AUBREY MORRIS 1926 - 2015

I was saddened to hear that prolific British actor Aubrey Morris has died at the age of 89.  Aubrey has appeared in many films like cult favourite Lifeforce, TV action dramas like The Avengers and Man in a Suitcase, as well light hearted stuff like Catweazle and On The Buses.

I loved his creepy performances in those early sixties action/adventure TV series, like the Saint and Dangerman. His wide smile and vaguely camp demeanour coupled with his  sinister undertones were always entertaining.

Here he is with Patrick McGoohan, as John Drake in the Dangerman episode, The Paper Chase. He had previously appeared with Patrick McGoohan in the 1962 movie, The Quare Fellow. Later in his career he would meet up with Patrick again in the Columbo TV movie, Ashes to Ashes. (1998)

Another Patrick McGoohan connection, this time in the surreal 1967 spy drama, The Prisoner during the episode, Dance of The Dead.

Although he's probably best known  for his film appearance as Mr Deltoid in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, I'm always reminded of his performance as the sleazy bookshop owner, Thorburn, in the low budget 1965 British Sci-fi flick, The Night Caller (aka The Night Caller from Outer Space)

Another cult film in which Aubrey appeared was The Wicker Man were he played the Gravedigger.

He appeared in the cult sci-fi TV space epic Babylon 5, as Duncan, an old man given a new lease of life in the episode, Exogenesis.

Of course some of you might recall that Aubrey did appear previously in another cult sci-fi TV series.

In the Space 1999 , he appeared as Pertros the High Priest, in charge of Level 7 in the 1975 episode, Mission of The Darians.

Aubrey was still working right up to his passing. His last credit was as Albert Zimmerman in an episode of the  American sitcom called It's always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'll admit I'm not at all familiar with this series, but I'm told its still running and stars Charlie Day who I might have seen in the film,  Pacific Rim

Aubrey Morris was a true stalwart of film and TV, and as a guest star in all these and many other productions, for me he made his brief appearances memorable.