Robin Sachs (5 February 1951 – 1 February 2013) was an English actor, active in the theatre, television and films. He was also known for his voice-over work in films and video games. Born to a theatrical family, Sachs studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

in London, and made a theatrical and screen career, working his way up from supporting parts in the 1970s to leading roles from the 1980s. He made his later career in America, and became known for his role of Ethan Rayne in the television series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although the events of the film are not consid ...

''.

Early life and early career

Sachs was born in London, the elder of two sons of the South African-born actor

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated t ...

and the English actress

Eleanor Summerfield Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951), '' Final Appointment'' (1954), '' Odongo'' ...

.Robin Sachs"
''The Telegraph'', 1 March 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018. Also online a
"Robin Sachs"
Infobank. Retrieved 26 October 2018 His father was Jewish. After leaving school he studied at the

, after which he followed the traditional route of provincial repertory and touring before being cast in supporting roles in West End productions during the 1970s, including Pirandello's '' Henry IV'', with

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French Without Tears'', in wh ...

; ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelo ...

'', with

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

, and Pinero's '' The Gay Lord Quex'', with

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

, directed by

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

Career

He appeared in leading stage roles, in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 1979 in

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lite ...

's ''The Assassin'',

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in 1984 in ''Love Affair'' with Siân Phillips, and at the Ashcroft Theatre,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

in 1985 in '' On Approval'' with

Polly James Polly James (born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Career Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. After graduating from RADA, her TV career began ...

and

Christopher Biggins Christopher Kenneth Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television presenter. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St ...

, On British television he was cast in ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'', '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Rumpole of the Bailey'', ''

Quiller Quiller is a fictional character created by English novelist Elleston Trevor. Quiller, whose one-word name is a pseudonym, works as a spy, and he is the hero of a series of 19 Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym Adam Hall, and becam ...

'' and '' Gentlemen and Players''. In the 1983 series ''

Chessgame ''Chessgame'' is a British television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network in 1983. Based on a series of novels by Anthony Price, the series dealt with the activities of a quartet of counter-intelligence agents: David Audle ...

'' he played the secret agent Hugh Roskill. Sachs's first film role was as Heinrich, a young vampire, in

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

's ''

Vampire Circus ''Vampire Circus'' is a 1972 British horror film directed by Robert Young and starring Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Anthony Higgins (billed as Anthony Corlan). It was written by Judson Kinberg, and produced by Wilbur Stark and Michael ...

'' (1972)."Robin Sachs"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 October 2018 He played Thomas Culpepper,

Catherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542), also spelled Katheryn Howard, was Queen of England from 1540 until 1542 as the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the se ...

's lover in '' Henry VIII and his Six Wives'' (1973), and featured in '' The Disappearance'' (1977) alongside Donald Sutherland. In the early 1990s Sachs moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

after being cast as a guest star in the television series ''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from Septemb ...

'' and played Adam Carrington in the

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

'' Dynasty: The Reunion''. He remained based in the US, guest starring in television shows including ''The Return of Ironside'' with

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

(1993). Among his later films were

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

's '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997) and

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

's remake of ''

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'' (2001). He appeared in several science-fiction programmes on television, including ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' and ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'', and in 1999 played General Sarris in the satirical comedy ''

Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the f ...

'', co-starring

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) and Mike Baxter on the ABC/ ...

and

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

. In 2002 he was cast as Peter Brazier, head of Nexexcon in ''

Megalodon Megalodon (''Otodus megalodon''), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. It was formerly thought to be a memb ...

''. In his last film appearance, ''

Northfork ''Northfork'' is a 2003 film directed by Michael Polish and written by Michael and Mark Polish. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2003 and later received a limited release in the United States on July 11, 2003. The film s ...

'' (2002), he played Cup of Tea, the leader of the vestigial community of a town about to be flooded. Sachs became known for his role as the sorcerer

Ethan Rayne This article lists the major and recurring fictional characters created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. For detailed descriptions, see individual character pages. Cast Main cast The following characters we ...

in the American television series ''

'', and for voicing Zaeed Massani in the ''

Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known unive ...

'' video game franchise, Admiral Saul Karath in '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'', Sergeant Roderick in ''

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'' and Xoloti in '' Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom''. In recognition of his popularity as a voice artist, following his death, a ''Mass Effect 3'' multiplayer challenge was enacted during the last weekend of February 2013, called "Operation Tribute".

Personal life and death

Sachs was twice married – from 1979 to 1991 to Siân Phillips, and from 1995 to 2006 to the American actress Casey DeFranco. Both marriages were dissolved. He died of a heart attack on 1 February 2013, four days before his 62nd birthday.

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1972) – Heinrich * '' Henry VIII and His Six Wives'' (1972) –

Thomas Culpeper Thomas Culpeper ( – 10 December 1541) was an English courtier and close friend of Henry VIII, and related to two of his queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. He is known to have had many private meetings with Catherine after her mar ...

* '' East Lynne'' (1976, TV Movie) – Richard Hare * '' The Disappearance'' (1977) – Young Man * ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

'' (1978, TV Movie) – Bushy * '' A Flame to the Phoenix'' (1983) – Gavin McCrae * '' Deadly Recruits'' (1986, TV Movie) – Hugh Roskill * '' The Alamut Ambush'' (1986, TV Movie) – Hugh Roskill * '' Cold War Killers'' (1986, TV Movie) – Hugh Roskill * '' The Return of Ironside'' (1993, TV Movie) – Himself * '' Innocent Adultery'' (1994) – Himself * '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997) – Paul Bowman * '' Ravager'' (1997) – Dr Shepard * '' Babylon 5: In the Beginning'' (1998, TV Series) – Coplann * ''

'' (1999) – Sarris * ''

'' (2001) – Seller * ''

'' (2004) – Peter Brazier * ''

'' (2003) – Cup of Tea * '' Resident Evil: Damnation'' (2012) – Ataman / Ivan Judanovich (voice) (final film role)

Television series

* ''

Love and Mr Lewisham ''Love and Mr Lewisham'' (subtitled "The Story of a Very Young Couple") is a 1900 novel set in the 1880s by H. G. Wells. It was among his first fictional writings outside the science fiction genre. Wells took considerable pains over the manuscri ...

'' (1972) – Mr Edwin Peake Baynes * '' ITV Playhouse'' (1972) – Hugh Randolph * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1973) – Robert * '' Ten from the Twenties'' (1975) – Harry Lance * ''

'' (1975) – Dieter * '' Centre Play'' (1975) – Adam * ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and W ...

'' (1976) – Himself * '' Rob Roy'' (1977) – Frank Osbaldistone * '' Ladykillers'' (1981) – Gervais Rentoul * ''

'' (1981) - Oxford student. * ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

'' (1983) – Charles Nielsen * ''

Tom, Dick and Harriet ''Tom, Dick and Harriet'' is a British sitcom that was broadcast for two series from 1982 to 1983. It was created by the sitcom writing team of Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, and it starred veteran actor Lionel Jeffries in one of his few te ...

'' (1983) – Marcel * ''

'' (1983) – Hugh Roskill * ''

C.A.T.S. Eyes ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'' is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from ''The Gentle Touch'', and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police forc ...

'' (1985) – James Latchmere * '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1987) – Hugo Lutterworth * '' A Fine Romance'' (1989) – Count Ivan Rakosi * '' Gentlemen and Players'' (1989) – Journalist * ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' (1991) – Prosecuting Counsel * ''

'' (1991) – Greg Hatton * '' Dynasty: The Reunion'' (1991) –

Adam Carrington Adam Alexander Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera '' Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Introduced at the beginning of the series' third season, the role was originated by Gordon Thomson in 19 ...

* ''

Herman's Head ''Herman's Head'' is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from September 8, 1991, until April 21, 1994. The series was created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touch ...

'' (1991) – Simon * '' Box Office America'' (1992) – Himself – Host * ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'' (1993) – Martin Kramer * '' Diagnosis: Murder'' (1994) – Art Thief * ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 (cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first s ...

'' (1994) – Silver Surfer / Norrin Radd / Physician / Street Fanatic * ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film '' Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the ...

'' (1995) – Philippe Brouchard * '' Nowhere Man'' (1996) – Alexander Hale / The Voice * '' Pacific Blue'' (1996) – Wilson Dupree * ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American police and science-fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the television series, '' ...

'' (1996) – Malcolm O'Neal * ''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The s ...

'' (1996) – Yuri Vashkov * '' F/X: The Series'' (1998) – Sebastian * ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...

'' (1994-1998) – Na'Tok / Warleader Na'Kal / Hedronn * ''

'' (1997-2000) – Ethan Rayne * '' Star Trek: Voyager'' (2001) – General Valen * ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the J ...

'' (2005) – Hans Dietrich * ''

'' (2006) – Sergeant Sam Roderick (voice) * ''

'' (2011) – British Professor * ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'' (2012) – Announcer * '' NCIS'' (2012) – MI5 Inspector Andrew Challis

Television miniseries

* '' Number 10'' (1983) – Sir Edward Hamilton

Shorts

* '' An Unbending People'' (2011) – (voice)

Video games

* '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' (2003) – Admiral Saul Karath (voice) * '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds'' (2003) – Ethan Rayne / The First (voice) * '' The Bard's Tale'' (2004) – (voice) * '' GoldenEye: Rogue Agent'' (2004) – (voice) * '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown'' (2005) – (voice) * '' Dragon Age: Origins'' (2009) – Lord Pyral Harrowmont / Murdock / Experienced Human Male / Redcliffe Messenger / Landsmeet Noble / Bandit Leader / Howe Estate Guard / Denerim Soldier / Orzammar Grey Warden / Circle Tower Templar (voice) * ''

Mass Effect 2 ''Mass Effect 2'' is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2010 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. It is the second installment in the ''Mass Effect'' series and a ...

'' (2010) – Zaeed Massani (voice) * '' Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening'' (2010) – Seneschal Varel / Narrator / Statue of War (voice) * '' Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days'' (2010) – (voice) * '' Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom'' (2010) – Xoloti (English version, voice) * ''

Mass Effect 3 ''Mass Effect 3'' is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major entry in the ''Mass Effect'' series and the final installment of the original trilogy, it was released in March 2012 ...

'' (2012) – Zaeed Massani (voice)

Audiobooks

Sachs narrated some 80

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

s, both fiction and nonfiction. These included: * '' The Tiger's Wife'' – Narration * '' A World Undone'' – Narration * '' Our Kind of Traitor'' – Narration * ''

The Snowman ''The Snowman'' is a 1982 British animated television film based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book '' The Snowman.'' It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an immediate success. It w ...

'' – Narration * ''

The Redbreast ''The Redbreast'' ( no, Rødstrupe, 2000) is a crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the third in the Harry Hole series (although the first in the series to be available in English). A large part of the book is laid at the time of the Seco ...

'' – Narration * '' The Devil's Star'' – Narration

Documentary shorts

* '' Greece: Secrets of the Past'' – Pericles * ''Ubuntu'' – Voice Over

Television documentary series

* '' The World of Hammer'' – Heinrich (archive audio)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Robin 1951 births 2013 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English people of South African-Jewish descent English expatriates in the United States Male actors from London British expatriate male actors in the United States 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors