Kathy

I believe I read somewhere that Jack Gwillim served in the Royal Navy before going into acting and was also a heavy-weight boxing champion of the Navy. Am I thinking of the right actor? I know Gwillim for only three roles; King Aeetes in "Jason and the Argonauts", as Poseidon in "Clash of the Titans", and as the long lost Captain Grant in Disney's "In Search of the Castaways".

Pleas verify and hopefully elaborate on this information.

Steve Crook

The biography section on his page on the IMDb says that he served as a Commander in the Royal Navy for twenty years before he became an actor.

An obituary on his school old-boys page says while stationed in the Mediterranean, he became undefeated heavyweight boxing champion of both the Army and Navy.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

DAVID RAYNER

I'm sure he spoke the opening narration on The Battle of The River Plate. I'd know his voice anywhere. He also played the Archbishop of Canterbury in Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960).

[ 04. January 2005, 21:00: Message edited by: DAVID RAYNER ]

Steve Crook

Maybe not :)
Or maybe you would recognise it if you watched it again.

The opening narration to The Battle of the River Plate was spoken by David Farrar. But Jack Gwillim was in it, he played Capt. Parry (HMNZS Achilles)

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Kathy

Steve --- Thank you very much for providing the informaton. A friend of mine (who shall be unnamed) thought the actor I was thinking of might not be Gwillim, as he thought Gwillim did not look heavy enough to be a boxer. I guess my friend was wrong.

David --- Thank you for your mention of his having a role in "Sword of Sherwood Forest". I was already interested in the film because I knew that it starred Richard Greene, who also starred in the very entertaining Robin Hood TV Show. I would like to have your opinion of the film.

Kathy

DAVID RAYNER

Steve: Well, you learn something every day. All I can say is, David Farrar and Jack Gwillim's voices sound very similar. I shall play my video of the film again and have another listen to the opening narration.

Kathy: I went to see Sword of Sherwood Forest when it was a new film, being a Richard Greene Robin Hood fan. It was filmed in Ireland in scope and colour and was generally well done, but did somehow lack the pacing of the television film series.

Of all the original cast of the television series, only Richard Greene reprised his role. His Merry Men were played by different actors, as was the role of Maid Marian (a fiesty performance from Sarah Branch). Richard Pasco and Oliver Reed made splendid villains, but Niall McGinnis was totally miscast as Friar Tuck. Alexander Gauge, the Friar Tuck of the TV series, was probably not well enough to take the role for the film version and I believe he committed suicide before the film was released. Jack Gwillim lent a certain lofty dignity to the proceedings, but for me, it was Peter Cushing who was really worth watching as the Sheriff of Nottingham. In every scene in which he appeared, he gave the impression that we were watching a different film...and a better one.

Hackett

Spot on David. Peter Cushing was always watchable. Never below outstanding even in a bad film.

Kathy

David --- Thank you very much for posting your opinion of "Sword of Sherwood Forest".

Magic32

A wonderful Stage actor as well. I have seen him on Broadway and in the West End.

A [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] Couple of other films I remember him from appart from the films mentioned are Curse of The Mummy's Tomb and The One That Got Away, and smaller parts in Lawrence Of Arabia and Patton.

Isn't he the Father of Actor David Gwillim?

Freddy

You are right Magic32, also nice to see a photgraph on IMDb, put a face to the name. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

Freddy

The world wags on.