Edward Woodward (1930-2009)

Versatile English actor and singer, Edward Woodward, died at the age of 79, in a hospital in Truro, Cornwall, England of pneumonia, heart problems and other ailments on November 16, 2009.

Woodward garnered worldwide fame with his majestic portrayal of the cynical but avenging ex-spook for “The Company” (CIA), Robert McCall, in the CBS drama, “The Equalizer.” His character drove a sexy Jaguar, wore fancy tailored suits with a long overcoat and glasses to match, had a slight paunch and grey hair and enough one-liners to give James Bond a complex, all set against the considerable shadow of New York City.

McCall provided a free service for his clients of all ages and backgrounds, whom law enforcement were unable or unwilling to help.

His classified ad simply said: “Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer.”

At the height of the show’s popularity, Woodward was nominated for five Emmys and won a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Actor in a TV series (1987), not to mention being voted the Sexiest Man in America at the age of 58, ahead of such stars as Tom Selleck (Magnum P.I.) and Don Johnson (Miami Vice).

He insisted that McCall was not only hard and ruthless, but also gentle, soft-hearted and compassionate, and it made him an interesting character, full of contradictions.

The considerable fame and wealth from the show did not spare him from the punishing schedule of a television drama, which led to him smoking over 100 cigarettes a day and ultimately a heart attack that nearly killed him.

Born Edward Albert Arthur Woodward on June 1, 1930 in Croydon, England and getting a scholarship at 16 to join the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his onstage debut in 1946.

He acted in “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet” and “Pericles” as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company while also playing the title role in “Cyrano de Bergerac” for the Royal National Theatre under Laurence Olivier. He even acted in a Broadway musical in playwright Noel Coward’s “High Spirits.”

Woodward’s big television break came in the hit British spy series “Callan”(1967-1972), where he played a spy/assassin and reprised his role in a  1974 movie of the same name. He continued to act in television productions all throughout his career on both sides of the Atlantic, playing spies, mystery writers and every kind of dramatic role his considerably underrated acting style was given. His last television role came in the BBC soap opera “EastEnders,” early this year.

He  found big screen success playing a policeman searching for a missing girl amidst a pagan cult in a remote Scottish island in the horror thriller, “The Wicker Man” and the title role of the court-martialed lieutenant in the Australian drama about the Boer War in “Breaker Morant.” His last major film role was as a member of the neighborhood watch group in the comedy, “Hot Fuzz.”

Honored with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1978, Woodward also won an Emmy for the documentary “Remembering World War II” and capitalizing on his fine tenor voice, recorded 12 solo albums.

He is survived by his wife, Michele Dotrice and four children.

“I think I’ve probably done more television than any actor living. I’ve done over 2,000, could be 3,000 now, television productions,” Woodward told the Associated Press in 1987. “I love television. To me it’s the most exciting medium…. I think there is a strange immediacy to it. I suppose there is also the feeling that it is the largest medium by far for information, education and above all, entertainment. And after all, that’s what an actor’s life is all about. Getting work and entertaining people.”