Ed Bishop's Obituary in The Telegraph

Ed Bishop's obituary is now featured in the Telegraph,
which I would definitely call "the media":

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Marc

Oh wait -- I see that link requires a login. Here's the text:

====

Ed Bishop
(Filed: 11/06/2005)

Ed Bishop, who died on Wednesday aged 72, was one of some 300 North American actors whose careers
are spent in London.

Microsoft

In the course of almost 50 years he appeared on television and radio, as well as in films. If he
never achieved star status, his pleasing stage presence and distinctive tones, slightly tuned for
British ears, meant that he was often the first man to whom directors turned whenever an American
was needed.

At the same time he was in demand for TV commercials; and it was no disadvantage that his voice bore
a resemblance to that of President John Kennedy.

Ironically, although no great enthusiast of science fiction, Bishop was much sought after for sf
films. He played Commander Ed Straker in the 26 episodes of Gerry Anderson's series UFO, for which
he was made to dye his dark hair blond.

He provided the voice of Captain Blue in the puppet series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and
also appeared in the films Battle Beneath the Earth, Doppelganger, Saturn 3 and Stanley Kubrick's
2001 - though in the latter most of his performance as a Pan Am shuttle pilot was cut.

The son of a Manhattan banker, he was born George Victor Bishop in Brooklyn, New York, on June 11
1932. He went to Peekskill High School, before studying briefly at teachers' training college then
joining the United States Army, which sent him to St John's, Newfoundland; there he became disc
jockey with Station VOUS and gained his first acting experience with the St John's Players.

After being discharged, young George enrolled at Boston University to study Business Administration,
then switched, despite strong protests by his parents, to a drama course at Boston University. This
led to a Fulbright grant to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where he adopted
the first name Ed, to distinguish himself from an established actor.

He expected to return to America in a few months, but after meeting film actors in Soho, he decided
to stay: "I was here in London for the duration."

Bishop's first professional appearance was in Granada Television's Edge of Truth. He played a sailor
in Look Homeward, Angel at the Pembroke Theatre, Croydon, before joining the West End production of
Bye, Bye Birdie. Stanley Kubrick then cast him as an ambulance driver in Lolita.

After marrying his second wife Hilary Preen, whom he had met in Trafalgar Square, Bishop made his
debut on Broadway, as an Englishman in David Merrick's production of The Rehearsal with Coral
Browne. He then returned to London, where he attracted considerable attention as John Kennedy in
Joan Littlewood's stage production of MacBird.

On film, he played Colonel Vogt in The War Lover with Steve McQueen (1962); appeared with Robert
Mitchum and Trevor Howard in Man in the Middle (1964); and had parts in the Bond features Diamonds
are Forever and You Only Live Twice. In addition, there was regular television work in such series
as The Saint and The Baron.

In the early 1970s he went to Hollywood, where he appeared in the animated series Star Trek and
starred in Pets (1974). But he now felt "something of a Brit". In addition to film roles in Britain,
he appeared in the TV series Dick Turpin, Colditz and Whoops Apocalypse and gave a notable radio
portrayal of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, outshining many big screen stars.

A non-smoking, non-drinking supporter of CND and the Green Party, Ed Bishop is survived by his third
wife Jane Skinner, whom he met while dressed up as General Pinochet in a demonstration against the
arms trade, and by three daughters; a son died in a car crash.

===

And here is a direct link (if it works):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=LIEXFUB2TG2MBQFIQMGSM5WAVCBQWJVC?xml=/news/2005/06/11/db1103.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/06/11/ixportal.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=21565

Marc

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Martin" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 9:23 PM
Subject: [SHADO] Ed Bishop's Obituary in The Telegraph


> Ed Bishop's obituary is now featured in the Telegraph,
> which I would definitely call "the media":
>
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
>
> Marc
>
>

----------------------------------------------


Well, now that it's had a few days to shake out, and it's filtering into
more of the real media, I have to sadly admit to losing my skeptisism on
this story.

Ed Bishop, Mike Billington, and the characters they played in that show
were my biggest childhood heros. It was their characters, and that show,
that steered the future direction of my life. I had always wanted to meet
them, but I guess living on the opposite side of the planet made that a
little difficult. I never did. Now I never will.

It's a strange bout of low grade depression I feel. I don't usually
upset over actors and people I've never met, but these people had such a big
influence on my life. It is also strange how they both passed at once.

One of you said we have them immortalised on silver disk. That's true.
And that is how I will always remember them....in their prime.

Dave H.