Monday, November 16, 2009

Edward Woodward Dead

Sad news from the acting world: Edward Woodward has died today.

I used to enjoy watching Woodward as The Equalizer back in the 80's (forget the A-Team or MacGyver, this old character could handle any challenge by himself and had something they didn't: that signature British combination of cutting wit and class), but he had a number of genre roles to his credit over his long career.

My favourite was his appearance as Alwyn the technomage (not to be confused with Brother Alwyn MacComber the Ranger/monk from the far-future lookahead episode at the end of B5's fourth season) from one episode of the short-lived Babylon 5 spinoff Crusade. Must have been a treat for him to star opposite his son, Peter, who played Excalibur's occasionally resident technomage, Galen. Woodward (the elder) gave the character the perfect combination of brusque crotchetiness, wold-weariness and humour. And who doesn't love a character that can conjur up a 500-foot-long golden dragon?

Edward Woodward was 79.

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