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Simon MacCorkindale

Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale[1] (12 February 1952 – 14 October 2010) was a British actor, film director, writer and producer. He spent much of his childhood moving around owing to his father's career as an officer with the Royal Air Force. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead planned to become a theatre director. Training at Studio 68 of Theatre Arts in London, he started work as an actor, making his West End debut in 1974. He went on to appear in numerous roles in television, including the series I, Claudius and Jesus of Nazareth, before starring as Simon Doyle in the film Death on the Nile (1978). This proved to be a breakthrough role and allowed him to move to the United States. He appeared in a variety of films and TV series including Quatermass (1979), The Riddle of the Sands (1979), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) and Jaws 3-D (1983).

Simon MacCorkindale
MacCorkindale in 2008 at the opening of a Headway Clinic in Swindon
Born
Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale

(1952-02-12)12 February 1952
Died14 October 2010(2010-10-14) (aged 58)
London, England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
Years active1973–2010
Spouses

In 1983, MacCorkindale starred in the short-lived series Manimal as the lead character, Dr. Jonathan Chase, before taking up the longer-running role of lawyer Greg Reardon in Falcon Crest. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s he directed and produced many stage, TV and film productions through his company Amy International Artists, such as the film Stealing Heaven (1988). Moving to Canada, he starred as Peter Sinclair in the series Counterstrike for three years. He returned to the United Kingdom in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty, appearing in the role of Harry Harper for six years until 2008.

Early life

MacCorkindale was born on 12 February 1952 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England,[1][2] to Scottish parents Gilliver Mary (née Pendered) and Peter Bernard MacCorkindale OBE,[3][4][5][1] who died in September 2007.[5] Simon had a brother, Duncan.[6]

Their father was an RAF Group Captain station commander. MacCorkindale spent some of his childhood in Edinburgh, where his father was stationed for a period, although Peter MacCorkindale's changing postings necessitated 17 moves to places across Europe.[1] He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College from 1965 to 1970, where he was Head Boy and a member of the Air Training Corps. Originally intending to enlist in the RAF, he abandoned this plan at the age of 13 when his eyesight began to deteriorate.[2][7] MacCorkindale considered joining the diplomatic corps to become an ambassador, but instead opted to become a stage director after developing an interest in theatre.[2][7]

MacCorkindale had been a fan of theatre since writing a play at the age of eight, joking that it was "unproduceable" because "it required an enormous cast and a considerable amount of rum drinking."[4] Making his acting debut at the same age, he went on to appear on stage and work behind the scenes of numerous school and theatre group productions throughout his childhood.[8]

Persuading his parents that he would find a "sensible job" if a career as a director was not sustaining him financially by the age of 25, MacCorkindale decided not to study at university and instead attended the Studio 68 drama school at the Theatre of Arts in London.[1][7] MacCorkindale opted to continue acting after graduating from the Theatre of Arts; he decided to amass more experience in the role to have better confidence as a director.[7]

Acting career

Early work (1973–79)

MacCorkindale started his acting career in theatre, touring the United Kingdom with a repertory theatre group. His first professional stage performance was in a 1973 run of A Bequest to the Nation at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. He made his West End theatre debut in a production of Pygmalion in 1974, appearing alongside Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg in the role of "Sarcastic Bystander".[2][6][7] In 1973, the series Hawkeye, The Pathfinder had given MacCorkindale his first TV credit.[9] He went on to appear in a number of other TV series, including Within These Walls, Sutherland's Law,[2] I, Claudius (as Lucius Caesar) and Jesus of Nazareth.

MacCorkindale's film debut came in 1974 with Juggernaut.[2] He was cast as Simon Doyle in the 1978 film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile at the age of 25. The role boosted MacCorkindale public profile and he considered it to be his career break. He won the London Evening Standard Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for this part.[2] MacCorkindale went on to star as sailor and spy Arthur Davies in The Riddle of the Sands (1979), the film adaptation of the celebrated Erskine Childers' novel.[9][10]

MacCorkindale played astronomer Joe Kapp in Nigel Kneale's TV serial Quatermass (1979), starring alongside John Mills. He had previously starred in an episode of Kneale's series Beasts and enjoyed appearing in the role of Kapp, finding it a change from the typecast romantic roles that he had become accustomed to playing,[11] while noting that it was "challenging" conveying the character's strong Jewish faith.[7] Kneale later expressed disappointment with MacCorkindale's performance, commenting, "We had him in Beasts playing an idiot and he was very good at that".[12]

Manimal, Falcon Crest and film roles (1980–86)

Following the success of Death on the Nile, MacCorkindale moved to the United States in 1980. Although warned that it would limit his chance of finding work, MacCorkindale refused to adopt an American accent when auditioning, believing that his British diction would help fill a "niche".[2] However, for two years he failed at the audition stage for all major parts on account of his nationality. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) told MacCorkindale that he was not an "eight o'clock actor", which he took to mean that "at that time of night they didn't want viewers watching someone who sounded intellectual or who had an accent that was alien to their ears and, therefore, hard work when it came to listening."[7] During this time he appeared in single-episode roles in series such as Dynasty, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, Matt Houston and The Dukes of Hazzard,[2][7][9] as well as playing David Clement, an aristocrat, in the mini-series Manions of America.[2][7]

He was eventually cast in the adventure series Manimal for NBC in 1983, in which he played the lead character Professor Jonathan Chase, an Englishman who assists police in the fight against crime with his ability to transform into animals. The role impressed MacCorkindale, who considered Chase to be a "very cerebral individual".[7] He also "found himself in the first wave of British stars to make it big in America," along with Joan Collins in Dynasty, which led to a further influx of British actors finding work in the United States.[2] Filming on Manimal would often run for as long as 14 to 16 hours per day, and MacCorkindale would sometimes be required to work at weekends to be made up with the prosthetics necessary for Manimal's transformation sequences. The low ratings that resulted in the cancellation of Manimal after one season and eight episodes was in part due to NBC broadcasting the series at the same time as Dallas on CBS, Manimal losing out to the more popular "soap". Budget cuts also contributed to the series' cancellation as it was the network's most expensive series. Manimal has since acquired a global cult following.[7][13]

In 1984, he was cast as Angela Channing's (Jane Wyman) lawyer Greg Reardon in the soap opera Falcon Crest, without requiring an audition. MacCorkindale asked for the character, originally an American named Brad, to be rewritten as English, and also directed one episode.[2] He rejected a contract extension after appearing in 59 episodes[9] and left the series in 1986 because he "felt that the work I was doing was fun and lucrative but not as stretching as I felt I wanted or needed. I also was finding fault with much of the work, not only Falcon Crest, but everything. I was actually ready to quit acting and try producing so I could put myself on the line."[2]

MacCorkindale appeared in the films Caboblanco (1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982, as Prince Mikah),[14] and starred as Philip FitzRoyce in the third part of the Jaws film series, Jaws 3-D (1983).[15] In the mid-1980s, MacCorkindale was considered for the role of James Bond as a possible successor to actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore, but was not cast.[1] Jaws 3-D proved to be his last major film role.[9]

Counterstrike and other Canadian projects (1990–2000)

In the 1990s, MacCorkindale returned to acting after a hiatus in which he had focused on production work. He appeared in a number of projects in Canada, which he felt "could be at the crossroads of international production."[13] From 1990 to 1993, MacCorkindale played former Scotland Yard inspector Peter Sinclair in the Toronto-filmed USA Network series Counterstrike, alongside Christopher Plummer.[2][13] He was offered the part by producer Robert Lantos, who wanted to work with MacCorkindale while for his part the actor wished to return to acting after three years running Amy International. With production complete on several episodes, feeling that the show was "too plot-driven rather than character-driven", MacCorkindale thereafter became a writer for the series. He was appointed an executive production consultant that ensured that he "could make quicker [on-set] judgments on behalf of the production."[16]

Following Counterstrike, MacCorkindale appeared in the final episode of the TV drama E.N.G., whereafter his "media tycoon" character was planned to be the star of a spin-off alongside actress Sara Botsford, but the project was abandoned.[13] He starred in numerous TV films throughout the 1990s, including a part as the villain in The Girl Next Door. MacCorkindale was glad to "gradually [switch] to villains" as "that's more fun than [playing] the straitlaced hero."[13] MacCorkindale also reprised the role of Dr Chase from Manimal in an episode of Night Man in 1998, which incorporated computer-generated imagery for the transformations as opposed to prosthetic makeup, and also directed an episode of the series.[7] Other appearances included the TV series Earth: Final Conflict, La Femme Nikita and the 2000 TV film The Dinosaur Hunter.[13][17]

Casualty and final roles (2002–10)

Having rejected an offer to play Captain Jonathan Archer in the American science-fiction TV series Star Trek: Enterprise,[18] MacCorkindale returned to the UK in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC One medical drama Casualty, in the role of clinical lead consultant Harry Harper.[19] Following his casting, he said in an interview with the Daily Record that he was a long-time fan of the series, commenting that it was "great to be joining an established show with a great bunch of people."[20] In contrast, Neil Bonner of the Liverpool Daily Post quoted him as stating that he had never seen an episode of the show in its then-16-year history. MacCorkindale was surprised to be offered the role of Harper given the many years that he had spent working in North America, but having settled in Exmoor found Bristol to be an accessible production base.[21][22] MacCorkindale was "never too comfortable as a young actor" and "always felt that [his] best time in the business would be around [the age of 50]." MacCorkindale commented that he "loved [his] time on Casualty," and spent time researching all the medical terminology that his character used to ensure that he understood it.[23] He also appeared as Harper in the Casualty spin-off series Holby City and Casualty@Holby City.[2] Many reviewers were disparaging of MacCorkindale's performances in Casualty: Rupert Smith of The Guardian deemed MacCorkindale "fantastically wooden",[24] while fellow Guardian journalists Sarah Dempster and Jim Shelley commented on MacCorkindale's "loud" delivery of his lines. Shelley described the character of Harper as a "human Foghorn Leghorn",[25] while according to Dempster, Casualty was "above all [...] about Simon MacCorkindale, shouting. Then panting, alarmingly, as he peers through some blinds. And then shouting again."[26]

In January 2007, MacCorkindale was given a five-month sabbatical from Casualty because a plotline required that his character be temporarily removed from the series. He took the opportunity to tour the United Kingdom in a revival of the Agatha Christie murder mystery play The Unexpected Guest. He then returned to Casualty, but having re-discovered his taste for theatre, left the series permanently in 2008 to appear as Andrew Wyke in a UK tour of Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth.[23] By the time that MacCorkindale quit Casualty, he had appeared in 229 episodes of the series.

In August 2008, he replaced Simon Burke as Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp in the London Palladium production of The Sound of Music, remaining with the show until its closure in February 2009.[27] After small parts in the films 13 Hrs and A Closed Book,[28][29] he returned to TV as Sir David Bryant in the 2010 series of New Tricks, in what proved to be his final TV appearance.[1][30]

Production work

MacCorkindale produced, directed and wrote a number of film, television and theatre productions throughout his career. In the 1980s, he directed three performances of the play Sleuth, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Howard Keel and James Whitmore, and a Los Angeles production of The Merchant of Venice, and starred in the one-man show The Importance of Being Oscar at the Globe Playhouse in 1981.[2]

After his departure from Falcon Crest, MacCorkindale returned to the United Kingdom in 1986 to form a production company. The following year, he established Amy International Artists, based at Shepperton Studios, with his wife Susan George, and also Apollo Films International.[9] He subsequently directed, wrote and produced a number of projects for Amy International,[7][23] including the film Stealing Heaven (1988) (concerning the medieval French philosopher Abelard and his passion for Heloise),[2] and the film Djavolji Raj (1989) (That Summer of White Roses), which stars George and features romantic theme music composed by MacCorkindale.[9] MacCorkindale and George purchased the rights to each project because they wished to "make the pictures that we just totally and literally believe in", regardless of their commercial success.[31]

Working in partnership with Chris Bryant, MacCorkindale wrote and directed the television film The House That Mary Bought (1995),[2] and with Paul Stephens co-produced the film Such a Long Journey (1998), for which he was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture.[13] MacCorkindale then wrote the screenplay for a biographical film of the missing peer Lord Lucan, which he also planned to produce and act in, although financial problems resulted in the cancellation of the project in 1996.[1] He served as co-executive producer for the 2000 syndicated TV series Queen of Swords, and as co-producer for the 2002 series Adventure Inc..[9] MacCorkindale also co-produced the third season of Relic Hunter in 2002.[32][33]

Personal life

MacCorkindale was married twice. His first wife was actress Fiona Fullerton; the couple married in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Following his divorce from Fullerton, MacCorkindale began a relationship with actress Susan George, whom he had first met in 1977; they married secretly in Fiji on 5 October 1984[34] and later held a second ceremony with family and friends in Berkshire, England.[35] They had no children.[35] With George, MacCorkindale lived on and managed an Arabian stud farm based in Exmoor.[1]

Death

MacCorkindale was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006, and underwent an operation to remove a section of his bowel during a two-week break from filming Casualty.[36] Although the tumour was excised and the cancer went into remission following the surgery, one year later doctors discovered it had metastasised to his lungs.[37] He continued to act during his treatment, returning to film his final series of Casualty in late 2007; he did not disclose his illness to his colleagues, and found it surreal when scripts required his character to inform patients that they had cancer or another incurable disease.[38] He spent much of his fortune on private cancer treatment in the United States, with limited success.[39] In November 2009, he publicly revealed that the disease was terminal,[19] and he died on 14 October 2010 at a clinic in London.[30]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1974 Juggernaut No. 1 Helmsman
1978 Death on the Nile Simon Doyle
1979 The Riddle of the Sands Arthur Davies
1980 Caboblanco Lewis Clarkson
1981 Macbeth Macduff
1982 The Sword and the Sorcerer Prince Mikah
1982 An Outpost of Progress Kayerts
1983 Jaws 3-D Philip FitzRoyce
1987 Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet Mark Jamieson Direct-to-video release
1988 Stealing Heaven N/A Producer
1989 That Summer of White Roses N/A Producer, composer and writer
1998 Such A Long Journey N/A Producer
1999 Wing Commander Flight Boss
2010 A Closed Book Andrew Boles
2010 13Hrs Duncan Moore

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1973 Hawkeye, the Pathfinder Lieutenant Carter Appeared in three episodes
1974 Play of the Month Rolf Episode 9.8: "The Skin Game"
1975 Sutherland's Law Ian Sutherland Episode 4.5: "No Second Chance"
1976 Romeo and Juliet Paris TV film
1976 Hunter's Walk Houseman Episode 3.1: "Intent"
1976 I, Claudius Lucius Episode 1.2: "Waiting in the Wings"
1976 Beasts Peter Gilkes Episode 1.4: "Baby"
1976–1978 Within These Walls Dr Dady Appeared in three episodes
1977 Romance Paul Verdayne Episode 1.2: "Three Weeks"
1977 Jesus of Nazareth Lucius TV miniseries
1977 Just William Charlie Episode 1.12: "William and the Sleeping Major"
1978 The Doombolt Chase Lt. Cmdr. Madock Episode 1.1: "Court of Shame"
1978 Will Shakespeare Sir Thomas Walsingham Episode 1.1: "Dead Shepherd"
1979 Quatermass Joe Kapp TV serial; appeared in all four episodes
1979 The Dukes of Hazzard Gaylord Duke (Roger Blevin) 2.13: "Duke of Duke"
1980 Hammer House of Horror Harry Wells Episode 1.11: "Visitor from the Grave"
1981 Manions of America David Clement TV miniseries
1981 Fantasy Island Gaston du Brielle Episode 5.3: "Cyrano/The Magician"
1982 Hart to Hart Arthur Roman Episode 4.3: "Million Dollar Harts"
1982 Dynasty Billy Dawson Episode 3.4: "The Will"
1982 Falcon's Gold Hank Richards TV film
1983 Manimal Jonathan Chase Appeared in all eight episodes
1984 Obsessive Love Glenn Stevens TV film
1984 Matt Houston Robert Tyler Episode 3.3: "Eyewitness"
1984–1986 Falcon Crest Greg Reardon Appeared in 59 episodes
1989 Pursuit Manley-Jones TV film
1990–1993 Counterstrike Peter Sinclair Appeared in 65 episodes
1994 E.N.G. Maxwell Harding Episode 5.14: "Cutting Edge"
1995 The Way to Dusty Death Johnny Harlow TV film
1995 At the Midnight Hour Richard Keaton TV film
1995 Family of Cops Adam Novacek TV film
1995 The House That Mary Bought N/A Director and writer
1996 No Greater Love Patrick Kelly TV film
1997 While My Pretty One Sleeps Jack Campbell TV film
1997 La Femme Nikita Alec Chandler Episode 1.4: "Charity"
1998 La guerre de l'eau Peter Gregory TV film
1998 Running Wild Walton Baden Smythe TV film
1998 Night Man Jonathan Chase Episode 2.6: "Manimal"
1999 The Girl Next Door Steve Vandermeer TV film
1999 Poltergeist: The Legacy Reed Horton Appeared in five episodes
1999 Mentors Oscar Wilde Episode 1.6: "Wilde Card"
2000 Earth: Final Conflict Dennis Robillard Episode 3.14: "Scorched Earth"
2000 The Dinosaur Hunter Jack TV film
2001 Dark Realm Brad Collins Appeared in two episodes
2001 Queen of Swords Captain Charles Wentworth Episode 1.15: "Runaways"; also series co-executive producer
2001–2002 Relic Hunter Fabrice De Viega Appeared in three episodes and co-executive producer in the third series.
2002–2003 Adventure Inc. N/A Co-producer
2002–2008 Casualty Dr. Harry Harper Appeared in 229 episodes
2004–2005 Holby City Harry Harper Appeared in two episodes
2005 Casualty@Holby City Harry Harper Appeared in three specials
2010 New Tricks Sir David Bryant Episode 7.5: "Good Morning Lemmings", (final appearance)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Simon MacCorkindale". The Telegraph. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hayward, Anthony (18 October 2010). "Simon MacCorkindale: British actor who played Greg Reardon in the US soap opera 'Falcon Crest' and Dr Harry Harper in 'Casualty'". The Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  3. ^ "Simon MacCorkindale profile". Film Reference. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  4. ^ a b Church, David (26 February 1985). "Simon MacCorkindale: Not Just Another Pretty Face". Soap Opera Digest.
  5. ^ a b (PDF). Downing College Association Newsletter and College Record. 2008. pp. 34–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011.
  6. ^ a b Manimal Annual. 1984. ISBN 0-86227-244-0.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Eramo, Steven (1999). "Animal Magnetism". TV Zone #117.
  8. ^ Dicks, Kathy (12 March 1994). "Action-adventure series is a must-see". The Newfoundland Herald.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Quinn, Michael (26 October 2010). "Simon MacCorkindale". The Stage.
  10. ^ Peck, Tom (5 June 2009). . CNN. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  11. ^ Screen, Andrew (2003). Production Notes (Quatermass DVD Special Feature). London: Clearvision Video. QBOXDVD01.
  12. ^ Pixley, Andrew (April 2003). "All the Rage of the World. Flashback: The Quatermass Conclusion". TV Zone. No. 161. pp. 48–54. ISSN 0957-3844.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Bawden, Jim (2 January 2000). "Manimal star recalls the beauty of the beast – Even 16 years after its demise, Simon MacCorkindale has flashbacks to TV's weirdest series". The Toronto Star.
  14. ^ "I Don't Wait for the Phone To Ring". Film Review. December 1981.
  15. ^ Ryan, Desmond (25 July 1983). "'Jaws 3-D': Gore And Not Much More". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D01.
  16. ^ Toushek, Gary (2 November 1991). "Simon MacCorkindale In 'Counterstrike', Elite Crime-Busters Take on International Thugs". TV Times.
  17. ^ Dawidziak, Mark (7 May 2002). "Joel Rose film project still in talking stages". The Plain Dealer. p. E7.
  18. ^ "SMCFP – Interview 10th February 2009". Simon MacCorkindale Fan Page. 10 February 2009.
  19. ^ a b Nikkhah, Roya (8 November 2009). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  20. ^ "Mad about Harry; Casualty BBC1, 8.10pm". Daily Record. Glasgow, Scotland: Trinity Mirror. 18 May 2002. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  21. ^ Bonner, Neil (13 July 2002). "Overheard..." Liverpool Daily Post. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  22. ^ "Play choice: Saturday, November 2". The Times. London, England: News Corporation. 2 November 2002. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  23. ^ a b c Taylor, Caroline (7 March 2008). . Preston Citizen. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  24. ^ Smith, Rupert (16 September 2002). "Neighbours from hell". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  25. ^ Shelley, Jim (3 October 2007). "TV Dinners: How to make ... a BBC medical drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  26. ^ Dempster, Sarah (11 February 2008). "The weekend's TV: Tropic of Capricorn". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  27. ^ BWW News Desk (29 July 2008). "Simon MacCorkindale Is West End's New Captain Von Trapp". Broadway World. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  28. ^ . Live For Films. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  29. ^ Best, Jason (19 February 2010). . What's on TV. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  30. ^ a b "Casualty actor Simon MacCorkindale dies aged 58". BBC News. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  31. ^ "Susan George: The sex symbol turns movie mogul". Film Review. May 1989.
  32. ^ Gillard, David (8 June 2002). "Simon MacCorkindale, back on television as Casualty's new consultant, has been delivering foals rather than lines of late...". Radio Times.
  33. ^ "How Simon dived into an acting career". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 16 July 2005.
  34. ^ Brenna, Tony; Taylor, Richard (30 October 1984). ""Falcon Crest" Star Weds Secretly in Paradise". National Enquirer.
  35. ^ a b "The EastEnder who stole Prince Charles' heart". Daily Mirror. 16 June 2001.
  36. ^ Roberts, Brian (9 November 2009). "Casualty star Simon MacCorkindale reveals he has terminal lung cancer". Daily Mirror. MGN Limited. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  37. ^ Kolirin, Lianmne (9 November 2009). "Tv star Simon: Why I kept my cancer a secret". Daily Express. Express Newspapers. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  38. ^ Bergan, Ronald (17 October 2010). "Simon MacCorkindale obituary". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  39. ^ Eden, Richard (17 October 2010). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.

External links

simon, maccorkindale, simon, charles, pendered, maccorkindale, february, 1952, october, 2010, british, actor, film, director, writer, producer, spent, much, childhood, moving, around, owing, father, career, officer, with, royal, force, poor, eyesight, prevente. Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale 1 12 February 1952 14 October 2010 was a British actor film director writer and producer He spent much of his childhood moving around owing to his father s career as an officer with the Royal Air Force Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF so he instead planned to become a theatre director Training at Studio 68 of Theatre Arts in London he started work as an actor making his West End debut in 1974 He went on to appear in numerous roles in television including the series I Claudius and Jesus of Nazareth before starring as Simon Doyle in the film Death on the Nile 1978 This proved to be a breakthrough role and allowed him to move to the United States He appeared in a variety of films and TV series including Quatermass 1979 The Riddle of the Sands 1979 The Sword and the Sorcerer 1982 and Jaws 3 D 1983 Simon MacCorkindaleMacCorkindale in 2008 at the opening of a Headway Clinic in SwindonBornSimon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale 1952 02 12 12 February 1952Ely Cambridgeshire EnglandDied14 October 2010 2010 10 14 aged 58 London EnglandOccupationsActordirectorproducerwriterYears active1973 2010SpousesFiona Fullerton m 1976 div 1982 wbr Susan George m 1984 wbr In 1983 MacCorkindale starred in the short lived series Manimal as the lead character Dr Jonathan Chase before taking up the longer running role of lawyer Greg Reardon in Falcon Crest Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s he directed and produced many stage TV and film productions through his company Amy International Artists such as the film Stealing Heaven 1988 Moving to Canada he starred as Peter Sinclair in the series Counterstrike for three years He returned to the United Kingdom in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty appearing in the role of Harry Harper for six years until 2008 Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 2 1 Early work 1973 79 2 2 Manimal Falcon Crest and film roles 1980 86 2 3 Counterstrike and other Canadian projects 1990 2000 2 4 Casualty and final roles 2002 10 3 Production work 4 Personal life 5 Death 6 Filmography 6 1 Film 6 2 Television 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditMacCorkindale was born on 12 February 1952 in Ely Cambridgeshire England 1 2 to Scottish parents Gilliver Mary nee Pendered and Peter Bernard MacCorkindale OBE 3 4 5 1 who died in September 2007 5 Simon had a brother Duncan 6 Their father was an RAF Group Captain station commander MacCorkindale spent some of his childhood in Edinburgh where his father was stationed for a period although Peter MacCorkindale s changing postings necessitated 17 moves to places across Europe 1 He attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College from 1965 to 1970 where he was Head Boy and a member of the Air Training Corps Originally intending to enlist in the RAF he abandoned this plan at the age of 13 when his eyesight began to deteriorate 2 7 MacCorkindale considered joining the diplomatic corps to become an ambassador but instead opted to become a stage director after developing an interest in theatre 2 7 MacCorkindale had been a fan of theatre since writing a play at the age of eight joking that it was unproduceable because it required an enormous cast and a considerable amount of rum drinking 4 Making his acting debut at the same age he went on to appear on stage and work behind the scenes of numerous school and theatre group productions throughout his childhood 8 Persuading his parents that he would find a sensible job if a career as a director was not sustaining him financially by the age of 25 MacCorkindale decided not to study at university and instead attended the Studio 68 drama school at the Theatre of Arts in London 1 7 MacCorkindale opted to continue acting after graduating from the Theatre of Arts he decided to amass more experience in the role to have better confidence as a director 7 Acting career EditEarly work 1973 79 Edit MacCorkindale started his acting career in theatre touring the United Kingdom with a repertory theatre group His first professional stage performance was in a 1973 run of A Bequest to the Nation at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry He made his West End theatre debut in a production of Pygmalion in 1974 appearing alongside Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg in the role of Sarcastic Bystander 2 6 7 In 1973 the series Hawkeye The Pathfinder had given MacCorkindale his first TV credit 9 He went on to appear in a number of other TV series including Within These Walls Sutherland s Law 2 I Claudius as Lucius Caesar and Jesus of Nazareth MacCorkindale s film debut came in 1974 with Juggernaut 2 He was cast as Simon Doyle in the 1978 film adaptation of Agatha Christie s Death on the Nile at the age of 25 The role boosted MacCorkindale public profile and he considered it to be his career break He won the London Evening Standard Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for this part 2 MacCorkindale went on to star as sailor and spy Arthur Davies in The Riddle of the Sands 1979 the film adaptation of the celebrated Erskine Childers novel 9 10 MacCorkindale played astronomer Joe Kapp in Nigel Kneale s TV serial Quatermass 1979 starring alongside John Mills He had previously starred in an episode of Kneale s series Beasts and enjoyed appearing in the role of Kapp finding it a change from the typecast romantic roles that he had become accustomed to playing 11 while noting that it was challenging conveying the character s strong Jewish faith 7 Kneale later expressed disappointment with MacCorkindale s performance commenting We had him in Beasts playing an idiot and he was very good at that 12 Manimal Falcon Crest and film roles 1980 86 Edit Following the success of Death on the Nile MacCorkindale moved to the United States in 1980 Although warned that it would limit his chance of finding work MacCorkindale refused to adopt an American accent when auditioning believing that his British diction would help fill a niche 2 However for two years he failed at the audition stage for all major parts on account of his nationality The American Broadcasting Company ABC told MacCorkindale that he was not an eight o clock actor which he took to mean that at that time of night they didn t want viewers watching someone who sounded intellectual or who had an accent that was alien to their ears and therefore hard work when it came to listening 7 During this time he appeared in single episode roles in series such as Dynasty Fantasy Island Hart to Hart Matt Houston and The Dukes of Hazzard 2 7 9 as well as playing David Clement an aristocrat in the mini series Manions of America 2 7 He was eventually cast in the adventure series Manimal for NBC in 1983 in which he played the lead character Professor Jonathan Chase an Englishman who assists police in the fight against crime with his ability to transform into animals The role impressed MacCorkindale who considered Chase to be a very cerebral individual 7 He also found himself in the first wave of British stars to make it big in America along with Joan Collins in Dynasty which led to a further influx of British actors finding work in the United States 2 Filming on Manimal would often run for as long as 14 to 16 hours per day and MacCorkindale would sometimes be required to work at weekends to be made up with the prosthetics necessary for Manimal s transformation sequences The low ratings that resulted in the cancellation of Manimal after one season and eight episodes was in part due to NBC broadcasting the series at the same time as Dallas on CBS Manimal losing out to the more popular soap Budget cuts also contributed to the series cancellation as it was the network s most expensive series Manimal has since acquired a global cult following 7 13 In 1984 he was cast as Angela Channing s Jane Wyman lawyer Greg Reardon in the soap opera Falcon Crest without requiring an audition MacCorkindale asked for the character originally an American named Brad to be rewritten as English and also directed one episode 2 He rejected a contract extension after appearing in 59 episodes 9 and left the series in 1986 because he felt that the work I was doing was fun and lucrative but not as stretching as I felt I wanted or needed I also was finding fault with much of the work not only Falcon Crest but everything I was actually ready to quit acting and try producing so I could put myself on the line 2 MacCorkindale appeared in the films Caboblanco 1980 and The Sword and the Sorcerer 1982 as Prince Mikah 14 and starred as Philip FitzRoyce in the third part of the Jaws film series Jaws 3 D 1983 15 In the mid 1980s MacCorkindale was considered for the role of James Bond as a possible successor to actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore but was not cast 1 Jaws 3 D proved to be his last major film role 9 Counterstrike and other Canadian projects 1990 2000 Edit In the 1990s MacCorkindale returned to acting after a hiatus in which he had focused on production work He appeared in a number of projects in Canada which he felt could be at the crossroads of international production 13 From 1990 to 1993 MacCorkindale played former Scotland Yard inspector Peter Sinclair in the Toronto filmed USA Network series Counterstrike alongside Christopher Plummer 2 13 He was offered the part by producer Robert Lantos who wanted to work with MacCorkindale while for his part the actor wished to return to acting after three years running Amy International With production complete on several episodes feeling that the show was too plot driven rather than character driven MacCorkindale thereafter became a writer for the series He was appointed an executive production consultant that ensured that he could make quicker on set judgments on behalf of the production 16 Following Counterstrike MacCorkindale appeared in the final episode of the TV drama E N G whereafter his media tycoon character was planned to be the star of a spin off alongside actress Sara Botsford but the project was abandoned 13 He starred in numerous TV films throughout the 1990s including a part as the villain in The Girl Next Door MacCorkindale was glad to gradually switch to villains as that s more fun than playing the straitlaced hero 13 MacCorkindale also reprised the role of Dr Chase from Manimal in an episode of Night Man in 1998 which incorporated computer generated imagery for the transformations as opposed to prosthetic makeup and also directed an episode of the series 7 Other appearances included the TV series Earth Final Conflict La Femme Nikita and the 2000 TV film The Dinosaur Hunter 13 17 Casualty and final roles 2002 10 Edit Having rejected an offer to play Captain Jonathan Archer in the American science fiction TV series Star Trek Enterprise 18 MacCorkindale returned to the UK in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC One medical drama Casualty in the role of clinical lead consultant Harry Harper 19 Following his casting he said in an interview with the Daily Record that he was a long time fan of the series commenting that it was great to be joining an established show with a great bunch of people 20 In contrast Neil Bonner of the Liverpool Daily Post quoted him as stating that he had never seen an episode of the show in its then 16 year history MacCorkindale was surprised to be offered the role of Harper given the many years that he had spent working in North America but having settled in Exmoor found Bristol to be an accessible production base 21 22 MacCorkindale was never too comfortable as a young actor and always felt that his best time in the business would be around the age of 50 MacCorkindale commented that he loved his time on Casualty and spent time researching all the medical terminology that his character used to ensure that he understood it 23 He also appeared as Harper in the Casualty spin off series Holby City and Casualty Holby City 2 Many reviewers were disparaging of MacCorkindale s performances in Casualty Rupert Smith of The Guardian deemed MacCorkindale fantastically wooden 24 while fellow Guardian journalists Sarah Dempster and Jim Shelley commented on MacCorkindale s loud delivery of his lines Shelley described the character of Harper as a human Foghorn Leghorn 25 while according to Dempster Casualty was above all about Simon MacCorkindale shouting Then panting alarmingly as he peers through some blinds And then shouting again 26 In January 2007 MacCorkindale was given a five month sabbatical from Casualty because a plotline required that his character be temporarily removed from the series He took the opportunity to tour the United Kingdom in a revival of the Agatha Christie murder mystery play The Unexpected Guest He then returned to Casualty but having re discovered his taste for theatre left the series permanently in 2008 to appear as Andrew Wyke in a UK tour of Anthony Shaffer s Sleuth 23 By the time that MacCorkindale quit Casualty he had appeared in 229 episodes of the series In August 2008 he replaced Simon Burke as Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp in the London Palladium production of The Sound of Music remaining with the show until its closure in February 2009 27 After small parts in the films 13 Hrs and A Closed Book 28 29 he returned to TV as Sir David Bryant in the 2010 series of New Tricks in what proved to be his final TV appearance 1 30 Production work EditMacCorkindale produced directed and wrote a number of film television and theatre productions throughout his career In the 1980s he directed three performances of the play Sleuth starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr Howard Keel and James Whitmore and a Los Angeles production of The Merchant of Venice and starred in the one man show The Importance of Being Oscar at the Globe Playhouse in 1981 2 After his departure from Falcon Crest MacCorkindale returned to the United Kingdom in 1986 to form a production company The following year he established Amy International Artists based at Shepperton Studios with his wife Susan George and also Apollo Films International 9 He subsequently directed wrote and produced a number of projects for Amy International 7 23 including the film Stealing Heaven 1988 concerning the medieval French philosopher Abelard and his passion for Heloise 2 and the film Djavolji Raj 1989 That Summer of White Roses which stars George and features romantic theme music composed by MacCorkindale 9 MacCorkindale and George purchased the rights to each project because they wished to make the pictures that we just totally and literally believe in regardless of their commercial success 31 Working in partnership with Chris Bryant MacCorkindale wrote and directed the television film The House That Mary Bought 1995 2 and with Paul Stephens co produced the film Such a Long Journey 1998 for which he was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture 13 MacCorkindale then wrote the screenplay for a biographical film of the missing peer Lord Lucan which he also planned to produce and act in although financial problems resulted in the cancellation of the project in 1996 1 He served as co executive producer for the 2000 syndicated TV series Queen of Swords and as co producer for the 2002 series Adventure Inc 9 MacCorkindale also co produced the third season of Relic Hunter in 2002 32 33 Personal life EditMacCorkindale was married twice His first wife was actress Fiona Fullerton the couple married in 1976 and divorced in 1982 Following his divorce from Fullerton MacCorkindale began a relationship with actress Susan George whom he had first met in 1977 they married secretly in Fiji on 5 October 1984 34 and later held a second ceremony with family and friends in Berkshire England 35 They had no children 35 With George MacCorkindale lived on and managed an Arabian stud farm based in Exmoor 1 Death EditMacCorkindale was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006 and underwent an operation to remove a section of his bowel during a two week break from filming Casualty 36 Although the tumour was excised and the cancer went into remission following the surgery one year later doctors discovered it had metastasised to his lungs 37 He continued to act during his treatment returning to film his final series of Casualty in late 2007 he did not disclose his illness to his colleagues and found it surreal when scripts required his character to inform patients that they had cancer or another incurable disease 38 He spent much of his fortune on private cancer treatment in the United States with limited success 39 In November 2009 he publicly revealed that the disease was terminal 19 and he died on 14 October 2010 at a clinic in London 30 Filmography EditFilm Edit Year Title Role Notes1974 Juggernaut No 1 Helmsman1978 Death on the Nile Simon Doyle1979 The Riddle of the Sands Arthur Davies1980 Caboblanco Lewis Clarkson1981 Macbeth Macduff1982 The Sword and the Sorcerer Prince Mikah1982 An Outpost of Progress Kayerts1983 Jaws 3 D Philip FitzRoyce1987 Shades of Love Sincerely Violet Mark Jamieson Direct to video release1988 Stealing Heaven N A Producer1989 That Summer of White Roses N A Producer composer and writer1998 Such A Long Journey N A Producer1999 Wing Commander Flight Boss2010 A Closed Book Andrew Boles2010 13Hrs Duncan MooreTelevision Edit Year Title Role Notes1973 Hawkeye the Pathfinder Lieutenant Carter Appeared in three episodes1974 Play of the Month Rolf Episode 9 8 The Skin Game 1975 Sutherland s Law Ian Sutherland Episode 4 5 No Second Chance 1976 Romeo and Juliet Paris TV film1976 Hunter s Walk Houseman Episode 3 1 Intent 1976 I Claudius Lucius Episode 1 2 Waiting in the Wings 1976 Beasts Peter Gilkes Episode 1 4 Baby 1976 1978 Within These Walls Dr Dady Appeared in three episodes1977 Romance Paul Verdayne Episode 1 2 Three Weeks 1977 Jesus of Nazareth Lucius TV miniseries1977 Just William Charlie Episode 1 12 William and the Sleeping Major 1978 The Doombolt Chase Lt Cmdr Madock Episode 1 1 Court of Shame 1978 Will Shakespeare Sir Thomas Walsingham Episode 1 1 Dead Shepherd 1979 Quatermass Joe Kapp TV serial appeared in all four episodes1979 The Dukes of Hazzard Gaylord Duke Roger Blevin 2 13 Duke of Duke 1980 Hammer House of Horror Harry Wells Episode 1 11 Visitor from the Grave 1981 Manions of America David Clement TV miniseries1981 Fantasy Island Gaston du Brielle Episode 5 3 Cyrano The Magician 1982 Hart to Hart Arthur Roman Episode 4 3 Million Dollar Harts 1982 Dynasty Billy Dawson Episode 3 4 The Will 1982 Falcon s Gold Hank Richards TV film1983 Manimal Jonathan Chase Appeared in all eight episodes1984 Obsessive Love Glenn Stevens TV film1984 Matt Houston Robert Tyler Episode 3 3 Eyewitness 1984 1986 Falcon Crest Greg Reardon Appeared in 59 episodes1989 Pursuit Manley Jones TV film1990 1993 Counterstrike Peter Sinclair Appeared in 65 episodes1994 E N G Maxwell Harding Episode 5 14 Cutting Edge 1995 The Way to Dusty Death Johnny Harlow TV film1995 At the Midnight Hour Richard Keaton TV film1995 Family of Cops Adam Novacek TV film1995 The House That Mary Bought N A Director and writer1996 No Greater Love Patrick Kelly TV film1997 While My Pretty One Sleeps Jack Campbell TV film1997 La Femme Nikita Alec Chandler Episode 1 4 Charity 1998 La guerre de l eau Peter Gregory TV film1998 Running Wild Walton Baden Smythe TV film1998 Night Man Jonathan Chase Episode 2 6 Manimal 1999 The Girl Next Door Steve Vandermeer TV film1999 Poltergeist The Legacy Reed Horton Appeared in five episodes1999 Mentors Oscar Wilde Episode 1 6 Wilde Card 2000 Earth Final Conflict Dennis Robillard Episode 3 14 Scorched Earth 2000 The Dinosaur Hunter Jack TV film2001 Dark Realm Brad Collins Appeared in two episodes2001 Queen of Swords Captain Charles Wentworth Episode 1 15 Runaways also series co executive producer2001 2002 Relic Hunter Fabrice De Viega Appeared in three episodes and co executive producer in the third series 2002 2003 Adventure Inc N A Co producer2002 2008 Casualty Dr Harry Harper Appeared in 229 episodes2004 2005 Holby City Harry Harper Appeared in two episodes2005 Casualty Holby City Harry Harper Appeared in three specials2010 New Tricks Sir David Bryant Episode 7 5 Good Morning Lemmings final appearance References Edit a b c d e f g h i Simon MacCorkindale The Telegraph 16 October 2010 Retrieved 16 October 2010 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hayward Anthony 18 October 2010 Simon MacCorkindale British actor who played Greg Reardon in the US soap opera Falcon Crest and Dr Harry Harper in Casualty The Independent Retrieved 17 December 2010 Simon MacCorkindale profile Film Reference Retrieved 23 December 2010 a b Church David 26 February 1985 Simon MacCorkindale Not Just Another Pretty Face Soap Opera Digest a b Obituaries PDF Downing College Association Newsletter and College Record 2008 pp 34 35 Archived from the original PDF on 18 July 2011 a b Manimal Annual 1984 ISBN 0 86227 244 0 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Eramo Steven 1999 Animal Magnetism TV Zone 117 Dicks Kathy 12 March 1994 Action adventure series is a must see The Newfoundland Herald a b c d e f g h Quinn Michael 26 October 2010 Simon MacCorkindale The Stage Peck Tom 5 June 2009 Capt Jack Sparrow and the 10 greatest movie mariners CNN Archived from the original on 21 March 2012 Retrieved 19 December 2010 Screen Andrew 2003 Production Notes Quatermass DVD Special Feature London Clearvision Video QBOXDVD01 Pixley Andrew April 2003 All the Rage of the World Flashback The Quatermass Conclusion TV Zone No 161 pp 48 54 ISSN 0957 3844 a b c d e f g Bawden Jim 2 January 2000 Manimal star recalls the beauty of the beast Even 16 years after its demise Simon MacCorkindale has flashbacks to TV s weirdest series The Toronto Star I Don t Wait for the Phone To Ring Film Review December 1981 Ryan Desmond 25 July 1983 Jaws 3 D Gore And Not Much More The Philadelphia Inquirer p D01 Toushek Gary 2 November 1991 Simon MacCorkindale In Counterstrike Elite Crime Busters Take on International Thugs TV Times Dawidziak Mark 7 May 2002 Joel Rose film project still in talking stages The Plain Dealer p E7 SMCFP Interview 10th February 2009 Simon MacCorkindale Fan Page 10 February 2009 a b Nikkhah Roya 8 November 2009 Casualty s Simon MacCorkindale has terminal cancer The Telegraph Archived from the original on 10 November 2009 Retrieved 8 November 2009 Mad about Harry Casualty BBC1 8 10pm Daily Record Glasgow Scotland Trinity Mirror 18 May 2002 Retrieved 16 October 2010 Bonner Neil 13 July 2002 Overheard Liverpool Daily Post Trinity Mirror Retrieved 16 October 2010 Play choice Saturday November 2 The Times London England News Corporation 2 November 2002 Retrieved 16 October 2010 a b c Taylor Caroline 7 March 2008 Interview Simon MacCorkindale Preston Citizen Archived from the original on 5 December 2009 Retrieved 10 November 2009 Smith Rupert 16 September 2002 Neighbours from hell The Guardian Retrieved 16 October 2010 Shelley Jim 3 October 2007 TV Dinners How to make a BBC medical drama The Guardian Retrieved 19 June 2011 Dempster Sarah 11 February 2008 The weekend s TV Tropic of Capricorn The Guardian Retrieved 19 June 2011 BWW News Desk 29 July 2008 Simon MacCorkindale Is West End s New Captain Von Trapp Broadway World Retrieved 19 March 2016 Exclusive Interview 13 Hrs Jonathan Glendening Gemma Atkinson and Isabella Calthorpe Live For Films 31 August 2010 Archived from the original on 2 January 2011 Retrieved 11 January 2011 Best Jason 19 February 2010 At the Cinema A Closed Book Tom s hammy Daryl s cheesy Do they make a tasty duo What s on TV Archived from the original on 8 January 2011 Retrieved 11 January 2011 a b Casualty actor Simon MacCorkindale dies aged 58 BBC News 15 October 2010 Retrieved 15 October 2010 Susan George The sex symbol turns movie mogul Film Review May 1989 Gillard David 8 June 2002 Simon MacCorkindale back on television as Casualty s new consultant has been delivering foals rather than lines of late Radio Times How Simon dived into an acting career Coventry Evening Telegraph 16 July 2005 Brenna Tony Taylor Richard 30 October 1984 Falcon Crest Star Weds Secretly in Paradise National Enquirer a b The EastEnder who stole Prince Charles heart Daily Mirror 16 June 2001 Roberts Brian 9 November 2009 Casualty star Simon MacCorkindale reveals he has terminal lung cancer Daily Mirror MGN Limited Retrieved 30 June 2019 Kolirin Lianmne 9 November 2009 Tv star Simon Why I kept my cancer a secret Daily Express Express Newspapers Retrieved 30 June 2019 Bergan Ronald 17 October 2010 Simon MacCorkindale obituary The Guardian Guardian News amp Media Limited Retrieved 30 June 2019 Eden Richard 17 October 2010 Casualty star Simon MacCorkindale s costly battle against cancer The Telegraph Archived from the original on 20 October 2010 Retrieved 17 December 2010 External links EditSimon MacCorkindale at IMDb Simon MacCorkindale at the TCM Movie Database Simon MacCorkindale at AllMovie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Simon MacCorkindale amp oldid 1139587320, 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