Robert Russell (24 May 1936 – 12 May 2008) was an English actor known for a memorable supporting role as John Stearne alongside Vincent Price in the classic British horror film '' Witchfinder General'' (1968). He was born in Kent, England. His family emigrated to South Africa for 9 years when he was aged 11. He worked in a gold mine after leaving school. He returned to England and trained as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He then appeared onstage with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

and actors such as Sir

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

, as a member of the National Theatre touring company. He made numerous appearances on UK television, often playing tough characters and villains due to his imposing stature, including ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', '' Space: 1999'', '' Blake's 7'' and ''

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'', playing a guard in the serial entitled '' The Power of the Daleks'' and a Highland Games Champion, The Caber, in '' Terror of the Zygons''. Some of his other film appearances included ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' (1965), '' The Whisperers'' (1967), '' Bedazzled'' (1967) with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, '' Inspector Clouseau'' (1968), ''

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'' (1970), ''

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'' (1971) with Richard Harris, ''

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'' (1972), ''Double Exposure'' (1977), ''Queen of the Blues'' (1979) starring

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, ''

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'' (1982), ''

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'' (1982), and the TV film of ''

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'' (1983). He lived for the last 14 years of his life in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

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and died there of a heart attack at his home aged 71.

Partial filmography

* 1961 '' The Sinister Man'' as Uniformed Sergeant * 1963 ''Shadow of Fear'' as Ransome * 1965 ''

'' as Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots * 1967 '' The Whisperers'' as Andy * 1967 ''

Robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

'' as Detective * 1967 '' Bedazzled'' as Anger * 1968 '' Inspector Clouseau'' as Stockton * 1968 '' Witchfinder General'' as John Stearne * 1969 '' The Spy Killer'' as Police Sergeant * 1970 ''

Eyewitness Eyewitness or eye witness may refer to: Witness * Witness, someone who has knowledge acquired through first-hand experience ** Eyewitness memory ** Eyewitness testimony Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Eyewitness'' (1956 film), a Britis ...

'' as Headquarters Policeman * 1970 ''

'' as Sergeant Clegg * 1970 '' Carry on Loving'' as Policeman (uncredited) * 1971 ''

'' as Smith * 1972 ''

'' as Prison Warder One * 1977 ''Double Exposure'' as Russell, The Kidnapper * 1978 ''A Hitch in Time'' as King's Aide (uncredited) * 1979 ''Queen of the Blues'' as Roscoe * 1980 '' Silver Dream Racer'' as Garage Mechanic * 1982 ''

'' as Leader * 1982 ''

'' as 2nd Constable * 1983 ''

'' as Williams * 1992 ''Strange Horizons'' as "Shorty"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Robert 1936 births 2008 deaths English male film actors English male television actors