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*1981 - ''[[The Appointment]]''
*1981 - ''[[The Appointment]]''
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*1982 - ''[[Who Dares Wins (film)|''Who Dares Wins'' (film)]]
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*1983 - ''Champions''
*1983 - ''Champions''

Revision as of 23:26, 11 August 2009

This article is about Edward Woodward, British actor. For Edward Woodward, Australian jurist, see Edward Woodward (jurist).
Edward Woodward
Born
Edward Albert Arthur Woodward
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1955–present
Spouse(s)Venetia Barrett (1952–86)
Michele Dotrice (1987–present)

Edward Albert Arthur Woodward OBE (born 1 June 1930, Croydon) is an English actor and singer.

Originally a Shakespearian stage actor, he is best known for his role in the 1960-1970s spy series, Callan, for the 1973 film The Wicker Man and his lead role in the 1980s American television series The Equalizer.

Biography

Woodward attended Eccleston Road and Sydenham Road School, Croydon, and the Elmwood School in Wallingford, as well as Hinchley Wood School in Surrey. He then attended Kingston College.

Theatre

Woodward wanted to become an actor, but initially in the post World War II period became an Associate Member of RADA while taking amateur roles. Wanting to train as a journalist, he eventually took work in a sanitary engineer's office before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Woodward began as stage actor at the Castle Theatre, Farnham, in 1946. After graduation from RADA he worked extensively in repertory companies as a Shakespearean actor throughout England and Scotland, making his London debut in Where There's A Will in 1955, and also starred in the film adaptation that same year. His work in the West End included Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet both in 1955, as well as Cyrano de Bergerac in 1971. Having established himself, he also worked on Broadway theatre in New York, and in Australia. Woodward first appeared on Broadway, in Rattle of a Simple Man (1963) and the musical comedy High Spirits (1964–1965), which won three Tony Awards, followed by the 1966 comedy The Best Laid Plans.

Film

Woodward made his film debut in the 1955 screen adaptation of R.F. Delderfield's play, Where There's a Will.

He then made occasional appearances, until taking the role of the repressed, devout Christian Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the chilling occult thriller The Wicker Man in 1973. Many critics have cited the final scene in The Wicker Man as one of the greatest visual shots in cinema history. Woodward was offered a cameo role in the 2005 remake, but declined, even though he said he thought the script was very well written.[citation needed]

He also appeared in the 1982 film Who Dares Wins, a.k.a. "The Final Option" as Commander Powell.

Woodward made the title role of Boer War war criminal Harry "Breaker" Harbord Morant in the Australian biographical film drama Breaker Morant highly acclaimed in 1980, and brought the film to global notability.

Woodward also had a supporting role in the 2007 action comedy, Hot Fuzz.

Television

During his career, Woodward has appeared in over 2000 television productions.

In 1967 he was cast as David Callan in the ITV Armchair Theatre play A Magnum for Schneider, which later became 1960s spy series Callan, his first television role, and one in which he demonstrated his ability to express controlled rage. His iconic performance assured the series success from the television in from 1967 to 1972, with a film appearing in 1974.

In smaller roles, Woodward made a cameo appearance on the BBC's Morecambe and Wise Show, and his name was used in a joke: When asked by Eric Morecambe who would ever appear in one of Ernie Wise's 'little plays what he wrote`, Ernie replied "Edward Woodward would." Another Joke starts... Do you know why Edward Woodward has so many D's in his name?

He also appeared opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in the 1978 episode of Laurence Olivier Presents - Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

The success of Callan typecast him somewhat, but the enduring success of the genre allowed him to gain leading roles in similar productions, though none would prove as iconic as "Callan".[1] In 1977 he starred in two series of the BBC2 dystopian drama 1990, about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism.[2]

The late 70s were spent on both stage and film, but it was not until he took the lead role in the 1980s American television series The Equalizer as a British former intelligence operative that he found recognition and popularity exceeding that of Callan. The series ran from 1985 until 1989. After filming a few episodes of the third season, Woodward suffered a massive coronary. For several episodes, additional actors were brought in to reduce the workload on Woodward as he recovered from the incident. The first episode filmed following Woodward's heart attack involved his character being severely injured by a KGB bullet, providing Woodward with a chance to rest over several episodes. Later in the season, Woodward resumed his full duties and carried the show through an additional, fourth season during the 1988-1989 season.

Subsequently he starred in the short-lived CBS series "Over My Dead Body", which ran in 1990, playing a mystery writer who gets involved solving real crimes. In 1994 and 1997 Woodward starred in the BBC drama Common As Muck in which he played binman Nev.

His career continued with TV guest star roles including an appearance in The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Mr. Jones (aka Philip, codename 'Flavius') in the series La Femme Nikita. He also guest starred with his son Tim and grandson Sam as a London gangster family in a special storyline for The Bill in 2008.

In March 2009, he joined the cast of EastEnders, playing the character of Tommy Clifford.

Other works

An actor with a considerable tonal depth, his capability as tenor enabled him to record twelve albums of vocal song, as well as three albums of poetry and fourteen books to tape. His vocal capability and acting skill enabled him to make a number of appearances when time allowed on the BBC's Victorian era music hall programme, The Good Old Days.

Personal life

Woodward has been twice married, first to Venetia Mary Collett (actress Venetia Barrett) (1952-1987). They had two sons: Tim Woodward (born 1953) and Peter Woodward (born 1956), both of whom became successful actors, as well as a Tony Award-nominated actress daughter, Sarah Woodward (born 1963). His second marriage was to actress Michele Dotrice, the daughter of his contemporary Roy Dotrice, in 1987. They have one daughter, Emily Beth.

Always an active actor, Woodward underwent triple bypass surgery in 1996 and quit smoking after two heart attacks. In February 2003 it was announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.[3] His hobbies have included sword collecting, acting, and gem polishing.

Awards

In 1969 and 1970, he was Television Actor of the Year, and Best Actor at the Sun Awards in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Woodward won the 1970 BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his title role in Callan. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978. At the 1987 Golden Globe Awards, he won Best Actor in a Dramatic TV Series for his role of Robert McCall in The Equalizer. At the Emmy Award from 1986 to 1990, he was nominated each year for The Equalizer.

Filmography

Stage

  • 1955 - Where There's a Will
  • 1958 - Romeo and Juliet
  • 1958 - Hamlet
  • 1962 - Rattle of a Simple Man
  • 1968 - Two Cities
  • 1971 - Cyrano de Bergerac
  • 1971 - The White Devil
  • 1973 - The Wolf
  • 1975 - Male of the Species
  • 1976 - On Approval
  • 1978 - The Dark Horse
  • 1980 - The Beggar's Opera (also director)
  • 1980 - Private Lives
  • 1982 - The Assassin
  • 1982 - Richard III
  • 1992 - The Dead Secret

Films

Television series

Made for TV movies

  • 1983 - Merlin and the Sword (U.S. title, Arthur the King)
  • 1983 - Love is Forever
  • 1984 - A Christmas Carol
  • 1986 - Uncle Tom's Cabin
  • 1988 - The Man in the Brown Suit
  • 1990 - Hands of a Murderer
  • 1995 - The Shamrock Conspiracy

Television specials

  • 1969 - Scott Fitzgerald
  • 1970 - Bit of a Holiday
  • 1971 - Evelyn
  • 1979 - Rod of Iron
  • 1980 - The Trial of Lady Chatterley
  • 1980 - Blunt Instrument
  • 1981 - Wet Job
  • 1986 - The Spice of Life
  • 1988 - Hunted
  • 1990 - Hands of a Murderer, or The Napoleon of Crime
  • 1991 - In My Defence
  • 1994 - Harrison
  • 1995 - Cry of the City
  • 1995 - Gulliver's Travels

References

  1. ^ screenonline: Woodward, Edward (1930-) Biography
  2. ^ Action TV - 1990 episode guide
  3. ^ Woodward Fighting Cancer
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