John Forbes-Robertson

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John Forbes-Robertson (born May 10, 1928 in Worthing , Sussex , Great Britain , † May 14, 2008 in London ) was a British actor . His most popular role was that of Count Dracula in Hammer 's last vampire film The 7 Golden Vampires .

Life

John Forbes-Robertson was born in Worthing , West Sussex into a theater family. His father was the celebrated Shakespeare actor Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson , who was ennobled in 1913 . Since his parents were often on tour, he grew up with his older brother and younger sister with his grandparents. He gained his first stage experience at the Intimate Theater and the Birmingham Repertory Theater .

Forbes-Robertson had a number of appearances on television series such as Simon Templar and Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone , as well as on the radio and played numerous theater roles. In 1974 he starred in a small but charismatic supporting role in the TV miniseries QB VII , based on the real-life case of Wladislaw Dering, a respected doctor who was charged with alleged atrocities during World War II . Forbes-Robertson played the chairman of the jury who awards half a penny in damages to the doctor portrayed by Anthony Hopkins . As a result, Forbes Robertson was repeatedly seen as a doctor, police officer or military officer.

In 1970 Hammer producer Aida Young approached him to negotiate with him about the possibility of succeeding Christopher Lee as Dracula actor. At first he played a silent but impressive role as a vampiric man dressed in black in the vampire's tomb . Finally Forbes-Robertson agreed and played Count Dracula in The 7 Golden Vampires , the final Dracula film by Hammer, alongside Peter Cushing . The film was supposed to be the death knell for Hammer film production, but Forbes-Robertson later said that he was lucky to have played such a popular film character.

John Forbes-Robertson played minor roles in several major films, including the agent parody Casino Royale (1967) opposite David Niven , Peter Sellers and Orson Welles . He was happy to be involved in Room 36 , an independent horror film from 2004. However, he was becoming noticeably increasingly frail. His last work was his collaboration on the retrospective documentary The Legend Of Hammer - Vampires from 2007.

Away from the big screen, he lived in Hanwell , West London , where he could often be found at the antique market on Portobello Road. Forbes-Robertson was also an avid sailor, and although he never married, he met regularly with the dancers at Soho's famous Windmill Theater .

John Forbes-Robertson passed away four days after his birthday at the age of eighty. He leaves two nieces and two nephews.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Forbes-Robertson, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 10, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Worthing , Sussex , UK
DATE OF DEATH May 14, 2008
Place of death London