Can You Identify This Actor?

[Quarter:Mile]

I'm looking for the name of a young British actor, who appeared in a few films in the 60's. If I remember correct, he was in an accident that left him in a permanent coma. He was quite a nice looking guy, with possibly red hair. Does the description ring a bell?

[Hugo]

When I read this question my first response was that the actor in question was John McEnery. But there is no mention of an accident in any biography I can find on the net, nevertheless I have a feeling that something of this sort did happen to him in the '70s.

[batman]

was it christopher jones who was in 'ryans daughter'?

he suffered a serious accident and was in a coma

i think he came out of it eventually but never acted again

batty

[smudge]

The red hair made me think of Victor Henry, of ALL NEAT IN BLACK STOCKINGS. See his IMDb entry here :



Victor Henry



SMUDGE

[Quarter:Mile]

The red hair made me think of Victor Henry, of ALL NEAT IN BLACK STOCKINGS. See his IMDb entry here :



Victor Henry



SMUDGE

Victor Henry is the name I was looking for. Thank you so much.....you obviously have a much better memory than me!

[cornershop15]

I'm always coming across actors I've never heard of at Britmovie. I'm appalled to discover Victor died after 17 years in a coma, which wasted his life from 25 until 42. What an awful tragedy.



It gets worse, though. The legacy of his short career includes major roles in two obscure TV series: "Diary of a Young Man" (1964) (was he the title character?) and "The Contenders" (1969). It is extremely unlikely they survive or will ever be released if they do. Do either of these shows mean anything to members who watched television in the 1960s? This tragic young actor also appeared in the film Privilege, starring singer Paul Jones.

[vincenzo]

I remember him in Privilege as the obnoxious songwriter.

[cornershop15]

name='vincenzo']I remember him in Privilege as the obnoxious songwriter.

Thanks. I didn't like that film much, but it must be one of very few of this actor's appearances that survive, so has to be worth seeing again just for that reason.

[vincenzo]

I'm not a fan of Privilege either despite the great score and earnest Paul Jones performance (Jean Shrimpton was as wooden as they come).



The Church Rally scenes in the stadium are quite chilling.

[cornershop15]

name='vincenzo']I'm not a fan of Privilege either despite the great score and earnest Paul Jones performance (Jean Shrimpton was as wooden as they come).



The Church Rally scenes in the stadium are quite chilling.

I've read that Jean Shrimpton's performance was generally criticised and am sure she regrets making that film. Jean's "wooden" acting being preserved while much better actresses' work from that time was destroyed is a strange and cruel irony.



Of course, I've never had the chance to see how good Victor Henry was as an actor.

[vincenzo]

name='cornershop15']I've read that Jean Shrimpton's performance was generally criticised and am sure she regrets making that film.

Apparently Sarah Miles turned it down originally.



I remember seeing Chrissie Shrimpton (Jean's sister) in All The Right Noises and as the galactic boutique salesgirl in Hammer's bizarre Moon Zero Two.

[wadsy]

name='cornershop15']I've read that Jean Shrimpton's performance was generally criticised and am sure she regrets making that film. Jean's "wooden" acting being preserved while much better actresses' work from that time was destroyed is a strange and cruel irony.



Of course, I've never had the chance to see how good Victor Henry was as an actor.

In his book "Double Feature" Terence Stamp tells of trying to talk her out of



taking the role but she ignored his advice. This contributed to their eventual



break up.

[ShirlGirl]

This thread prompted me to search for any recent news of Jon Blake, who suffered brain damage after a car crash in 1986. This from Wikipedia...



"Jon Blake (born 1958) was a promising actor of the 1980s.



Blake was born in New Zealand, later moving to Australia. He became a popular actor on Australian television, quickly progressing from a role in the soap opera The Restless Years (in which he was credited as Sonny Blake) to television miniseries, and films. One of his highest-profile roles was a starring role in the Australian TV miniseries Anzacs.



His charismatic presence and fast-rising star led to him being dubbed "the next Mel Gibson".



In December 1986 he was badly injured in a car accident while driving home after the last day of filming on The Lighthorsemen. He sustained permanent brain damage in the accident, and has been confined to bed and unable to care for himself ever since. After several long and complex legal battles and appeals, Blake was finally awarded $7.7 million in compensation which was used for around-the clock nursing."



(That last statement isn't strictly true. $3 million went in legal fees! He was initially awarded over $30 million but the decision was appealed.)



Like many others, I thought he was in a permanent coma, or a vegetative state, but a friend of his posted this in the Australian Lighthorse Association Forum a couple of years ago:



"I would like to clear up the misconception that Paul (Jon's real name) is a "vegetable and a quadraplegic". He does have an acquired brain injury from his accident that has left him in what is medically called a "locked-in state". He recognises family and friends, and communicates via blinking a number of times for "yes" and a different number of times for "no". He is also able to give a "thumbs-up" response to questions. He spends his day in bed and arm chairs, has regular baths and although he needs to be fed he does not need any tubes for feeding and eats from a spoon. He is able to watch TV, and enjoys music and being read to, and obviously enjoys the company of people he knows. He is regularly visited by his son and close friends."



His mother was amazing. At one time a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, she cared for him constantly for 21 years until her death two years ago at the age of 82.



There are two photos of him here....

Disabled actor farewells Mum

[judylou]

name='ShirlGirl']This thread prompted me to search for any recent news of Jon Blake, who suffered brain damage after a car crash in 1986. This from Wikipedia...



"Jon Blake (born 1958) was a promising actor of the 1980s.



Blake was born in New Zealand, later moving to Australia. He became a popular actor on Australian television, quickly progressing from a role in the soap opera The Restless Years (in which he was credited as Sonny Blake) to television miniseries, and films. One of his highest-profile roles was a starring role in the Australian TV miniseries Anzacs.



His charismatic presence and fast-rising star led to him being dubbed "the next Mel Gibson".



In December 1986 he was badly injured in a car accident while driving home after the last day of filming on The Lighthorsemen. He sustained permanent brain damage in the accident, and has been confined to bed and unable to care for himself ever since. After several long and complex legal battles and appeals, Blake was finally awarded $7.7 million in compensation which was used for around-the clock nursing."



(That last statement isn't strictly true. $3 million went in legal fees! He was initially awarded over $30 million but the decision was appealed.)



Like many others, I thought he was in a permanent coma, or a vegetative state, but a friend of his posted this in the Australian Lighthorse Association Forum a couple of years ago:



"I would like to clear up the misconception that Paul (Jon's real name) is a "vegetable and a quadraplegic". He does have an acquired brain injury from his accident that has left him in what is medically called a "locked-in state". He recognises family and friends, and communicates via blinking a number of times for "yes" and a different number of times for "no". He is also able to give a "thumbs-up" response to questions. He spends his day in bed and arm chairs, has regular baths and although he needs to be fed he does not need any tubes for feeding and eats from a spoon. He is able to watch TV, and enjoys music and being read to, and obviously enjoys the company of people he knows. He is regularly visited by his son and close friends."



His mother was amazing. At one time a violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, she cared for him constantly for 21 years until her death two years ago at the age of 82.



There are two photos of him here....

Disabled actor farewells Mum

Thanks Shirlgirl for that update, I had enjoyed Jon Blakes performances, and was aware of his accident. Like most others I thought he was in a vegetative state, but it appears, his condition is not much better, in fact. It's such a sad story, I gather.. too much celebration..too much booze...dark country road.. the rest is history....

all too sad, I remember his mothers dedication..........no one should have to suffer that poor woman.

[Freddy]

Victor Henry is in The Sorcerers which is showing on BBCi player at the moment.



A great shame, imho would have become a stalwart of British cinema and film.