COMICA PR: WHAT IS A SUPERHERO? with Kieron Gillen, Si Spurrier, Will Brooker, Richard Reynolds & Alex Fitch
Where: Foyles Bookshop, 3rd Floor Gallery, WC2H 0EB
When: Friday, November 1, 2013 6.15 for 6.30-8.30pm
COMICA PR: WHAT IS A SUPERHERO? with Kieron Gillen, Si Spurrier, Will Brooker, Richard Reynolds & Alex Fitch
He died on 25 October after suffering from pneumonia, his agent Nicholas Young told the BBC.
During a career spanning more than 50 years, Davenport appeared in such films as A Man for All Seasons and Chariots of Fire and the TV series Howards’ Way.
His son, the actor Jack Davenport, is best known for his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and BBC series This Life.
“It was a privilege, a pleasure and an honour to have represented Nigel,” said Mr Young. “Not only was he an excellent actor, but he was also a charming, warm and witty man.
“His performances over the years were powerful and moving; his voice, the envy of many an aspiring actor, was a joy to listen to.
“Never afraid to give his opinion, he lived life to the full and enjoyed his retirement. Immensely popular on both a personal and professional level, he will be sadly missed.”
Born in May 1928, Davenport studied English at Trinity College, Oxford. There he joined the Oxford University Drama Society and decided to pursue a career in acting.
He did most of his early work in theatre, landing his first professional job as an understudy at the Savoy in Noel Coward’s Relative Values.
He later joined the English Stage Company at the Royal Court, where he appeared in more than a dozen plays including A Taste of Honey – a play he performed on Broadway in 1960.
On the big screen he appeared in such movies as A High Wind in Jamaica, The Island of Dr Moreau and Without A Clue.
He was best known for his roles as Thomas More’s friend, the Duke of Norfolk, in 1966 Oscar winner A Man for All Seasons, and as Olympic committee member Lord Birkenhead in Chariots of Fire.
On the small screen he starred in dozens of TV shows, including The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Saint, The Avengers and South Riding.
In the BBC’s 1980s drama Howards’ Way he played Sir Edward Frere, the father of property tycoon Charles Frere.
Davenport was an active member of the actors’ union Equity and served as its president from 1986 to 1992.
His more recent roles included parts in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, ITV drama Midsomer Murders and a 2000 dramatisation of David Copperfield.
Davenport was married twice, the second time to actress Maria Aitken. He is survived by sons Jack and Hugo and daughter Laura.
An obituary can be found here:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/oct/29/nigel-davenport
Tempus fugit
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Addenda: someone said the face to the left was spooky and “neat” but I told them I had no idea what they were talking about. Just checked…they were right!!!
Weiiiiiird.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 29TH 6.30-8.30pm
Her death was announced in a statement from executive producer Al Jean.
Wallace won an Emmy in 1992 for her work on The Simpsons, as a jaded, grumpy fourth-grade teacher, forced to put up with Bart’s antics.
Jean said her “irreplaceable character” would be retired from the show.
“I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace,” he said on Saturday.
‘A legend’
Wallace had played Edna Krabappel since The Simpsons began in 1990.
Her character was known for the catchphrase “Do what I mean, not what I say” and exclaiming “Ha!” in disgust.
It is unclear when the actress died or what the cause was.
She had previously survived breast cancer, which she wrote about in her memoir Don’t Look Back, We’re Not Going that Way, published in 2004.
Before appearing in The Simpsons, Wallace played receptionist Carol Bondurant on The Bob Newhart Show and guest starred on popular shows in the 1970s and 1980s such as The Love Boat and Magnum PI.
Bill Schultz, an award winning writer and producer on The Simpsons, paid tribute to her.
“She’s an icon and a legend, just a hard worker,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.
“When somebody like that comes onto a show and takes on the character, all of a sudden, you know that character in a three dimensional way. She brings life to something that’s written on a page.”
Harry Shearer, the voice of her on-screen husband Ned Flanders, told the Associated Press that Wallace “brought this huge, positive energy” to her work on The Simpsons.
“She was just a warm and wonderful person,” he said.
Executive producer Jean stressed that previous hints that a regular character on the show could be killed off in the next series were unrelated.
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