Scottish actor Nicol Williamson has died. He is best known to people of my age and cultural ignorance for his "dibs on the scenery and pass the salt" role as Merlin in John Boorman's Excalibur, a film not noted for its subtlety.
From the linked obituary it sounds as though Williamson was the Klaus Kinski of British theater, and apparently neither he nor ex-lover Helen Mirren, cast as Morgana, were thrilled to be in the same production again, having endured each other through a disastrous run of The Scottish Play.
Rest in the arms of the dragon.
PS - Behold the inspiration for the post title:
From the linked obituary it sounds as though Williamson was the Klaus Kinski of British theater, and apparently neither he nor ex-lover Helen Mirren, cast as Morgana, were thrilled to be in the same production again, having endured each other through a disastrous run of The Scottish Play.
Rest in the arms of the dragon.
PS - Behold the inspiration for the post title:
2 comments:
When I saw his obit I immediately thought of you, Dave. Glad his death has not been wasted (even if he was, often).
Also, too, Excalibur!
It's been an Excalibur sort of week - I just saw Nigel Terry as a hit man in a murder mystery from 2009. It was his voice, and that weird clipped delivery of his, that instantly identified him for me.
Since I was hanging out with the Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia in the early '80's, Excalibur was a must see. The cast is amazing in retrospect (Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Ciaran Hinds, Helen Mirren!) and it was certainly lush visually. I always thought that the woman who played Igrayne turned in what may have been the lousiest acting job I've ever seen. It wasn't until years later that I realized that she was the Director's daughter. Which just made it weird, because who casts your daughter in a role where she gets naked and has sex with a man wearing chain mail? I've worn chain mail, but suffice it to say that it would never occur to me as appropriate boudoir attire.
Oddly enough she seems to have had a fitfully successful career as an actress, so maybe appearing in Excalibur inspired her to actually learn the craft
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