Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE (1 June 1930 – 16 November 2009) was an English actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Woodward began his career on stage. Throughout his career, he appeared in productions in both the West End of London and on Broadway in New York City. He came to wider attention from 1967 in the title role of the British television spy drama Callan, earning him the 1970 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. Woodward starred as Police Sergeant
Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the 1973 cult British horror film The Wicker Man, and in the title role of the 1980 Australian biopic Breaker Morant. From 1985 to 1989, Woodward starred as British ex-secret agent and vigilante Robert McCall in the American television series The Equalizer, earning him the 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor.

Contents

1 Early life 2 Career

2.1 Theatre 2.2 Film 2.3 Television 2.4 Music

3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Awards 6 Stage work 7 Filmography

7.1 Films 7.2 Television series 7.3 Made-for-TV films 7.4 Television specials

8 References 9 External links

Early life[edit] Woodward was born in Croydon, Surrey,[1] the only child of working class parents Edward Oliver Woodward, a metalworker,[2] and Violet Edith Woodward (née Smith).[3] As a boy, he was bombed out of his home three times during the Blitz.[4] He attended Eccleston Road, Sydenham Road, and E Wallington, as well as Kingston Day Commercial School, all in Surrey.[2][4] He then attended Kingston College.[1][5] Career[edit] Theatre[edit] In the post- World War II
World War II period, Woodward became an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art while taking amateur roles. Wanting to train as a journalist he eventually took work in a sanitary engineer's office before attending RADA
RADA from age 16.[6] He was reputedly torn between becoming an actor or a professional footballer. He was on the books of Leyton Orient FC
Leyton Orient FC and Brentford FC, making three appearances in the Football League for the latter; however, a serious knee injury kept him out of the game for over a year.[citation needed] Woodward's professional acting debut was in the Castle Theatre, Farnham, in 1946.[6] After graduation from RADA, he worked extensively in repertory companies as a Shakespearean actor throughout England
England and Scotland, making his London stage debut in R.F. Delderfield's Where There's A Will in 1955[6] and also appeared in the film adaptation that same year, his first film, and then Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet (1955). Having established himself, he also worked in Broadway theatre in New York City
New York City 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. In 1970, after Woodward played Sidney Carton in the West End musical "Two Cities" based on Dickens's novel, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier invited him to choose his own role in the Royal National Theatre, and he chose Cyrano de Bergerac (1971).[6] In 2004, Woodward, alongside Australian actor Daniel MacPherson, appeared as God in a revival of The Mystery Plays at Canterbury Cathedral. From a cast of hundreds of local actors, Joseph McManners and Thomas James Longley also featured with smaller speaking roles.[7] Film[edit] He made occasional appearances until taking the role of Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the thriller The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man in 1973. Woodward was offered a cameo role in the 2005 remake but declined. He also appeared in the 1982 film Who Dares Wins, also known as The Final Option,[8] as Commander Powell. Woodward played the title role in the 1980 Australian biographical film drama Breaker Morant, which was highly acclaimed, and his presence brought the film worldwide attention. Woodward also had a supporting role in the 2007 action comedy Hot Fuzz. His last lead film role was that of the Reverend Frederick Densham in A Congregation of Ghosts; the story of an eccentric vicar who is said to have alienated his congregation and preached to cardboard cut-outs.[citation needed] Robin Hardy, who directed The Wicker Man, said, "He was one of the greatest actors of his generation, without a doubt, with a broad career on American television as well as on British film."[citation needed] Noël Coward
Noël Coward once said of him, "He was one of the nicest and most co-operative actors I've ever met or worked with."[citation needed] In 1990 Woodward was the narrator for the official FIFA film of the 1990 World Cup entitled 'Soccer Shoot-Out'. Television[edit] Woodward appeared in many television productions. In the early 1960s he was a jobbing actor who made a number of minor TV appearances in supporting roles. His casting as Guy Crouchback in the 1967 adaption of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour
Sword of Honour trilogy, dramatised by Giles Cooper and directed by Donald McWhinnie, established him as an actor of quality and standing. Crouchback was the central character in Waugh's iconic three novels set against the background of Britain's involvement in World War II. This black and white TV dramatisation is now much less well known than a more lavish 2001 colour version with Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig playing the part of Crouchback. However, the 1967 dramatisation enjoyed a high-profile at the time and it featured several leading actors of that era including Ronald Fraser, Freddie Jones, Vivian Pickles, Nicholas Courtney
Nicholas Courtney and James Villiers. Moreover, Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh had met and approved Giles Cooper as the scriptwriter, having their schooling at Lancing College
Lancing College in common, albeit more than a decade apart. In 1967 Woodward played the eventual victim in an episode of The Saint TV series ("The Persistent Patriots"). The same year he was cast as David Callan in the ITV Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre play A Magnum for Schneider, which later became the spy series Callan, one of his early television roles and one in which he demonstrated his ability to express controlled rage. His iconic performance assured the series success from 1967 to 1972, with a film appearing in 1974. He also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier in a 1978 adaptation of Saturday, Sunday, Monday in the Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier Presents anthology series. 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.[9] In 1977 he starred in two series of the BBC2
BBC2 dystopian drama 1990, about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism.[10] The late 1970s were spent on both stage and film, but it was not until he took the lead role in the American television series The Equalizer (1985–89) as a former intelligence operative that he found recognition and popularity exceeding that of Callan. 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 condition. The first episode filmed following Woodward's heart attack involved his character being severely injured by a KGB
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.[citation needed] During this period he also starred in the Cold War
Cold War espionage thriller, Codename: Kyril (1988), as an MI6
MI6 double agent. Subsequently, he starred in the short-lived CBS series Over My Dead Body, which ran in 1990, playing a mystery writer who gets involved in solving real crimes. In 1994 and 1997 Woodward starred in the BBC drama Common As Muck
Common As Muck in which he played a binman called Nev. In 1993, Woodward appeared in the Welsh language
Welsh language drama, Tan ar y Comin. Versions were made in both English and Welsh, and Woodward appeared in both, being specially coached in the latter since he did not speak a word of the language.[11] In 1999 Woodward appeared alongside his son Peter in The Long Road, an episode of the Babylon 5 spin off, Crusade, on which Peter was a regular cast member.[12] While both actors were playing the part of unrelated Technomages, the on-screen chemistry between them was clear. His career continued with TV guest star roles including an appearance in The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
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
The Bill in 2008. In March 2009, he joined EastEnders
EastEnders for six episodes, playing Tommy Clifford. Woodward was a wargamer and hosted a series of programmes for Tyne Tees Television[13] in 1978 about the hobby with fellow enthusiast Peter Gilder, who built and owned the beautiful Gettysburg diorama used for one of the gaming scenes from the 1974 film Callan. Woodward was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions: in February 1971 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the bar of London’s White House Hotel, and in February 1995, when Michael Aspel surprised him during a photoshoot at Syon House in West London. Music[edit] His capability as tenor enabled him to record twelve albums of romantic songs, as well as three albums of poetry and fourteen books to tape. His vocal ability and acting skill enabled him to make a number of appearances when time allowed on the BBC's Edwardian era music hall programme, The Good Old Days.[14][15] Personal life[edit] Woodward was married twice. His first marriage was to actress Venetia Barrett (born Venetia Mary Collett) from 1952 to 1986.[5] They had two sons: Tim Woodward (born 1953) and Peter Woodward (born 1956), both of whom became actors, as well as a daughter, the Tony Award-nominated actress Sarah Woodward (born 1963). Woodward left Barrett for actress Michele Dotrice, the daughter of his contemporary Roy Dotrice, and married her in New York City
New York City in January 1987. Their daughter, Emily Beth Woodward (born 1983),[16] was present at the ceremony.[17] Woodward was in Cyprus
Cyprus during the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. Staying in the northern Cyprus
Cyprus town of Kyrenia, he was one of several Britons evacuated from the island by the Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes following the Turkish invasion and occupation of Kyrenia.[18] Woodward suffered a massive heart attack in 1987 and another one in 1994. He underwent triple bypass surgery in 1996 and quit smoking. In February 2003, it was announced that he had prostate cancer.[19] In July 2009, it was announced that a planned performance of Love Letters for later in 2009, co-starring his wife Michele, would be postponed because of damage caused to his hip when he fell down the stairs at his West Country
West Country home.[20] Death[edit] Woodward died at the Royal Cornwall
Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Cornwall
Cornwall on 16 November 2009, at the age of 79, near his home at Hawker's Cove.[21][22] His body was buried at Padstow
Padstow Cemetery.[23] He was survived by his wife, their daughter, and three children from his first marriage.[24] Awards[edit] In 1969 and 1970, Woodward was Television Actor of the Year, and Best Actor at the Sun Awards in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Woodward won the 1970 BAFTA
BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his title role in Callan. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978. At the 1987 Golden Globe
Golden Globe Awards, he won Best Actor in a Dramatic TV Series for his role of Robert McCall in The Equalizer. At the Emmy Awards from 1986 to 1990, he was nominated each year for The Equalizer.

Golden Globe
Golden Globe - 1987 RTS Television Actor of the Year - 1969, 1970 Sun Award for Best Actor - 1970, 1971, 1972 Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire - 1978 BAFTA
BAFTA Award for Best Actor Emmy Award
Emmy Award nominated

Stage work[edit]

1955: Where There's a Will 1958: Romeo and Juliet 1958: Hamlet 1962: Rattle of a Simple Man 1964: High Spirits 1968: Two Cities 1969: Julius Caesar 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 as director) 1980: Private Lives 1982: The Assassin 1982: Richard III 1992: The Dead Secret

Filmography[edit] Films[edit]

1955: Where There's a Will - Ralph Stokes 1960: Inn for Trouble
Inn for Trouble - (uncredited) 1964: Becket - Clement (uncredited) 1969: File
File of the Golden Goose - Arthur Thompson 1970: Incense for the Damned
Incense for the Damned - Dr. Holstrom 1972: Hunted (Short) - John Drummond 1972: Sitting Target
Sitting Target - Inspector Milton 1972: Young Winston
Young Winston - Aylmer Haldane 1973: The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man - Sergeant Howie 1974: Callan - David Callan 1975: Three for All - Roadsweeper 1977: Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers
Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers - Sgt. Wellbeloved 1980: Breaker Morant - Lt. Harry Harbord 'Breaker' Morant 1981: The Appointment - Ian 1982: Who Dares Wins (U.S. title: The Final Option) - Commander Powell 1984: Champions - Josh Gifford 1984: King David - Saul 1990: Mister Johnson
Mister Johnson - Sargy Gollup 1990: Soccer Shootout - Official Film 1990 World Cup - Narrator 1993: Tân ar y Comin 1994: Deadly Advice - Maj. Herbert Armstrong 1997: The House of Angelo
The House of Angelo - Dominic Angelo 1999: Marcia's Dowry (Short) - Gus Wise 2002: The Abduction Club
The Abduction Club - Lord Fermoy 2007: Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz - Tom Weaver 2009: A Congregation of Ghosts - Reverend Frederick Densham (final film role)

Television series[edit]

1967: Sword of Honour 1967-1981: Callan - David Callan 1972-1973: Whodunnit? - Himself - Host 1977-1978: 1990 - Jim Kyle 1978: The Bass Player and the Blonde - Mangham 1980: Nice Work - Edwin Thornfield 1981: Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years - Sir Samuel Hoare 1985-1989: The Equalizer
The Equalizer - Robert McCall 1987: Codename: Kyril - Michael Royston 1990-1991: Over My Dead Body - Maxwell Beckett 1991-1996: In Suspicious Circumstances - Storyteller 1991: America at Risk 1994-1997: Common as Muck
Common as Muck - Nev 1999: Crusade - Alwyn 1999: CI5: The New Professionals - Harry Malone 2000: La Femme Nikita - Mr. Jones 2001: The Lone Gunmen - Peanuts' Speech Synthesizer (voice) 2001: Messiah ( BBC
BBC drama series) - Rev. Stephen Hedges 2004: Murder in Suburbia
Murder in Suburbia - Reg 2007: Five Days ( BBC
BBC and HBO
HBO drama mini-series) - Victor Marsham 2008: The Bill
The Bill - Johnnie Jackson 2009: EastEnders
EastEnders - Tommy

Made-for-TV films[edit]

1978: Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier Presents: Saturday, Sunday, Monday - Luigi 1981: Wet Job - David Callan 1983: Love is Forever - Derek McBracken 1984: A Christmas Carol - Ghost of Christmas Present 1985: Merlin and the Sword (U.S. title, Arthur the King) - Merlin 1987: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Simon Legree 1988: The Man in the Brown Suit - Sir Eustace Pedler 1990: Hands of a Murderer - Sherlock Holmes 1994: A Christmas Reunion - Colonel Phillips 1995: The Shamrock Conspiracy - Edward Harrison 1996: Harrison: The Cry of the City - Edward 'Teddy' Harrison

Television specials[edit]

1969: Omnibus: 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 1996: Gulliver's Travels - Drunlo

References[edit]

^ a b "Actor's roots 'were important to him'". The Croydon
Croydon Post. Northcliffe Media. 25 November 2009. p. 7.  access-date= requires url= (help) ^ a b "Edward Woodward". The Sunday Independent (Ireland). 22 November 2009.  access-date= requires url= (help) ^ " Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward Biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ a b "Veteran actor best known as "Equalizer"". The Irish Times. 21 November 2009. p. 14.  access-date= requires url= (help) ^ a b "Obituary: Edward Woodward". Telegraph.co.uk. London: Telegraph Media Group. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.  ^ a b c d "Obituary: Edward Woodward". BBC
BBC News. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.  ^ "Revival of medieval mystery plays". BBC
BBC News. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 14 August 2010.  ^ imdb page on the film's release history. ^ "Woodward, Edward (1930-2009) Biography". screenonline. 4 February 1967. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ "Action TV - 1990 episode guide". Web.archive.org. 9 May 2006. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ "Peakviewing". Peakviewing. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ The Long Road on IMDb ^ "BFI Film & TV Database BATTLEGROUND". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.  ^ Edward Woodward: They Didn't Believe Me on YouTube ^ Edward Woodward: Soldiers Of The Queen on YouTube ^ Emily Woodward on IMDb ^ Hunter, Colonel (16 November 2009). " Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward dies, aged 79". Thisisplymouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ 'WHEN I GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE TURKISH INVASION OF CYPRUS' by Candida Watkins ^ IMDb
IMDb bio ^ "Op for Equalizer Ed". The Sun. 9 July 2009.  ^ "Equalizer Star Dies". News.sky.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2012.  ^ "Actor Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward dies at 79". BBC. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.  ^ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44425715 ^ Barker, Dennis (16 November 2009). " Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edward Woodward.

Biography portal

Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward on IMDb The Museum of Broadcast Communications Daily Mail - November 16, 2009: "'He was one of the greatest actors of his generation': Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward dies aged 79" The Washington Post - November 17, 2009: "Edward Woodward: British leading man personified 'the actor's life'" Michele Dotrice recalls Edward's appearance on This Is Your Life

Awards for Edward Woodward

v t e

BAFTA
BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor

Paul Rogers (1955) Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing (1956) Michael Gough (1957) Michael Hordern
Michael Hordern (1958) Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence (1959) Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan (1960) Lee Montague (1961) Rupert Davies
Rupert Davies (1962) Harry H. Corbett
Harry H. Corbett (1963) Alan Badel
Alan Badel (1964) Patrick Wymark
Patrick Wymark (1965) Alan Badel
Alan Badel (1966) Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell (1967) Eric Porter (1968) Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice (1969) Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward (1970) Keith Michell
Keith Michell (1971) John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier (1972) Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins (1973) Frank Finlay
Frank Finlay (1974) Peter Barkworth (1975) John Hurt
John Hurt (1976) Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi (1977) Peter Barkworth (1978) Edward Fox (1979) Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness (1980) Denholm Elliott
Denholm Elliott (1981) Anthony Andrews
Anthony Andrews (1982) Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness (1983) Alan Bates
Alan Bates (1984) Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith (1985) Bob Peck (1986) Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon (1987) David Jason (1988) Ray McAnally (1989) John Thaw
John Thaw (1990) Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson (1991) Robert Lindsay (1992) John Thaw
John Thaw (1993) Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane (1994) Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane (1995) Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane (1996) Nigel Hawthorne (1997) Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale (1998) Tom Courtenay
Tom Courtenay (1999) Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon (2000) Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon (2001) Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon (2002) Albert Finney
Albert Finney (2003) Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy (2004) Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans (2005) Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance (2006) Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent (2007) Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield (2008) Stephen Dillane
Stephen Dillane (2009) Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh (2010) Daniel Rigby (2011) Dominic West
Dominic West (2012) Ben Whishaw
Ben Whishaw (2013) Sean Harris (2014) Jason Watkins (2015) Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance (2016) Adeel Akhtar (2017)

v t e

Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama

Mike Connors
Mike Connors (1969) Peter Graves
Peter Graves (1970) Robert Young (1971) Peter Falk
Peter Falk (1972) James Stewart
James Stewart (1973) Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas (1974) Robert Blake/ Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas (1975) Richard Jordan (1976) Edward Asner (1977) Michael Moriarty (1978) Edward Asner (1979) Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain (1980) Daniel J. Travanti (1981) John Forsythe
John Forsythe (1982) John Forsythe
John Forsythe (1983) Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck (1984) Don Johnson
Don Johnson (1985) Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward (1986) Richard Kiley
Richard Kiley (1987) Ron Perlman
Ron Perlman (1988) Ken Wahl
Ken Wahl (1989) Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle MacLachlan (1990) Scott Bakula
Scott Bakula (1991) Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston (1992) David Caruso
David Caruso (1993) Dennis Franz
Dennis Franz (1994) Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits (1995) David Duchovny
David Duchovny (1996) Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards (1997) Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott (1998) James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini (1999) Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen (2000) Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland (2001) Michael Chiklis
Michael Chiklis (2002) Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia (2003) Ian McShane
Ian McShane (2004) Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie (2005) Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie (2006) Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm (2007) Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne (2008) Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall (2009) Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi (2010) Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer (2011) Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis (2012) Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston (2013) Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey (2014) Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm (2015) Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (2016) Sterling K. Brown
Sterling K. Brown (2017)

v t e

The Wicker Man

Films

The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man (1973) The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man (2006) The Wicker Tree
The Wicker Tree (2011)

Novels

Ritual (1967) The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man (1978) Cowboys for Christ
Cowboys for Christ (2006)

Music

Soundtrack

"Willow's Song"

Wickerman Festival

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 25995743 LCCN: n84018361 ISNI: 0000 0001 0881 2562 GND: 136001815 SUDOC: 078882230 BNF: cb14046648n (data) BIBSYS: 98041727 BN