Edward Woodward: A Tribute
Sadly, actor Edward Woodward has died. The star of The Wicker Man and The Equalizer was 79. He had been battling various illnesses recently, including pneumonia. RvR writer Lester Square pays tribute to an acting great.
Edward Woodward was a Shakespearian actor best known for his film and TV roles. Damn stupid name but damn fine actor. After a successful foray into theatre, he broke into the general public’s consciousness as Callan in the 1960s and 70s, a series which spawned a film and several imitations. Woodward played the eponymous anti-hero, a reluctant assassin for the British government.
Global fame in the 1980s followed with a similar character in the smash The Equalizer. Here he was a gun for hire, a vigilante by the name of Robert McCall from a shadowy organisation who went round extracting justice when the system failed. It was very popular in the US.
His film career was most notable for two roles, as a police sergeant in cult horror movie The Wicker Man and as the title role in the superb Breaker Morant, a truly touching film about the sins of those who ran the British Empire.
But more than being an accomplished actor, Woodward had something else, the affection of the public. He was one of those stars who was admired, respected and liked. Not many manage that.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORIES OF EDWARD WOODWARD?
Ross v Ross 
November 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Wow. I’m a bit young to remember The Equalizer, but I think I can say they don’t make TV titles like that anymore. What an awesome tune! It’s got me riled up, I wanna kick some ne’er-do-well up the arse.
And what a name! The Equalizer! I’m afraid of him even though he’s dead.
RIP
November 20, 2009 at 12:45 am
The Equalizer was my dad’s fav TV show. In fact I think it was the only TV show that wasn’t a nature documentary that he actually liked. Woodward was the only one that got through to him, truely a king among men!
November 20, 2009 at 1:06 am
RIP – Edward Woodward, 79, was best known as TV’s “The Equalizer.” But I love him most for his disdain for Nic Cage. When Cage reprised Woodward’s role in the remake of “The Wicker Man,” Woodward was unimpressed: “I didn’t watch it.”
http://urdead2me.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/rip-edward-woodward/