Malcolm Tierney (25 February 1938 – 18 February 2013) was an English actor who appeared in many film and television roles.
Early life
Tierney's father, Ernest, was a boilermaker and trained draughtsman, from
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The populati ...
, who worked at
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. It operates as a secure facility, and has introduced epayments via smartphones for admission charges, replacin ...
. His mother, Agnes, née Kennedy, worked in the cotton mills.
He attended St Mary's Roman Catholic School in
Failsworth
Failsworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and south-west of Oldham. The orbital M60 motorway skirts it to the east. The population at the United Kingdom Cen ...
and studied design at the
Manchester School of Art
Manchester School of Art in Manchester, England, was established in 1838 as the Manchester School of Design. It is the second oldest art school in the United Kingdom after the Royal College of Art which was founded the year before. It is now par ...
. While working as a textile designer and printmaker, he became involved in amateur dramatics at the
Little Theatre, in
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ce ...
, which had been set up by John Wardle, father of the drama critic Irving Wardle, whose wife, Norma, became a mentor to Tierney.
[ As a result, he began a scholarship with the Rose Bruford Training College of Speech and Drama, in ]Sidcup
Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...
, Kent, in 1958 and landed his first acting job in 1962.
Career
His roles included the part of Captain Monk Adderley in the original ''Poldark
''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, published from 1945 to 1953 and continued from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was adapted twice fo ...
'' series, Tommy McArdle in '' Brookside'' between 1984 and 1987, Charlie Gimbert in ''Lovejoy
''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...
'' (26 Episodes 1986 and 1993), Geoffrey Ellsworth-Smythe in '' A Bit of a Do'', Patrick Woolton in '' House of Cards'' and Chief Const. Raymond in ''Dalziel and Pascoe
Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill.
Characterisation and style
Dalziel is d ...
''. In science fiction, he appeared, uncredited, as the Imperial officer who questions the disguised Luke Skywalker and Han Solo on what they are doing with Chewbacca in ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' in 1977 and the '' Doctor Who'' serial ''The Trial of a Time Lord
The twenty-third season of British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', known collectively as ''The Trial of a Time Lord'', aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986. It contained four adventures: '' The Mysteri ...
'' in 1986.[ He also appeared in '' Braveheart'' as the English sheriff who executes the wife of William Wallace, and is then subsequently himself killed by Wallace.]
He appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974–75 and 2005. In 1974 he played Claudio in ''Measure for Measure
''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623.
The play's plot features its ...
''. In 2007 he played Dr Hugo Eckener
Hugo Eckener (10 August 1868 – 14 August 1954) Schwensen Thomas Adam. p. 289 ostsee.de was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and also the commander of the famous '' Graf Zeppelin'' for most of its record-se ...
in the docudrama
Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".
Docudramas typ ...
'' Hindenburg: The Untold Story'', which was about the crash of the airship ''Hindenburg'' and the investigation after it. This was aired for the 70th anniversary of the disaster.
In 2008 he played Captain Smith of the RMS ''Titanic'' in the docudrama ''Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship''.
On radio he played Commander Brill-Oudener in the BBC Radio drama The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico, originally transmitted in May 2010.
Personal life
Tierney once shared a flat with Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. ( ...
who is best known for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
in the BBC TV show '' Doctor Who''. In 1979, Tierney married Andrea Schinko, an Austrian artist who survives him with their two daughters; Elsa, an artist and Anna, an actress.
Death
Malcolm Tierney died of pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory fail ...
, a week short of his 76th birthday. Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...
wrote in his obituary of a "loving man" and a "brilliant actor", he is buried in Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
, London.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Notice of death – BBC
Malcolm Tierney
at Find a Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present f ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tierney, Malcolm
1938 births
2014 deaths
People from Failsworth
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male Shakespearean actors
English male stage actors
Place of death missing
Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis
Burials at Highgate Cemetery