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Michael Bryant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Michael Dennis Bryant (5 April 1928 – 25 April 2002) was a British stage and television actor. Bryant attended Battersea Grammar School and after service in the Merchant Navy and Army, he attended drama school and appeared in many productions on the London stage. He made his film debut in 1955. His greatest role was Mathieu in BBC2's 1970 adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's Roads to Freedom trilogy. His guest star appearance as Wing Commander Marsh, who feigns insanity in the 'Tweedledum' episode of the BBC drama series, Colditz (1972), is still widely remembered. Bryant was chosen by Orson Welles to play the lead role in The Deep, Welles's adaptation of the Charles Williams novel Dead Calm. The production frequently ran out of money, and following the death of actor Laurence Harvey in 1973, Welles stopped production and announced the movie - which had been completed except for one special effects shot of a ship exploding - would not be released. (The novel was finally adapted to film in 1989.) In 1969 Bryant took his love of the stage on a strange trip into the realm of cult films, playing a clever male prostitute who outwits a delusional family of killers in the dark comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly, an adaptation of a play by Maisie Mosco. Due to poor marketing and a lack of faith in the film by the distributor, the film quickly sank into obscurity even before it could develop a cult following. One of Bryant's most memorable performances was in the classic BBC television play The Stone Tape (1972), in which he plays the leader of a team of scientists who investigate ghost sightings in a brooding gothic mansion. Bryant also had a supporting role as a sadistic psychiatrist in the cult classic black comedy The Ruling Class, with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim. He also appeared in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) as a British diplomat. Having played Lenin in the film Nicholas and Alexandria, Bryant would later reprise the role in Robert Bolt's play State of Revolution (1977). He had previously co-starred in Bolt's unsuccessful Gentle Jack. The 1977 production of a Bolt play though was significant for featuring the first role he performed at the National Theatre where he was a constant presence for a quarter of a century. Bryant, described by Michael Billington as "rock-solid company man", had earlier performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, including the premiere production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1965), in which he played Teddy, the returning academic. In 1980, Michael Bryant won the London Drama Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor, and his other theatrical performances were equally well thought of. Bryant won Laurence Olivier Awards in 1988 and 1990 and was nominated twice more. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Bryant (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia


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Born:
Apr 5, 1928 In London, England, UK
Movie/TV Credits:
31
First Appeared:
In the series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok 1951-04-15
Latest Project:
Movie The Deep 2007-07-08
Known For
Poster of The Mind Benders
Poster of Hallmark Hall of Fame
Filmography
Movie The Deep John Ingram 2007-07-08
Movie The Miracle Maker God/ The Doctor (voice) 2000-03-31
Movie King Lear Fool 1998-03-21
Movie Hamlet Priest 1996-12-25
Movie Orson Welles: The One-Man Band Self (segment "The deep") (archive footage) 1995-10-08
Movie Anna Lee: Headcase Commander Martin Brierly 1993-01-10
Movie Bikini Summer II Sammy 1992-12-16
Movie Sakharov Syshchikov 1984-06-20
Series Reilly: Ace of Spies Unknown 1983-09-05
Movie Gandhi Principal Secretary 1982-12-01
Movie My Homeland Reader 1976-11-03
Movie Late Call 1975-01-01
Movie Mr. Axelford's Angel Mr Axelford 1974-06-05
Movie If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them 1974-03-03
Series Fall of Eagles Unknown 1974-03-15
Movie The Treasure of Abbot Thomas The Rev. Justin Somerton 1974-12-23
Movie Caravan to Vaccarès Zuger 1974-08-08
Movie The Ruling Class Dr. Herder 1972-09-13
Movie The Stone Tape Peter Brock 1972-12-25
Movie Nicholas and Alexandra Lenin 1971-11-29
Movie Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly New Friend 1970-02-12
Movie Goodbye, Mr. Chips Max Staefel 1969-11-05
Series Talking to a Stranger 1966-10-02
Movie The Mind Benders Dr. Danny Tate 1963-02-01
Movie Life for Ruth John's Counsel 1962-09-06
Movie Uranium Boom Peterson 1956-03-02
Series Telephone Time Unknown 1956-04-08
Movie Passage Home Stebbings 1955-03-17
Series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Unknown 1955-09-06
Series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok Unknown 1951-04-15
Series Hallmark Hall of Fame Unknown 1951-12-24
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