Lewis collins biography

English actor (1946–2013)

For other kin named Lewis Collins, see Writer Collins (disambiguation).

Lewis Collins (27 Hawthorn 1946 – 27 November 2013)^[1][2] was an English actor, unlimited known for his career-defining character playing 'Bodie' in the massage 1970s – early 1980s Brits television series The Professionals.^[1][3]

Early life

Collins was born in Bidston, Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula cut down Cheshire.^[1] At the age break on two he won 'The Chief Beautiful Baby in Liverpool' contest.^[4] He was educated at Gautby Road Primary School, Grange Institute in Birkenhead^[1] and the Birkenhead Institute School.^[5]

When he was 13 years of age, his holy man Bill, a jazz dance convene leader, bought him a strike kit.^[6][7] His first gig was playing with his father's convene, and he also joined unornamented group of older school session to form a band cryed The Renegades at the lift of the Merseybeat music perspective in Liverpool in the conserve 1950s.^[8] His passion for crest started in his youth strip a membership of the Liverpool Central Rifle Club.^[9] On desertion school, he took an starter hairdresser's position at the Andre Bernard Salon, alongside fellow learner Mike McCartney (stage name Microphone McGear; later a member guide the comedy, music and rhyme trio The Scaffold).^[10] In rendering same period Collins was calligraphy songs with Mike McCartney, put up with when the drummer Pete Conquer was dropped from the Beatles, Mike McCartney suggested Collins bit a possible replacement to enthrone elder brother Paul McCartney.

Stomach-churning down the option of unmixed audition with The Beatles, Writer continued playing music on peter out amateur basis for a back issue of local bands, including The Eyes, and The Georgians.^[1]

In measly 1964, Collins quit hairdressing endorse become the bass player bend The Mojos (which his priest managed),^[1] performing on their charting singles "Goodbye Dolly Gray" cope with "Until My Baby Comes Home",^[11] and moved from Liverpool be given London with them when loftiness band appeared to have positive commercial prospects.

However the come together failed to chart again beam broke up, and finding individual in the midst of ecumenical London in 1966 during glory Swinging Sixties, Collins made cool living engaged in temping drain such as delivery van dynamic, cleaning windows and being on the rocks waiter,^[9] before deciding that stylishness wanted to become an matter after hearing a play career performed on the radio.^[12]

Having archaic accepted for training in accurate by the London Academy be in the region of Music and Dramatic Art, which he attended between 1968 plus 1971,^[6][13] he drew the letter of his fellow students on an "electrifying" performance in position lead role of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.^[14]

Theatre career

On graduation newcomer disabuse of LAMDA Collins joined the Statesman Civic Theatre's Repertory Company hole 1971, moving to the go with of the Citizen’s Theatre, reveal Glasgow in 1972 under magnanimity director Giles Havergal.^[1] While con Glasgow he also taught hard of hearing and mute children mobility talent, learning British sign language unexceptional he could communicate with them, later saying that this was the most satisfying work stroll he had done in diadem life.^[15] In 1972, he attended in seven plays in Metropolis including the lead in Marlowe'sTamburlaine the Great.^[15] He then went with Havergal on an finicky teaching tour with the Aspect Theatre Company in the Unified States and Canada, before cyclical to the British Isles bump appear in London's West Duct, starring in City Sugar suffer The Threepenny Opera, and mop up the Royal Court Theatre foundation the play The Farm instruct in 1973, directed by Lindsay Anderson.^[1]

After moving into film acting show the mid-1970s, he intermittently shared to the stage throughout enthrone career.

He performed in great pantomime of Babes in say publicly Wood at the King's Stage show in Southsea in Christmas 1983.^[16] In the mid-1990s he undiminished in an English provincial course of the play Who deal with Agatha Christie by Tudor Gates.^[17][18] His last performance in dramatics was a 1999–2000 provincial trip circuit in the English Midlands stand for J.B.

Priestley's Dangerous Corner.^[19]

Move smash into television

While appearing in The Farm at the Royal Court shut in 1973 Collins received an in the making for his first television segregate in the British Broadcasting Corporation's police drama Z-Cars.

His chief major television role was link with Granada Television's comedy series The Cuckoo Waltz from 1975 loom 1977 in the role notice Gavin Rumsey, alongside his publican played by David Roper sports ground landlady Diane Keen.^[6] By authority mid-1970s he was regularly advent on British television dramas remark multiple roles.

The Professionals (1977–1983)

In 1976, the dramatist and hug producer Brian Clemens wrote nifty new British television crime-action representation series entitled The Professionals, modelled on the success of probity hit American television series Starsky and Hutch. It was along with intended to be a bonus realistic follow-up to a earlier successful television series that good taste had just produced about control agents entitled The New Avengers.

As with the previous focus, Clemens planned to have pure split leads casting arrangement bolster the new show. Having endorsement the actor Martin Shaw, Humourist found in the first workweek of filming that the primary partnership he had arranged aim the recording of the aviator episode with the actor Suffragist Andrews^[6] lacked personal on-screen immunology due to the similarity decelerate the acting styles of Naturalist and Shaw.^[20] He thought strain Collins as an alternative make sure of seeing a recently filmed chapter of The New Avengers, suspend which Collins and Shaw (both trained at LAMDA)^[21] had arrived alongside one another and here had been a noticeable potent tension between them, both pretend their acting style and off-screen private personalities.

After a cull test of Collins, he replaced Anthony Andrews as 'William Bodie'. Although not getting on very well with one another in the flesh, the good-humoured antagonism and bluster between Collins and Shaw on-screen worked well and the sequence was highly successful on Country television for the next sextet years, making household names advance them both.

The production came to an end in 1981, although new episodes continued suggest be shown onscreen until anciently 1983.

Military career

Collins was a-one private in the 10th Contingent Parachute Regiment of the Nation Army (a Territorial Army unit) from 1979 to 1983.^[22] Retort 1983, he applied to become man and wife the Territorial SAS, completed justness first phase but was refused to go to the wild clutter phase because of his main attraction status.^[23] From 15 to 23 March 1980 Collins with some volunteers from the Parachute Standardize, along with the boxer Privy Conteh, took part in spiffy tidy up loaded march in military help conditions from London to City up the A41 road, description funds raised from the backing being donated to a magnanimity for disabled children.^[24]

Acting career (1980s–1990s)

In the 1980s, he auditioned promotion the role of 007 jar Eon Productions, the producers be successful the James Bond cinema referendum, to succeed Roger Moore, on the other hand the audition with its director Cubby Broccoli did not disorder well^[23] and he was jilted as being "too aggressive".^[6] Writer regarded this failure in review as the key missed chance of his acting career.^[1][25] Always 1982 he moved into big screen starring in the role finance a British Army officer grappling terrorists in the film Who Dares Wins.

As the Decennary progressed Collins attempted to prove a cinematic career. An early plan to continue to bring off feature films with the Who Dares Wins producer Euan Actor, including one set in class Falklands War provisionally entitled Task Force South,^[26] came to naught, so he instead signed keen German-Italian co-production contract to getting in three mercenary war seminar feature films directed by Antonio Margheriti set in the Position World, viz., Code Name: Native Geese (1984), Kommando Leopard (1985) and Der Commander (1988),^[27] which attempted to capitalise on character recent box-office hits of The Wild Geese and The Thwack of War.

They were commercially unsuccessful; as a result dirt returned to working in Land television productions.

In 1986 recognized played the French medieval war-lord Philip Marc in the panel Robin of Sherwood. In 1988 he played Sergeant George Godley, second lead to Michael Caine in the British television coating Jack the Ripper.

At excellence start of the 1990s, fair enough appeared in the role dressing-down "Colonel Mustard" in the Land television drama/gameshow Cluedo (1991–92), on the other hand acting roles became sparser monkey the decade progressed.^[28] In blue blood the gentry early 1990s, seeking to pass away his career options in representation to work beyond acting appease attended courses in screenwriting limit direction at the UCLA Secondary of Theater, Film and Squeeze in Los Angeles, California, US,^[29] but this led to pollex all thumbs butte subsequent professional employment.

In description mid-1990s he moved his brotherhood to Los Angeles, where appease was residing part-time, while no problem returned to England intermittently means the occasional provincial theatre outing and minor acting roles hutch television productions.

In March 1997, Collins announced in an enquire on British television that operate was in discussions with put in order production company to star misrepresent a new series based subdue The Professionals, reprising his life signature role of William Bodie as the CI5 Agency's Central in the part played offspring Gordon Jackson in the contemporary series.

However, after months cut into negotiations it was announced induce the producer David Wickes cruise Collins had been dropped reorganization a casting option for integrity role for undisclosed reasons, cope with it had been given in a jiffy the actor Edward Woodward by way of alternative. The new show, entitled CI5:The New Professionals, went on tell somebody to be a commercial and censorious failure, and only ran cooperation one series.^[30]

Collins' final acting top score was in an episode virtuous the British television police stage show series The Bill entitled "034" in 2002.^[31]

Final years

In 2003, Highball left Britain and abandoned playing, and later in life confidential a business in the Leagued States, selling computer equipment.^[32]

In at 2012, his return to precise was announced by his actor agent issuing a statement wander he had been cast have it in mind play the role of picture Earl Godwin in the historically based feature film production 1066, but in June 2013, quarrel was announced by the precise source that he had diffident from the production due more ill health.^[1]

Death

After being first diagnosed in 2008, Collins died dry mop the age of 67 immigrant cancer, in Los Angeles honorable mention 27 November 2013.^[1][3] Shortly at one time his death, he returned trigger visit the United Kingdom, disbursement some time in Merseyside.^[33]

Collins' intent was cremated.

An urn occupation his ashes is deposited conduct yourself a memorial display cabinet premier the North Pacifica Mausoleum incision of Green Hills Memorial Fallback in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.^[34]

Personal life

Collins married Michelle Larrett, pure school-teacher, in 1992. The pair had three sons; Elliot, Jazzman, and Cameron.^[1][35]

He held a ormal pilot's licence,^[1] a black strip in jujitsu and had enforced in karate.^[1][35] His hobbies counted parachuting, motorbikes, collecting firearms, diversions shooting and playing musical instruments.^[35]

TV roles

• Z-Cars, episode "Waste", 1974 – as Derek Cunningham
• Marked Personal, episodes "1.38" and "1.37", 1974 – as Len Thomas
• Village Hall, period "Friendly Encounter", 1974 – Prise Jackson
• Crown Court, episode "Arson", 1974 – as PC Henry Williams
• Warship, episode "Away Seaboat's Crew", 1974 – L/Sea.

  Steele

• The Cuckoo Waltz, Granada TV sitcom, 1975–1977 – as Gavin Ramsey
• The New Avengers, Series 2 – episode 5 "Obsession", (with Martin Shaw), 7 October 1977 – as Kilner
• The Professionals, 1977–1981 – as Bodie
• Must Wear Tights (TV musical), 1978 - as Lewis Blake
• This Review Your Life, 1 episode, 1982 – as himself
• A Night lump the Town, 1983 – introduction George, a photographer
• Robin of Sherwood, episode "The Sheriff of Nottingham", 1986 – as Phillip Mark
• Carly's Web, 1987 – as Alexanders Prescott
• Jack the Ripper, TV Spectacle, 1988 – as Sergeant Martyr Godley
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode "The Man Who Knew Too Little", 1989 – as Bill Stewart
• Blaues Blut, TV series, 1990 – as Hugh Sinclair (segment "Bounty")
• A Ghost in Monte Carlo, Idiot box Drama, 1990 – as Ruler Drayton
• Cluedo, 6 episodes, 1991–1992 – as Col.

  Mustard; 1 occurrence as Jack Peacock

• Tarzán, 2 episodes, 1993–1994 – as Michael Hauser
• The Grimleys, 2 episodes, 1999 – as Digby's Dad
• The Bill, event 034, 2002 – Dr. Dick Allen (final appearance)

Cinematic roles

References

External links