Victor Woolf

[mikehenfron]

Victor was an ever present supporting actor in The Adventures of Robin Hood TV series starring Richard Greene.



Apart from a very scant entry on imdb there is no other information. Can anybody help, as I would like to add to the minimal information that we have been able to compile on our website The Adventures of Robin Hood



As an after thought if anybody can help with information on any of the less familiar actors/actresses that appeared in the series then we would be ever grateful.



Mike

[cornershop15]

Almost exactly five years later, a reply! I wasn't here when the original poster started (and almost finished) this thread but would like to say a few words about good old Victor.

He's one of many actors I was first introduced to in The Prisoner, as a Shop Assistant who is puzzled by Number Six's behaviour. This included listening to the opening notes of a classical record (the Prelude from L'Arlesienne by Bizet) and even buying a cuckoo clock that was different to the one he recommended! Something the baffled shopkeeper reports back to No. 2 (Patrick Cargill, in one of my very favourite performances).

Mike asked us if we knew anything about Victor Woolf and any of the other "less familiar" http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/br...-prisoner.html. I hope, if he comes across this post, he'll see that link to our own Number Six's thread, which might have some useful Information. I've also put together a few posts on some of those supporting players myself, there and elsewhere. The likes of Stephanie Randall, Bettine Le Beau (both at 'Bit Part Actresses') and Michael Segal. Lots of them have their own threads, such as Sheila Allen, Anton Rodgers and Jane Merrow.

I don't expect we'll ever find much on Victor (not even if he's alive or not) but here he is to remind you:

From The Prisoner: Hammer Into Anvil (1967)


Good News, Bad News
(Victor Woolf's archive status)

Of course, I had to add The Prisoner to my DVD collection, years after recording it from Channel 4 and buying a video boxset, but this is one of only two appearances that I've seen. The other is the first episode of The Mind of J.G. Reeder, The Treasure Hunt, where he's a prisoner who shares a cell with John Bennett and Michael Balfour. I'm still hoping there will be a box set of The Adventures of Robin Hood, in which Victor had various roles, as well as the regular one of Derwent. Surely viewers have noticed this?!

How I wish I had his episode of Public Eye, my favourite series. Apparently, Mr. Woolf was a Builder in But They Always Come Back for Tea, made between the aforementioned shows, in 1968. I didn't realise until now that Norman Scace, his co-star in Hammer Into Anvil, was in this, as were Ewan Hooper (later to star in Hunter's Walk) and Rhoda Lewis. Depressingly, this is one of the lost episodes.

In the early days of British television, before recordings were made, the actor was seen portraying a couple of animals!: The Lion in Androcles and the Lion, by George Bernard Shaw, and Alfred the Horse in Kenneth Grahame's Toad of Toad Hall, with a young Kenneth More as Mr. Badger. There must be some pictures of these productions somewhere.

Victor's next IMDb credit is not until twelve years later, as a Bald Man in an episode of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, starring J. Carroll Naish in the title role. This and Tales from Dickens, in which he played Mr. Perker, both exist complete. Will we ever see these shows?

I'm always discovering new programmes and unusual credits (like Alfred the Horse) when I research actors' careers. One thing I did know, however, was that Victor Woolf played Sue Nicholls' father in Crossroads. Most of this famous Soap is lost but I hope he'll turn up in one or more surviving episodes on the DVD box set. I'd love to know what memories Sue has of her on-screen dad.

Mixed news regarding the last few credits. Neither of his episodes of Z Cars and Out of the Unknown exist, but, as established, The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder is on DVD and there is also hope for the final series of Ooh La La, based on some French farces by Georges Feydeau. Starring .... Patrick Cargill again. Full circle.

Of his films, the first listed at IMDb is an obscure short called The Harvest Shall Come, way back in 1942. I remember The Two-Headed Spy, with Jack Hawkins, and am disappointed it's not on DVD. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, possibly featuring Victor's last appearance, has been though. Who knows what happened to this likeable character actor after 1974? Thanks, Victor.

[cornershop15]

What a pleasure it is to be back at Victor's thread after all this time. In the last week, I have actually doubled the number of appearances I've seen to four! Both were in The Adventures of Robin Hood. The box set I hoped for duly appeared and, for the first time, he will be a regular face from now on.

In the first episode of the series, The Coming of Robin Hood, Victor catches Alfie Bass killing a deer with his bow and arrow (unconvincingly, in my opinion, as he was aiming at stock footage!). Richard Greene, yet to be christened 'Robin Hood', is shocked that the Forester and his gang intend to torture Alfie and threatens to kill them with his bow and arrow. Stunned by his accuracy at striking a rock that he's thrown into the air, he concedes defeat:

"You can have him ... for now"

Wasn't sure if I should post this, not wanting to embarass the actor, but I am a collector!:

While screencapping an earlier part of the scene, I noticed that Victor was briefly Caught Off Guard

Looks a bit like Derek Jacobi there. A more 'flattering' close-up in my next post, from the next episode.

[Gerald Lovell]

cornershop, I'm not sure that's Victor. I think it's another similar-looking member of the Robin Hood "rep company", Willoughby Gray.

[cornershop15]

It seems you're right yet again, Gerald. I did say he resembled Derek Jacobi:



Willoughby Gray (would have been easier if it was Goddard) as Sir Godfrey in the Robin Hood - A Village Wooing (1956).

I've looked through the first episode The Coming of Robin Hood again, Gerald, and am totally confident this is Our Victor:


"Do you want some? Eh"

He appears towards the end as the second of Bruce Seton's gang to aim at Richard Greene, who soon becomes friends with the group.

My mistake allows me to add the crucial information that this was first broadcast 26th September 1955, just four days before James Dean died. No. 1 at the time was Slim Whitman with Rose Marie.

[Euryale]

The following may pertain to our Victor, Cornershop, but I can't be 100% certain.

I found that a Victor Woolf appeared with ENSA in The Importance of Being Earnest in Cairo in 1945:

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23683...being_earnest.

In the cast list you can see an actress called Ann Robinson. We have a newspaper announcement from 1945 that Ann Grace Robinson married Victor John Woolf in Cairo:



Ann was born in London in 1925. We know that she and Victor were back in England by 1947 as their daughter Gillian was born in London that year. However the marriage didn't last. In 1953 Ann G. Woolf aka Robinson married Peter Knowles Wigzell (born 1925). They had a son Nicholas b. 1954. Peter Wigzell was an actor in the 1950s:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2751135/

Peter also did some stage work and was later employed in television administration. He died in 2001. As far as I can see, Ann is still alive and lives in the West Country as does her son Nick.

I can't ascertain what happened to Gillian or whether Victor ever remarried. I don't know if he is still alive. However, I found a death record for a Victor John Woolf who died in London in the autumn/winter of 1975. The record says that he was born in 1911. Those dates might fit our Victor as he seemed to disappear from stage and screen around 1974 and he could certainly be a man in his mid-50s in The Prisoner picture posted on this thread.


E.

[cornershop15]

Great work, Euryale. I'm sure that's him. The dates tally perfectly. Might be difficult to submit details of his marriage, however, as that Ann Robinson doesn't appear to have an IMDb profile. And just the one credit for the mysterious Mr. Wigzell - Television Playhouse - Quay South.

For some unknown reason, I seem to attract spooky coincidences ... The name of Victor Woolf appears in two search results at a newspaper archive I frequent. Our subject is shown in a scene from Robin Hood in a 1957 article but the other one dates back to 1911 - the year he was born. His namesake was a witness at a trial in which "South African millionaire" Sir Joseph B. Robinson brought a libel action against Mr. Louis Wolf Cohen (author of Reminiscences of Kimberley!), accusing him of Fraud, Cowardice, Sprindling (?) and Lack of Patriotism". Goodness.

Back on topic and I wonder if I'll find some good pictures here?:

Victor Woolf at Rex Features

Oh well. Two stills are better than none, but you can hardly see him. I'll have to do more screencaps. Well done again, Euryale

[Bookworm]

Cornershop, thanks for posting this info and photos of Victor Woolf. I do closed captioning for TV and in the last couple of months I have done a number of the Robin Hood shows, and the character of Derwent, played of course by Victor Woolf, is an interesting one. Though this character wasn't in any of the Robin Hood stories, Derwent appears in 112 of the 143 episodes. He was the shortest, smallest one of the band so of course he's frequently placed next to Little John who is head and shoulders taller, and is usually in the thick of things. Poor Victor was apparently a victim of male pattern baldness and as the seasons progressed, so did his baldness, so it was interesting to see the photo you posted where he had a full head of hair! Since he was in so many episodes, I would think that Victor was well liked and easy to work with, because the character of Derwent would have been easy to replace. I also enjoy watching Alan Wheatley as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Alexander Gauge as Friar Tuck. Just a good vintage series. I have ordered the entire series on DVD! In the process of captioning, I have to watch and listen carefully, so I have a real appreciation for the series and the casting. The best to you, from Bookworm.

[cornershop15]

My pleasure, bookworm. Euryale's efforts deserve credit too, I think. Must confess I didn't know what you meant by "closed captioning" but am now enlightened thanks to this Wikipedia profile. I also pay close attention to dialogue, even more so when screencapping as I often create storyboards for scenes and want to make sure I've got the words exactly right.

More screencaps of Victor in The Adventures of Robin Hood. These are from the second episode, The Moneylender ...

Here he's one of the Outlaws watching the dual between Will Scatlock (Bruce Seaton) and Robin Hood (Richard Greene):



Victor-ious Robin: "Will, you're a better man than some of your deeds but it's true that so far I haven't earned my keep."

Is that the uncredited Gabriel Toyne in front of him, Gerald?

Later in the story, Victor returns as a different character - Hugh of the Wood, one of 'Moneylender' Leo McKern's victims:



With Kenneth Edwards as Hawkins, who's also been swindled. They're happy to hear Robin can help get their money back.

Original ITV Transmission: 3rd October 1955, when Slim Whitman's Rose Marie was still No. 1 (eleven weeks in total).

[Bookworm]

Thanks for your reply! Yes, poor Victor's hair loss can clearly be seen in the second photo. Well, we're even, because I didn't know what screencapping was, but now I do, although I don't understand how to do it. Re the Robin Hood series, I have been amazed at the authenticity of the place names and other things. I am a stickler for getting the dialog accurate, but I must admit I was nearly defeated by "uisge beatha" which is an ancient Irish drink and is pronounced "ishker-vahr." I googled "ancient Irish drink" and this was at the end of the long article and even then I would have missed it if not for the pronunciation right after it. It was in the episode "The Mystery of Ireland's Eye" and was mentioned several times; also, there really is an island called Ireland's Eye. Another very unusual word in another episode was "suffragan," a bishop's assistant. For me, it was a joy to caption. Thanks again for the photo of Victor drawing his bow. I have made it my desktop background! ~Bookworm