutton-Piper in the series Public Eye for the episode 'And a Very Fine Fiddle He Was' (13th March 1965). She also appeared as Janet Harford in the Thirty Minute Theatre instalment 'Family Christmas' (23rd December 1965).
For the BBC Play of the Month episode 'Defection! The Case of Colonel Petrov' (27th September 1966) she was cast as Dusya and attracted rave reviews for her work “Madge Ryan met the demands of the story with one of the long scenes of continuously sustained high-pitched emotion I have ever seen…As a performance it was beyond praise[3]” She also guest starred in an episode of The Saint – 'Build A Better Mousetrap' during 1966. During October and November 1966 she played the role of Nurse in Romeo and Juliet at the Bristol Old Vic. As part of the Bristol Old Vic rep company she toured North America with a trio of Shakespeare productions – Hamlet, Measure for Measure and Romeo and Juliet. They returned to the UK at the end of May 1967 before embarking on a tour of Europe and Israel under the sponsorship of the British Council. Also in the repertory were Barbara Leigh Hunt, Jane Asher and Frank Middlemass. During September 1967 Ryan took over from actress Mavis Villiers for a run of Philadelphia Here I Come. Villiers had created the part of Lizzy Sweeney in the original New York production and collapsed due to nervous exhaustion during the prior-to London run of the play.
Her first TV appearance for 1970 was in 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' (28th February 1970), an episode of Thirty Minute Theatre. Ryan featured as Mrs Purgold, a clairvoyant. Next was an episode of the World War Two drama series Manhunt, appearing as Celestine Moussac, in the episode 'The Price of Resistance' (13th March 1970) and this was followed by a role in sitcom The Best Things In Life playing Miss Rossiter in the episode 'The Emigrant' (13th July 1970). Her final TV appearance was in an edition of Armchair Theatre came with the episode 'Say Goodnight to Your Grandma' (27th October 1970) written by Colin Welland. Her only film appearance for the year was in I Start Counting (1970).
Her second appearance in Paul Temple came with the third season episode 'Cue Murder!' (28th March 1971) playing the role of Rose Mason. She then guest starred as Connie in 'In Deep' (7th May 1971) for the series Budgie and another Public Eye episode 'Come into the Garden, Rose' (11th August 1971). Her notable stage roles included A Hearts and Minds Job at Hampstead Theatre during July 1971. The production was directed by Donald McWhinnie who would later cast Ryan in the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes'.
Now Look Here (5th November – 17th December 1971) was a BBC sitcom starring Ronnie Corbett. Ryan appeared in all seven episodes of the first season in the role of Mother. Her only film role of the year was in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) playing Doctor Branom. More film work followed with the short The Man and The Snake (1972), Hitchcock’s thriller Frenzy (1972) and horror film Endless Night (1972). In the theatre she was cast in Traveller without Luggage at the Thorndike theatre, Leatherhead during September and October 1972. The cast included Jeremy Brett
December saw Ryan appear in a revival of Epitaph for George Dillon. Her last television appearance was in Zinotchka (16th December 1972), a short drama written by Melvyn Bragg from the story by Anton Chekhov transmitted on the BBC. Ryan appeared as Madame Sorin.
1973 would see Ryan make two separate appearances in the ITV Sunday Night Theatre series – 'The Regulars' (26th January 1973) and the science fiction drama 'A.D.A.M.' (8th April 1973). Her only film role for the year was as Della’s mother in the action drama Yellow Dog (1973). Don Leaver, the director of the Beasts episode 'The Dummy', cast Ryan in 'Burning Bush' (1974), an episode of The Protectors he oversaw. Ryan played the role of Mrs Apsimon. Her other television role was in Cakes and Ale, a three-part mini-series by the BBC as Mrs Barton Trafford.
Anne of Avonlea, the sequel to Anne of Green Gables (26th January 1975 onwards), was adapted as a six part series and featured Ryan in the role of Rachel Lynde. Ryan also appeared in a Crown Court case, 'Matron' transmitted from 22nd January 1975, undertaking the role of Bridget Behan. Further TV credits for the year took in 'Going, Going, Gone…Free?' (9th July 1975), a comedy pilot written by Carla Lane as part of the Comedy Playhouse series. Ryan could be seen as Mrs Dean in the cast. Moll Flanders (26th November 1975) was a feature length adaptation by the BBC. Ryan was in the cast playing Mrs Oliver. Her character Florence Raymount, from the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes', was the next role on her resume. It’s worth noting that Ryan appeared alongside Patrick Magee in a stage production of The White Devil at the Old Vic during July 1976. Post-Beasts she appeared in episodes two, three and four (17th – 31st October 1976) of the BBC drama Katy playing Bridget. Her final role of the year was in episode of the medical soap opera Angels playing Mrs Dutton in the season three episode 'Somewhere To Go' (15th November 1976).
Amongst her television roles in 1977 was Mrs Quillet in two episodes (22nd and 29th April 1977) of the third season of the comedy Beryl’s Lot and playing Mrs Vizzard in the Thames Television drama London Belongs To Me (6th September – 18th October 1977). She was also seen as Elizabeth in Play for Today drama 'One Day at a Time' (22nd November 1977). To start the next year Ryan appeared in the first season of All Creatures Great and Small playing Miss Harbottle in the episodes 'It Takes All Kinds' (22nd January 1978) and 'Calf Love' (29th January 1978). She also made a film appearance with the role of Beecham in the comedy crime caper Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe AKA Too Many Chefs (1978). Remaining roles for 1978 saw her as the recurring character Arabella Codsall in the BBC adaptation of A Horseman Riding By (24th September – 17th December 1978) and as Nanny in the juvenile horror anthology series Shadows episode 'Honeyann' (1st November 1978), written by Fay Weldon. Stage credits took in The Shadow Box at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge during March and April 1979. Also in the cast was Anthony Bate. December 1979 had Ryan playing Aunt Eller in a version of Oklahoma produced at Leicester’s Haymarket theatre before a run in London’s West End. Film appearances saw her as the character Rose Flood Porter in the remake of The Lady Vanishes (1979) and a small role as Violet Jessop in the TV movie SOS Titanic (1979).
After a break of a few years where she concentrated on her theatre roles Ryan returned to the screen to appear in a BBC version of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline (20th December 1982) as Mother in a cast that also featured Richard Johnson and Claire Bloom. 1983 would be her busiest on screen year for some time with a guest role in Bergerac – 'Prime Target' (30th January 1983) and the returning character of Lydia Crawford in the third season of the Wendy Craig starring drama series Nanny. She played the narrator for the one off drama Events in a Museum (25th November 1983) and played Mrs Todd, with Michael Gough portraying her husband, in the BBC Films comedy Heartattack Hotel (16th December 1983). Over the following six years Ryan worked solely in the theatre. She returned to the screen to appear in the Australian film drama Kokoda Crescent (1989) opposite Bill Kerr and Warren Mitchell. In 1990 she also popped up in the Australian / United Kingdom co-produced soap opera Families which was filmed in Australia and Cheshire for Granada. In 1992 she played Beattie in the Screenplay production 'The Countess Alice' (1992) and guest starred in 'One Step Forward' (24th October 1992), an episode of the long running medical drama Casualty.
During 1992 and 1993 she was a cast member of an acclaimed stage production of Euripide’s Medea. Diana Rigg undertook the title role. February and March 1993 saw her appear in a production of Oscar Wilde’s A Murder of No Importance at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. On television Ryan appeared in the comedy pilot The 10 Percenters (23rd February 1993) playing Gloria and in the cinema she had a small role as a woman walking her dog in the comedy film Splitting Heirs (1993). Her final screen role was as Lucy Lorrimer in 'Death in a White Tie' (16th May 1993), an episode of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. Throughout her stage and screen career Ryan preferred to play challenging roles and was often cast as unsympathetic individuals or misfits / outcasts from normal society.
Ryan passed away the day after her 75 birthday on 9th January 1994 in London. Her obituary in The Independent said "what set her apart from the others was a certain, often powerful, independence of spirit and humour...It was a fulfilled career.[4]" There was a celebration of her life at St James Church, Piccadilly on 27th June 1994.
[1] The cast also included fellow Beasts cast member Elizabeth Sellers who
would later star in 'During Barty’s Party'
[2] “Mr Sharp Makes Fine Debut on First Night” by William Pearce, The Stage, Thursday 24th October, 1963
[3] “A Dramatic Re-Creation” by N Alice Frick, The Stage, Thursday 29th September 1966, page 12
[4] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-madge-ryan-1401217.html (accessed 26th February 2018)
Patrick Magee (Leo Raymount in What Big Eyes)
Magee changed his stage name to supposedly avoid confusion with another actor called Patrick McGee. He was given to exaggeration in interviews and often stated that he was originally a street fighter from Dublin when in fact he was born into a comfortable middle class family. His father, Pat McGee, was the Master of Banbrook School. Magee joined the Belfast Group Players theatre group in 1948 and appeared in several acclaimed production during the three years he stayed there. He left to travel to England under the auspices of the renowned director Tyrone Guthrie to appear in a series of Irish plays staged at the Hammersmith Lyric as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951. He returned to Ireland with a tour of Shakespeare productions. Part of the acting company was the aspiring actor Harold Pinter who would strike up a lifelong friendship with Magee.
Magee returned to the UK to work in repertory theatre and soon picked up the occasional role on television. His debut in the TV medium came with the role of Harry Berks in the BBC Sunday Night Theatre episode 'The Adventurer' (31st July 1955). He later returned to the anthology series with appearances in the episodes 'Juno and the Paycock' (17th March 1957), an Irish based family drama, and in a small role as a policeman in 'Teru' (4th August 1957). He would later return to the BBC series for two further instalments; 'Gracie' (12th October 1958) and 'Mooney’s Wreck' (3rd May 1959). Magee also found himself cast regularly in ITV’s flagship drama anthology series, ITV Television Playhouse, with the role of Maguire in 'The Shadow of the Gun Man' (11th July 1957) based on the Sean O’Casey play, portraying Mate in a version of the Herb Tank play 'Longitude 49' (17th July 1959) and as a unnamed police detective in 'Who’s Owen Stephens..?' (10th November 1960). His final appearance in the programme was in the episode 'Too Old For Donkeys' (4th April 1963).
Magee met the writer Samuel Beckett in 1957 and was soon recording excerpts from Beckett’s novel Molloy and the short story From an Abandoned Work for transmission on BBC radio. Beckett was impressed with the quality of Magee’s voice and set about writing Krapp’s Last Tape[1] especially for the actor. The play was first presented at London’s Royal Court Theatre in October 1958 with Magee starring as an aged misanthrope who listens to recordings of his former self with increasing intensity. The relationship between Magee and Beckett continued to flourish and Magee would later appear as Hamm in the play Endgame (1964) presented the RSC at Aldwych in July 1964. In 1958 Magee married Belle Sherry and in February 1961 they became the parents of fraternal twins – Mark and Caroline.
His television career continued to bloom. For the crime drama series Dial 999 Magee appeared as Parsons in the episode 'The Great Gold Robbery' (1959) and as Michael Davitt in the ITV Play of the Week episode 'Parnell' (10th February 1959), a political drama based on the life and times or the Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell. Next was the BBC Sunday Night Theatre play 'Mooney’s Wreck' (3rd May 1959). On stage he took on the role of Max in the Kenneth Jupp play The Buskers during March 1959. Later the same year he appeared as the aptly named Father Domineer in the English Stage Company production of Cock-A-Doodle Dandy by Sean O’Casey during September and October 1959, Having established the part of Ulrich Brendel in the English Stage Company’s production of Rosmersholm during October 1959 Magee retired from the role which was taken over by Alan Dobie when it transferred from the Royal Court to the Comedy Theatre in January 1960.
The first year of the new decade would see Magee making television appearances in an episode of Deadline Midnight (25th July 1960) and playing the character Jason in the BBC thriller series Here Lies Miss Sabry (8th August – 12th September 1960). His final television appearances for the year were in the BBC Sunday Night Play production 'The Ruffians' (9th October 1960) and Philip Broadley’s Associated Rediffusion play Owen Stephens (11th November 1960). Magee played a police man doggedly pursuing two men who have stolen a small fortune from a local business. He made a suitable film debut as the dour chief prison warden Barrows in Joseph Losey’s film The Criminal (1960) opposite Stanley Baker and Sam Wannamaker. This was followed by the role of Paddy Flynn, a drunken bully, in the crime drama Rag Doll AKA Young, Willing and Eager (1961) and appearing as Ben Black in the Edgar Wallace thriller Never Back Losers (1961).
His TV appearances for 1961 took in an episode of No Hiding Place – 'Explosion Underground' (30th June 1961) and playing a lawyer in 'Inquest at Golgotha' (1st October 1961) an episode of the ATV production About Religion. He ended the year with by appearing in a rare science fiction flavoured episode of Armchair Theatre – 'Murder Club' (3rd December 1961). He was equally busy in stage with A Whistle In The Dark at the Royal theatre, Stratford during September 1961. The play, authored by Thomas Murphey, was written as an entry to an all-Ireland amateur drama competition two years previously, but was held back on the grounds that the content was too controversial ever to be presented in the theatre. Also in the cast were Derren Nesbitt, Michael Craig and Dudley Sutton.
The following year, 1963, would his busiest period yet for film and television jobs. His film appearances for the year featured work with the director Roger Corman on The Young Racers (1963), playing Sir William Dragonet, and the role of Inspector Cummins in Ricochet (1963), an Edgar Wallace potboiler. He had a supporting role in the thriller The Very Edge (1963) which was filmed in his native Ireland along with proto-slasher Dementia 13 (1963), Francis Ford Coppola’s first film as a director. Magee appeared as Justin Caleb in the horror thriller which was funded by Roger Corman. Magee joined a largely Yugoslavian cast for Operation Titian (1963) playing Doctor Morisijus, with Corman again providing financial backing. The film has a complex history with Corman repackaging and re-editing the film for television where it played as Portrait in Terror. However, Corman was still unsatisfied with the results and so hired director Jack Hill to film some new sequences. This version was released as Blood Bath (1966). This version was sold again to television with further scenes added by another director and became known as Track of the Vampire. Magee’s major film role during 1963 was as Bishop in a restaurant in the Joseph Losey film The Servant (1963) which was headlined by James Fox and Dork Bogarde. This was his second film for Losey.
The actor was equally as busy with television roles during 1963 appearing in 'The Escape' (20th June 1963), an episode of the adventure series Moonstrike, Zero One episode 'Stopover' (21st August 1963) as the character Gallegos and playing a police inspector in 'Express Delivery' (12th October 1963), an episode of The Sentimental Agent. He also popped up in two episodes of the soap opera Compact playing the character Sligo in the episodes 'Faith and Begorra' (10th September 1963) and 'A Touch of the Blarney' (12th September 1963). There was also two appearances in The Avengers; playing Pancho in the second season instalment 'Killer Whale' (2nd March 1963) and the third season story 'The Gilded Cage' (9th November 1963) as criminal mastermind J P Spagge. Finally he appeared as William Breen in The Plane Makers episode 'The Old Boy Network' (21st October 1963) which was followed by his return in the later episode 'The Smiler' (14th January 1964).
More high profile film work came with the role of surgeon James Reynolds in the classic Zulu (1964), Alfredo in the sumptuous looking Roger Corman production of The Masque of Red Death (1964) and as Inspector Walsh in Bryan Forbe’s Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964). His TV resume for the year included playing Jack Mullen in two episodes of Z Cars written by Eric Paice – 'The Fire Raiser' (21st March 1964) and 'The Witness' (28th March 1964) – and playing The Duke of Wellington for the Theatre 625 episode 'Carried By Storm' (25th October 1964) directed by Donald McWhinnie who would later direct 'What Big Eyes'. The Stage review singled out his performance in the play “Patrick Magee showed us yet another side of his considerable talent, and was indeed the Iron Duke when he delivered lines like “The only rules of war that concern is gentlemen. Are mine.[2]””
Magee was so busy with the RSC that he only found time to make two television appearances in 1965; essaying the role of James Spalding in 'Beware of the Dog' (16th May 1965), an episode of Dr Finlay’s Casebook, and featuring as Tetzel in the BBC Play of the Month production 'Luther' (19th October 1965). Film wise he appeared as a police surgeon on the British horror flick The Skull (1965) and could be seen as Doctor Henderson in Die, Monster, Die! AKA Monster of Terror (1965) which was based on the H P Lovecraft story The Colour Out of Space. Magee also played a criminal out to steal a valuable painting in Portrait in Terror (1965).
Magee made no film or TV appearances during 1966 due to his stage commitments including Marat/Sade and various prestigious RSC and Broadway productions. He would recreate his Tony Award winning performance as the Marquis de Sade in the cinema production of Marat/Sade (1967). One of his only two TV roles during this period was as Mephistophilis in a production of 'Doctor Faustus' (27th January 1967) made for the ATV educational programme Conflict. This series was hosted by John Gielgud and presented scenes from classic dramas especially adapted for schools and colleges. Magee’s other television role was in the Dennis Potter production Message for Posterity (3rd May 1967), as the elderly painter James Player, who is commissioned to paint a portrait of the former Conservative Prime Minister Sir David Browning played by Joseph O’Connor.
He had a handful of television roles the following year; appearing as an old man in the two-handed play 'A Private Place' (3rd January 1968) for Thirty Minute Theatre, playing Arnold Jessie in The Wednesday Play instalment 'Nothing Will Be The Same' (6th November 1968) opposite 'Murrain' star Bernard Lee, appearing as Pedraza in The Champions story 'The Iron Man' (20th November 1968) and undertaking the part of Philo in 'Neutral Ground' (2nd December 1968) a play by Tom Stoppard for the ITV Playhouse series directed by Piers Haggard, who would later helm the final Quatermass TV series. The play was based on the classical Greek legend of the warrior Philoctetes updated to a 1960s Central European spy story. Magee featured as a double-crossed and abandoned secret agent. Film work for 1968 included General Starkey in the war film Battle For Anzio (1968), playing a lunatic prisoner in the comedy film Decline and Fall…of a Bird Watcher (1968) and revisiting his stage role as Shamus McCann, one of the evil tormentors of Robert Shaw’s character in William Friedkin’s film version of the Harold Pinter play The Birthday Party (1968).
The following year Magee played the role of Mark in the Peter Shaffer play The Battle of Shrivings at the Brighton Royal during January with a London run in February 1970. Mark sounds typical Magee material from The Stage review description of his character as a “raging, coarse, earthy force of destruction[3]”. As well as the legends of stage John Gielgud and Wendy Hiller in the cast there was a young actor just making his mark, Martin Shaw, who would later play a lead role in the Beasts episode 'Buddyboy'. The first year of the new decade saw Magee make only two film appearance with the role of Hugh Peters in Cromwell (1970) and as General Ataturk in the action comedy You Can’t Win ‘Em All (1970). His non-stage work for 1971 consisted of three film roles the first of which was for director Peter Brook’s version of King Lear (1971) playing the role of Cornwall. The next was in the obscure historical epic The Trojan Woman (1971) undertaking the role of Menelaus. The final film role for the year is possibly one of his most famous, playing Mr Alexander, the householder who tortures Malcom McDowell’s character Alex in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) after his home is invaded by Alex. McDowell and Magee had previously met when they had worked on the 1965 Royal Shakespeare Company production Squire Puntila and His Servant Matti. Magee had the lead role of Matti and McDowell was a lowly supporting artist.
1972 would be the year that Magee really threw himself into horror film roles starting with the portmanteau Tales From The Crypt (1972). Magee featured in the segment 'Blind Alleys' playing the role of George Carter, the leader of a group of blind people who have their revenge on the callous new owner of their care home. He also took the lead role of the sinister unnamed minister who leads a religious sect called The Brethren in Robert Hartford-Davis’ grubby horror flick The Fiend AKA Beware My Brethren (1972). Next was another portmanteau horror, Asylum (1972), with Magee essaying the role of the distinctly odd Doctor Rutherford who instructs a new doctor (Robert Powell) that he must guest which one of four inmates is the doctor he has come to replace. This acts as the framing story for the portmanteau film. His final horror film for the year was the Hammer production Demons of the Mind (1972) in which he chews the scenery as Falkenberg. His other film appearances for the year included appearing as General Bindon Blood in Young Winston (1972) and as an elderly monk in Pope Joan (1972). He also made two appearances in two editions of Thirty Minute Theatre, the first was as Michael in 'Thrills Galore' (4th September 1972), whilst his second was in a performance of 'Krapp’s Last Tape' (29th November 1972).
Magee had a guest role as Gardner in The Persuaders episode 'Chase' (2nd March 1973) before appearing in the Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries adaptation of 'The Monkey’s Paw' (10th November 1973) playing the central role of Sergeant Morris. Also in the cast was Michael Kitchen who would later appear alongside Magee in the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes'. Magee then made his second appearance in a BBC Play of the Month production playing The Storyteller in an adaptation of Brecht’s play 'Caucasian Chalk Circle' (16th May 1973). His film credits included another horror film, And Now The Screaming Starts (1973) playing Doctor Whittle, the Donald Sutherland starring crime thriller Lady Ice (1973) and the truly bonkers psychedelic science fiction film The Final Programme AKA The Last Days of Man on Earth (1973) as mad scientist Doctor Baxter.
Film roles for 1974 took in in the Italian drama Simona (1974) and Luther (1974), a film version of the John Osborne stage play, starring Stacey Keach as Martin Luther supported by a wealth of Brit character actors including Hugh Griffith, Julian Glover, Judi Dench and Robert Stephens. Television roles included playing Corporal Donovan in 'The Last Charge' (3rd March 1974), a second season episode of The Adventures of Black Beauty. His major television role for the year was undertaking the title role in a Thames Television production of King Lear (24th September – 5th November 1974). This was a six-part production for schools and colleges and originally transmitted on Tuesday mornings from 24th September. The adaptation, intended for secondary school pupils boasted a cast that also had roles essayed by Patrick Mower (Edmund), Peter Jeffrey (Cornwall) and Wendy Allnut (Cordelia). The production was later edited into a single play running to two hours in length and was released on DVD in 2004. In the year prior to his role in Beasts Magee played Cardinal Bellarim in the biopic Galileo (1975) which saw him reunited with director Joseph Losey. Rather strangely Topol was cast as the eponymous 17th Century Italian astronomer. His only other film role for the year saw him also reunited with Stanley Kubrick for whom he undertook the role of gambler the Chevalier du Balibari in Barry Lyndon (1975). During the filming a card game scene Magee had difficulty in saying his lines due to being distracted by having to wear an eye patch. When he did get the line right his hands were not in the position that Kubrick required and so a hand model was used to shuffle and deal the cards. However this caused continuity problems because the hand model had smooth hands and Magee’s were very hairy. Kubrick’s solution to match the shots was for Magee to shave his hands.
On television he could be seen playing another mad scientist, Professor Marcus Carnaby, in the Thriller episode 'A Killer in Every Corner' (1st February 1975). Carnaby is a psychologist who habitually records his voice on a tape recorder, possibly a direct reference to Krapp’s Last Tape. Next was a role as Vamvakaris in the Quiller episode 'Mark The File Expendable' (7th November 1975). On the stage there was a revival of Krapp’s Last Tape at the Greenwich Theatre during December 1975. Magee directed with Max Wall taking on the central role previously written by Beckett for Magee. During May 1976 to mark the seventieth birthday of Samuel Beckett the Royal Court staged a new production of his play Endgame, directed by Donald McWhinnie who would cast Magee in his episode of Beasts. Magee played the central role of Hamm whilst a young Stephen Rea essayed Clov. This was followed with McWhinnie also directing a production of Beckett’s trilogy Play, That Time and Footfalls. Magee appeared in That Time. Further stage roles for the year included The White Devil at the Old Vic during July 1976 and part of the Oxford Theatre Festival Magee directed a revival of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot during August.
Magee’s role as Leo Raymount in the Beasts episode 'What Big Eyes' was his only film or television appearance during 1976. Perhaps Magee’s biggest achievement of the year was not on the screen or on the stage, but in the realm of politics. He joined fellow actors Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson in successfully campaigning to persuade the actor’s union Equity to boycott South African because of Apartheid. Post-Beasts there was a third and final appearance in a BBC Play of the Month production with Magee in the supporting role of Fergus Crampton in a version of the George Bernard Shaw play 'You Can Never Tell' (30th October 1977). This was followed by a role in 'The Well' (12th December 1977), an episode of the BBC drama series Who Pays The Ferryman? His only film work for the year was as a Russian KGB officer, General Strelsky, in Don Siegel’s action film Telefon (1977) which starred Charles Bronson. During 1978 Magee’s sole television appearance was as the recurring character Ebenezer Balfour in HTV’s production of Kidnapped. He then appeared on screen in the strife-torn Belfast set Play for Today episode 'The Last Window Cleaner' (13th February 1979). Tony Harrison’s staging of Aeschylus trilogy of plays was filmed by the BBC and Magee could be seen in the role of Kalchas in the opening episode Agamemnon (7th March 1979). For the French film production Les soeurs Bronte (The Bronte Sisters) (1979) Magee played the strict Anglican pastor who fathered the eponymous siblings. Churchill and the Generals (1979) was a star studded TV movie which featured Timothy West as Churchill. The production examined the relationship Churchill had with his army generals during the war and Magee appeared as General Sir Archibald Wavell. Magee also appeared as Muldooney in the Play for Today production 'The Last Window Cleaner' (13th February 1979).
In the last few years of his life Magee became more active onscreen than he had been in recent years. In 1980 he appeared in four cinema releases; playing Ernst Mueller in heist movie Rough Cut (1980), popping up as the sacrilegious Reverend Slodden who declares he is the anti-Christ in comedy vehicle Sir Henry at Rawlinson’s End (1980), portraying the Marquis in obscure Swedish horror film The Sleep of Death AKA Inn of the Flying Dragon (1980) and a cameo as a priest in the low budget fantasy film Hawk The Slayer (1980). His only TV role for the year was in a Play for Today episode which unusually featured a science fiction storyline. 'The Flipside of Dominck Hide' (9th December 1980) featured Magee in the role of Caleb Line.
His appearance as the pompous aristocrat Lord Cadogan, head of the British Olympic Committee, in the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire (1981) is possibly his most recognisable role from his final years and is certainly the most highly visible with his other film roles for the year being in the horror genre. The Monster Club (1981) was a late entry into the horror portmanteau field and feels and looks very old fashioned. Magee graced the film with his role as the Innkeeper in the third and final segment. The Black Cat (1981) was an Italian horror film directed by the notorious director Lucio Fulci which featured Magee as Professor Robert Miles opposite David Warbeck’s police inspector and Mimsy Farmer. Professor Miles is a psychic who is able to communicate with his pet cat who he sends to wreak vengeance on those that wronged him. His final horror film role was as General William Danvers Carew in Walerian Borowczyk’s art porn horror The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981). The director had seen Magee in Sir Henry at Rawlinson’s End and recruited him and the cinematographer, Martin Bell, to work on his production following the viewing. Magee’s final film appearance was in the documentary Samuel Beckett: Silence To Silence (1982) which celebrated the work of the writer with who Magee had been a lifelong friend to.
Next was the role of Alfred in 'Horace Finds a Friend' (22nd April 1982), an episode of the Yorkshire Television comedy series Horace starring Barry Jackson in the title role. His final posthumous appearance saw him reprise the role of Caleb Line in the Play For Today story 'Another Flip For Dominick' (14th December 1982)
Despite all this success Magee still struggled financially, in part due to his vices. A low in his stage career came when he appeared opposite Helen Mirren in a production of the play The Faith Healer at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Magee was cast in the central role of Frank McCabe and was eventually sacked for appearing on stage drunk. The playwright Thomas Kilroy who was rehearsing another production at the Royal Court reflected “I have never been so frightened in the theatre. Most of those nights Magee was so drunk that he barely made it into the spot on the stage. To compound matters, Mirren was giving a performance of matching power and you ached for even one respite to allow these two performances to speak to one another. It never quite happened because the real danger that Magee was about to fall head over heels into the front rows of the stalls.[4]”
Magee died from a heart attack (probably caused by his drinking and hell raiser lifestyle) at his home in Fulham, London on 14th August 1982. His wife Belle passed away in September 2006. In 2017 his life was commemorated with a blue plaque by the Ulster History Circle at his former family home in Armagh. The plaque was unveiled by actor Stephen Rea who had appeared with Magee on stage in a 1976 production of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame.
[3] “Gielgud, Hiller, Magee in Shaffer Drama”, The Stage and Television Today, Thursday 29th January 1970, page 14
[4] Quoted in “A Drunk, Gambler and Hell-Raiser, But A Towering Acting Talent… Remembering Patrick Magee” by Ivan Little, Belfast Telegraph Digital, available at https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/a-drunk-gambler-and-hellraiser-but-a-towering-acting-talent-remembering-patrick-magee-35974861.html (accessed 19th March 2019)
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