Colin Blakely

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Colin George Blakely (born September 23, 1930 in Bangor , Northern Ireland , † May 7, 1987 in London , Great Britain ) was a British actor .

life and work

Blakely was born in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Little is known about his early years in County Down other than the fact that he played rugby and football for Northern Ireland . Although he gained experience as an amateur actor at an early age , he initially sold sporting goods before devoting his life to acting in his late twenties. His first professional appearance with the Belfast Group Theater and finally made his London debut in 1959 at the Royal Court Theater with the play Cock-a-Doodle Dandy by Sean O'Casey . The talented and extremely versatile character actor with the compact stature and strong accent quickly rose to the top tier of theater actors and during the 1960s worked mainly with renowned houses such as the Royal Shakespeare Company , the Royal National Theater and the Royal Court Theater .

After making his screen debut in the 1960 film adaptation of Alan Sillitoe's novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Karel Reisz ( Saturday night to Sunday morning ) in the role of Loudmouth, Blakely first appeared in many British Angry Young Men productions and Specialized here above all in the role of loyal friend. However, he later expanded his spectrum and embodied a wide variety of characters. Until his death, Blakely worked in a large number of screen and stage productions. Among his most famous film roles are those of Dr. Watson in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Billy Wilder (1970) or the policeman who was in a relationship with the Armstrong family maid in the Agatha Christie film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (1974). Among the television productions, the film adaptation of the Shakespeare dramas by the BBC deserves special mention. He also played the role of Mr. Hobbs in the television film Der kleine Lord from 1980. The film is repeated on television in Germany every year before Christmas.

Blakely died of leukemia in London at the age of 56 . He was married to British actress Margaret Whiting and had three sons.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Blakely, Colin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blakely, Colin George (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Northern Irish actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 23, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Bangor (Northern Ireland)
DATE OF DEATH May 7, 1987
Place of death London