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Robert Addie

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Robert Addie
Addie in 2003
Born(1960-02-10)10 February 1960
Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
Died20 November 2003(2003-11-20) (aged 43)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Years active1978–2001
Children3

Robert Alastair Addie (10 February 1960 – 20 November 2003) was an English film and theatre actor, who came to prominence playing the role of Sir Guy of Gisburne in the 1980s British television drama series Robin of Sherwood.

Early life

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Addie was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the son of a stable owner, and was educated at Marlborough College.[1][2] After initially being employed as a trainee estate agent on a ranch in Argentina, he returned to England and joined the National Youth Theatre in London in 1976 at the age of 16. Subsequently, he trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which he left after a year after successfully auditioning for the role of Mordred in the 1981 film Excalibur.[1]

Career

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Addie was a professional polo player; his skills as a horseman and also with sword and bow[1] led to his frequently appearing in historical dramas set in the medieval era.

At the beginning of his career in the early 1980s he appeared on British television in a number of advertisements for products ranging from Polycell plastering repair wall filler to Mr Kipling cakes.[3] In the early 1980s he also appeared in a variety of theatrical productions, including Journey's End in 1981 at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, and Conduct Unbecoming in 1982 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.[3]

His most prominent film role was Prince Mordred in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981). Other films included Another Country (1984), as Delahay.[1]

On television, Addie starred as Stalky in a 1982 BBC television mini-series of Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co..[1] In 1987, he played Sir Charles Kirkgordon in the CBS mini-series I'll Take Manhattan and Lord Peter Gillingham in A Hazard of Hearts.[1] His role as Sir Guy of Gisburne in the 1984–1986 English television series Robin of Sherwood brought his career national exposure.[1]

In 1989, he abandoned acting and spent several years living in Spain and the United States.[1] Returning to his career in 1995, he initially performed in touring fringe theatre original productions with the Chichester-based Exiled Theatre Company.[1] In 1995 he appeared with the company in Shades in Time - Martyrs, involving a promenading performance within Gloucester Cathedral, and as the character of a mouse in the play Shades in Time - The Docks set at Gloucester Docks as a part of the 1995 Gloucester Festival. In late 1995, he performed with the company in Cheltenham in a theatrical monologue he wrote about a Mohammedan jihadist suicide bomber entitled Acts of Revenge, and in 1996 he appeared in the new plays by the company: Edmund, Son of Gloucester (a prequel to Shakespeare's King Lear) and Into the Mist – a play set in early medieval Scotland with Addie playing St Columba.[4]

After this Addie resumed a film and television career, also acting in a number of television commercials in 1998 for designer kitchens, whisky, and habit-breaking products for cigarettes.[3]

Personal life and death

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Addie was married three times and had three children. His marriages all ended in divorce.[1][5] He died on 20 November 2003 at age 43[1][5] in Cheltenham General Hospital from the effects of lung cancer, less than three weeks after the disease was diagnosed.[6] On the tenth anniversary of his death, fans planted a cherry tree bearing a commemorative plaque in his memory in the Jack Gardner Memorial Garden in Cirencester.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1978 Absolution Cawley
1981 Excalibur Mordred
1984 Another Country Delahay
1985 Dutch Girls Cone TV film
1987 A Hazard of Hearts Lord Peter Gillingham TV film
1995 A Knight in Camelot Direct to Video
1999 Captain Jack Helicopter Pilot Direct-to-video
Mary, Mother of Jesus Pontius Pilate TV film
2000 Lorna Doone King James II & VII TV film
2001 Intimacy Bar Owner

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 Horse in the House Johnson Episode: "Strangles"
1981 Barriers Spike 3 episodes
Bognor Willy Wimbledon Recurring role
Smuggler Scott-Posonby Miniseries
ITV Playhouse Chris Episode: "Friends and Other Lovers"
1982 Stalky & Co. Stalky Miniseries
1983 Andy Robson George Grieve Episode: "A Two Horse Race"
All for Love Larry Episode: "Fireworks for Elspeth"
1984 The First Olympics: Athens 1896 Grantly Goulding Miniseries
The Brief Lt. Husk Episode: "People"
1984-1986 Robin of Sherwood Sir Guy of Gisbourne Series regular
1986 Ladies in Charge Hugo Episode: "All That Glitters"
The Return of Sherlock Holmes Mr Murray Episode: "The Empty House"
1987 I'll Take Manhattan Sir Charles Kirkgordon Miniseries
Lost Belongings Captain Teddy Riddell Miniseries
Pulaski Townsend Episode: "Tough Guys Don't Blink"
1988 The Bill Julian Pembridge Episode: "The Trap"
Screenplay Guy Episode: "Starlings"
1989 The Endless Game Second Blond Youth Miniseries
Red Dwarf Gilbert Episode: "Timeslides"
Crossbow Brother Arris 4 episodes
1997 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Groliet Episode: "The Devil's Bride"
Noah's Ark Sir Robert Clifton Episode: "Family Matters"
1998 Merlin Sir Gilbert Miniseries
In the Red Mr Bradley 1 episode
Bugs Gen. Russell 2 episodes
The Wonderful World of Disney Sir Sagramour Episode: "A Knight in Camelot"
2000 Monarch of the Glen Andersson 1 episode

Theatre

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  • Journey's End (1981)
  • Conduct Unbecoming (1982)
  • Shades in Time (1995)
  • The Tell-Tale Heart (1995)
  • Acts of Revenge (Co-written by Robert Addie) (1995)
  • Edmund Son of Gloucester (1996)
  • Into the Mist (1996)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Robert Addie: Action-man actor who tended to be typecast", The Independent, 2 January 2004.
  2. ^ 'Obituaries in the Performing Arts 2003', by H.M. Leutz III (Pub. McFarland & Company, Inc. 2004).
  3. ^ a b c 'Other Works' list in Robert Addie's entry in IMDb.
  4. ^ Website detailing the productions of the Exiled Theatre Company 1995–1996.
  5. ^ a b Biography, Jo's Robert Addie Fansite Archived 5 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ 'This Is Gloucestershire', 'Talented Actor's Life Cut Tragically Short', 27 November 2003.
  7. ^ Information on the tree planting ceremony, 24 November 2013, Jo's Robert Addie Fansite Archived 8 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
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