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 Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. His family emigrated to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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 and actors such as Sir

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

, 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 '' The Avengers'', '' Public Eye'', '' The Sweeney'', '' Space: 1999'', '' Blake's 7'' and ''

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'', playing a guard in the serial entitled ''

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'' and a Highland Games Champion, The Caber, in '' Terror of the Zygons''. Some of his other film appearances included '' Othello'' (1965), '' The Whisperers'' (1967), '' Bedazzled'' (1967) with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, '' Inspector Clouseau'' (1968), '' The Breaking of Bumbo'' (1970), '' Man in the Wilderness'' (1971) with Richard Harris, '' Sitting Target'' (1972), ''Double Exposure'' (1977), ''Queen of the Blues'' (1979) starring Mary Millington, ''

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'' (1982), '' Oliver Twist'' (1982), and the TV film of '' The Sign of Four'' (1983). He lived for the last 14 years of his life in Maidenhead,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

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

Partial filmography

* 1961 '' The Sinister Man'' as Uniformed Sergeant * 1964 '' Shadow of Fear'' as Ransome * 1965 '' Othello'' as Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots * 1967 '' The Whisperers'' as Andy * 1967 '' Robbery'' 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'' as Headquarters Policeman * 1970 '' The Breaking of Bumbo'' as Sergeant Clegg * 1970 '' Carry on Loving'' as Policeman (uncredited) * 1971 '' Man in the Wilderness'' as Smith * 1972 '' Sitting Target'' 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 '' Oliver Twist'' as 2nd Constable * 1983 '' The Sign of Four'' 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