Colin George Blakely (23 September 1930 â€" 7 May 1987) was a Northern
Irish actor. He had roles in the films A Man for All Seasons (1966),
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), Murder on the Orient
Express (1974), and Equus (1977).Born in Bangor, County Down, Northern
Ireland, Blakely attended Sedbergh School in Yorkshire (now Cumbria).
At the age of 18 he started work in his family's sports goods shop
(the Athletic Stores on the corner of Wellington Place and Queen
Street in Belfast), before going on to work as a timber-loader on the
railways. In 1957, after a spell of amateur dramatics with the Bangor
Drama Club, he turned professional with the Group Theatre, Belfast.In
1957, at the age of 27, Blakely made his stage debut as Dick McCardle
in Master of the House. He also appeared in several Ulster Group
Theatre productions, including Gerard McLarnon's Bonefire (1958) and
Patricia O'Connor's A Sparrow Falls (1959). From 1957 to 1959 he was
at the Royal Court Theatre, appearing in Cock-A-Doodle Dandy, Serjeant
Musgrave's Dance and, to critical approval, The Naming of Murderers
Rock. In 1961, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at
Stratford-upon-Avon and from 1963 to 1968 was with the National
Theatre at the Old Vic. On television, Blakely appeared in the
"Armchair Theatre" series in 1962, episode "The Hard Knock" and
director Charles Crichton unusually cast Blakely in two different
roles during the same run of episodes of the 1967 series Man in a
Suitcase.
Irish actor. He had roles in the films A Man for All Seasons (1966),
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), Murder on the Orient
Express (1974), and Equus (1977).Born in Bangor, County Down, Northern
Ireland, Blakely attended Sedbergh School in Yorkshire (now Cumbria).
At the age of 18 he started work in his family's sports goods shop
(the Athletic Stores on the corner of Wellington Place and Queen
Street in Belfast), before going on to work as a timber-loader on the
railways. In 1957, after a spell of amateur dramatics with the Bangor
Drama Club, he turned professional with the Group Theatre, Belfast.In
1957, at the age of 27, Blakely made his stage debut as Dick McCardle
in Master of the House. He also appeared in several Ulster Group
Theatre productions, including Gerard McLarnon's Bonefire (1958) and
Patricia O'Connor's A Sparrow Falls (1959). From 1957 to 1959 he was
at the Royal Court Theatre, appearing in Cock-A-Doodle Dandy, Serjeant
Musgrave's Dance and, to critical approval, The Naming of Murderers
Rock. In 1961, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at
Stratford-upon-Avon and from 1963 to 1968 was with the National
Theatre at the Old Vic. On television, Blakely appeared in the
"Armchair Theatre" series in 1962, episode "The Hard Knock" and
director Charles Crichton unusually cast Blakely in two different
roles during the same run of episodes of the 1967 series Man in a
Suitcase.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.