Michael Culver, the veteran British actor who portrayed the doomed Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back and a bigoted police inspector in David Lean’s A Passage to India, has died. He was 85.
Culver died Feb. 27, according to Alliance Agents, which represented him for the past decade. No other details were immediately available.
Culver also appeared on lots of British television over the years, from The Befrienders, Secret Army and The Adventures of Black Beauty to The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Game Set and Match, The House of Eliott and the Derek Jacobi-starring Cadfael.
In Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), directed by Irvin Kershner, Culver’s character, as captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger, loses track of the Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo during a pursuit.
Needa takes full responsibility and apologizes to Darth Vader, who then kills him (“Apology accepted, Captain...
Culver died Feb. 27, according to Alliance Agents, which represented him for the past decade. No other details were immediately available.
Culver also appeared on lots of British television over the years, from The Befrienders, Secret Army and The Adventures of Black Beauty to The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Game Set and Match, The House of Eliott and the Derek Jacobi-starring Cadfael.
In Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), directed by Irvin Kershner, Culver’s character, as captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger, loses track of the Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo during a pursuit.
Needa takes full responsibility and apologizes to Darth Vader, who then kills him (“Apology accepted, Captain...
- 3/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Deadline’s Contenders Film returns to New York this morning with a hybrid in-person and livestreamed showcase at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, and a lineup of 23 films spotlighting the best motion pictures this awards season has to offer. The in-person event kicks off with a breakfast sponsored by United Artists Releasing at 8 a.m. Et, with panels and livestream coverage kicking off at 9:30 a.m.
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
While last year’s supply of movies during a Covid-embattled awards season may have slimmed down, this year, the studios aren’t holding back. This year’s lineup features films from A24, Amazon, Apple Original Films, Focus Features, MGM/United Artists, Netflix, Neon and Warner Bros, and a roster of panelists that includes stars Matt Damon, Mahershala Ali, Tessa Thompson, Dakota Johnson, Amy Schumer, Andre Holland, Richard Jenkins, Ruth Negga, Oscar Isaac,...
Click here to register and watch the livestream.
While last year’s supply of movies during a Covid-embattled awards season may have slimmed down, this year, the studios aren’t holding back. This year’s lineup features films from A24, Amazon, Apple Original Films, Focus Features, MGM/United Artists, Netflix, Neon and Warner Bros, and a roster of panelists that includes stars Matt Damon, Mahershala Ali, Tessa Thompson, Dakota Johnson, Amy Schumer, Andre Holland, Richard Jenkins, Ruth Negga, Oscar Isaac,...
- 12/4/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
'Sherlock Holmes' movie found at Cinémathèque Française (image: William Gillette in 'Sherlock Holmes') Sherlock Holmes, a long-thought-lost 1916 feature starring stage performer and playwright William Gillette in the title role, has been discovered in the vaults of the Cinémathèque Française. Directed by the all-but-forgotten Arthur Berthelet for the Chicago-based Essanay production company, the approximately 90-minute movie is supposed to be not only the sole record of William Gillette's celebrated performance as Arthur Conan Doyle's detective, but also the only surviving Gillette film.* In the late 19th century, William Gillette himself wrote the play Sherlock Holmes, which turned out to be a mash-up of various stories and novels featuring the detective, chiefly the short stories "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Final Problem." ("May I marry Holmes?" Gillette, while vying for the role, telegraphed Conan Doyle. The latter replied, "You may marry or murder or do What you like with him.
- 10/3/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's a Steven Moffat showdown, as our favorite consulting detective demonstrated just how hard it is to watch "Doctor Who." For most fans, it isn't a question that they would choose to answer. "Doctor Who" versus "Sherlock" -- which show do you love more? But the return of "Sherlock" Season 3 has reminded us just how good a show helmed by Moffat can be -- and how bad "Doctor Who" now looks in comparison.
Of course "Sherlock," unlike "Doctor Who," has two showrunners. Mark Gatiss joins Moffat as a co-creator, and it was actually Gatiss who wrote the "Sherlock" Season 3 opener, "The Empty Hearse." But as with all shows, just because the showrunner did not author that particular script does not mean that they weren't involved in the creative direction. In fact, we would be concerned if they weren't involved.
"Sherlock" Season 3 episode 1 "The Empty Hearse" was funny, dramatic, surprising, and...
Of course "Sherlock," unlike "Doctor Who," has two showrunners. Mark Gatiss joins Moffat as a co-creator, and it was actually Gatiss who wrote the "Sherlock" Season 3 opener, "The Empty Hearse." But as with all shows, just because the showrunner did not author that particular script does not mean that they weren't involved in the creative direction. In fact, we would be concerned if they weren't involved.
"Sherlock" Season 3 episode 1 "The Empty Hearse" was funny, dramatic, surprising, and...
- 1/20/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
CBS
Sherlock and Elementary have a great deal of things in common. This is to be expected, as they both follow a pretty standard pitch – to take Sherlock Holmes and place him and the other characters within his short stories and novels into a modern context. But the similarities are greater than that, due to the origins of Elementary which resulted in legal threats being issued by some of the Sherlock production staff. To explain, CBS approached the producers of Sherlock with the intent of remaking that show for an American audience. This didn’t go ahead, but then CBS separately created Elementary. In the words of Sherlock executive producer Sue Vertue on Twitter:
‘Mmm interesting CBS, I’m surprised no one has thought of making a modern day version of Sherlock before, oh hang on, we have!’
For those that have managed to miss the obvious, Sherlock is the...
Sherlock and Elementary have a great deal of things in common. This is to be expected, as they both follow a pretty standard pitch – to take Sherlock Holmes and place him and the other characters within his short stories and novels into a modern context. But the similarities are greater than that, due to the origins of Elementary which resulted in legal threats being issued by some of the Sherlock production staff. To explain, CBS approached the producers of Sherlock with the intent of remaking that show for an American audience. This didn’t go ahead, but then CBS separately created Elementary. In the words of Sherlock executive producer Sue Vertue on Twitter:
‘Mmm interesting CBS, I’m surprised no one has thought of making a modern day version of Sherlock before, oh hang on, we have!’
For those that have managed to miss the obvious, Sherlock is the...
- 1/9/2014
- by Brian Chapman
- Obsessed with Film
The "Sherlock" Season 3 does the near-impossible: Sherlock Holmes comes back from the dead. He and Watson even manage to get passed that little death issue as well, even if it does take **another brush or two with doom to inspire it.
Also, Sherlock likes Mary Morstan, Watson's fiancee. "The Empty Hearse" really is the most impossible episode of a crazy show. But somehow it all works.
How to fake a death ... three different ways
When the producers of "Sherlock" said that they had worked out exactly how Holmes had faked his death, they weren't kidding. There isn't just one explanation for how the detective fooled the world: There are three.
The first explanation comes right at the beginning of the episode, from the mouth of Lestrade's odd, ex-detective friend. According to this guy, Sherlock strapped on a bungee cord and bounced through Molly Hooper's window instead of dying. Mycroft's people,...
Also, Sherlock likes Mary Morstan, Watson's fiancee. "The Empty Hearse" really is the most impossible episode of a crazy show. But somehow it all works.
How to fake a death ... three different ways
When the producers of "Sherlock" said that they had worked out exactly how Holmes had faked his death, they weren't kidding. There isn't just one explanation for how the detective fooled the world: There are three.
The first explanation comes right at the beginning of the episode, from the mouth of Lestrade's odd, ex-detective friend. According to this guy, Sherlock strapped on a bungee cord and bounced through Molly Hooper's window instead of dying. Mycroft's people,...
- 1/2/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Lars Mikkelsen, brother of actor Mads Mikkelsen and a talent in his own right, will serve as a major antagonist in the upcoming third series of the BBC's "Sherlock".
Producer Sue Vertue revealed the first photo of Mikkelsen in character today, that of Charles Augustus Magnussen.
The character is based on Charles Augustus Milverton, the "king of blackmailers" who appears in one of Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories from "The Return of Sherlock Holmes".
He's also a man who "causes Holmes more revulsion than any of the 50-odd murderers in his career."...
Producer Sue Vertue revealed the first photo of Mikkelsen in character today, that of Charles Augustus Magnussen.
The character is based on Charles Augustus Milverton, the "king of blackmailers" who appears in one of Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories from "The Return of Sherlock Holmes".
He's also a man who "causes Holmes more revulsion than any of the 50-odd murderers in his career."...
- 7/29/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Dr Finlay. co. BBC
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Kieran Kinsella
When you talk about TV doctors, many people immediately think of Richard Chamberlain. However, doctors have always been a major feature of TV shows on this side of the Atlantic and to honor the men and women who monitor the health of our favorite fictional characters, here are the Best British TV Doctors.
Dr Finlay (Bill Simpson) in Dr Finlay’s Casebook. Set in the Scottish town of Tannochbrae, Dr Finlay’s Casebook was first broadcast 49 years ago and even at that time Dr Finlay was something of a throwback to simpler times. Despite his small town surroundings, he valiantly fought against all kinds of ills that included his nutty housekeeper and a pernicious rival.
Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) in Doc Martin. Martin Clunes is not behaving as...
Click here to friend us on Facebook or click here to follow our new Twitter page.
Kieran Kinsella
When you talk about TV doctors, many people immediately think of Richard Chamberlain. However, doctors have always been a major feature of TV shows on this side of the Atlantic and to honor the men and women who monitor the health of our favorite fictional characters, here are the Best British TV Doctors.
Dr Finlay (Bill Simpson) in Dr Finlay’s Casebook. Set in the Scottish town of Tannochbrae, Dr Finlay’s Casebook was first broadcast 49 years ago and even at that time Dr Finlay was something of a throwback to simpler times. Despite his small town surroundings, he valiantly fought against all kinds of ills that included his nutty housekeeper and a pernicious rival.
Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) in Doc Martin. Martin Clunes is not behaving as...
- 7/19/2011
- by admin
Distinctive, durable British character actor on stage and screen
Terence Longdon, who has died of cancer aged 88, was a character actor whose parted hair and thick-set face – though not his name – were familiar for several decades. Only once did he step into the spotlight at the top of the bill, when he starred as the title character in the television series Garry Halliday (1959-62). The almost-forgotten BBC children's adventure programme, based on books by Justin Blake, perfectly fitted Longdon's educated, smooth, well-mannered persona – and a man who had flown with the Fleet Air Arm during the second world war. The actor played a Biggles-like commercial airline pilot, with Terence Alexander as his co-pilot, Bill Dodds. Posing a constant threat to the Halliday Charter Company was "The Voice", an arch-villain who sat behind a two-way mirror and shone a light into the faces of his gang members, keeping his own in darkness.
Terence Longdon, who has died of cancer aged 88, was a character actor whose parted hair and thick-set face – though not his name – were familiar for several decades. Only once did he step into the spotlight at the top of the bill, when he starred as the title character in the television series Garry Halliday (1959-62). The almost-forgotten BBC children's adventure programme, based on books by Justin Blake, perfectly fitted Longdon's educated, smooth, well-mannered persona – and a man who had flown with the Fleet Air Arm during the second world war. The actor played a Biggles-like commercial airline pilot, with Terence Alexander as his co-pilot, Bill Dodds. Posing a constant threat to the Halliday Charter Company was "The Voice", an arch-villain who sat behind a two-way mirror and shone a light into the faces of his gang members, keeping his own in darkness.
- 6/13/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
British actor Edward Hardwicke has died, aged 78.
The star, best known for playing Dr. Watson opposite Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes on U.K. TV in the 1980s, passed away on Monday.
Hardwicke appeared as the detective's sidekick in The Return of Sherlock Holmes for eight years, before moving on to beloved British shows Lovejoy, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Shameless.
The actor also more recently appeared in movies including Love Actually and Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist.
He is survived by two daughters, Kate and Emma.
The star, best known for playing Dr. Watson opposite Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes on U.K. TV in the 1980s, passed away on Monday.
Hardwicke appeared as the detective's sidekick in The Return of Sherlock Holmes for eight years, before moving on to beloved British shows Lovejoy, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Shameless.
The actor also more recently appeared in movies including Love Actually and Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist.
He is survived by two daughters, Kate and Emma.
- 5/18/2011
- WENN
Sherlock Holmes is just the most visible figure in a sleuthing tradition that stretches from Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin to Dr. Gregory House, but more than any other professional epiphanizer, Holmes has taken on a life separate from his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In addition to occasionally being transplanted from his native 19th-century London and starring in numerous comic-book and film adaptations—including 1929’s The Return Of Sherlock Holmes, which introduced the world to “Elementary, my dear Watson”—the great detective has also spawned organizations like The Baker Street Irregulars, the group of feverishly fanboyish ...
- 12/9/2010
- avclub.com
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