Robert Russell (actor)
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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
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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 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'', 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), ''
The Breaking of Bumbo ''The Breaking of Bumbo'' is a 1970 British comedy film written and directed by Andrew Sinclair, a former Coldstream Guards National service officer that was updated from his 1959 novel of the same name that featured the Suez Crisis. It starr ...
'' (1970), ''
Man in the Wilderness ''Man in the Wilderness'' is a 1971 American revisionist Western film about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing the Northwestern United States during the 1820s. The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions ...
'' (1971) with Richard Harris, ''
Sitting Target ''Sitting Target'', also known as ''Screaming Target'', is a 1972 British crime film directed by Douglas Hickox and mainly shot in various locations in London, including the Winstanley and York Road Estates. It stars Oliver Reed, Ian McShane a ...
'' (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 ''
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 ...
'' 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 ''
The Breaking of Bumbo ''The Breaking of Bumbo'' is a 1970 British comedy film written and directed by Andrew Sinclair, a former Coldstream Guards National service officer that was updated from his 1959 novel of the same name that featured the Suez Crisis. It starr ...
'' as Sergeant Clegg * 1970 '' Carry on Loving'' as Policeman (uncredited) * 1971 ''
Man in the Wilderness ''Man in the Wilderness'' is a 1971 American revisionist Western film about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing the Northwestern United States during the 1820s. The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions ...
'' as Smith * 1972 ''
Sitting Target ''Sitting Target'', also known as ''Screaming Target'', is a 1972 British crime film directed by Douglas Hickox and mainly shot in various locations in London, including the Winstanley and York Road Estates. It stars Oliver Reed, Ian McShane a ...
'' 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 ''
Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
'' as Leader * 1982 ''
Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...
'' as 2nd Constable * 1983 ''
The Sign of Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Plot ...
'' 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