Judy Matheson

 

Judy Matheson: 

One of the classic beauties of the golden era of Hammer horror films, Judy Matheson's most celebrated roles are in the saucy 1971 double-bill of 'Twins Of Evil' and 'Lust For A Vampire'. Other cult favourites of the era include 'Crucible Of Terror' (1971) and 'The Flesh & Blood Show' (1972), non-Hammer and more in the contemporary shocker mould than the gothic excesses of the former.

'The Emergence of Anthony Purdy, Esq, Farmer's
Labourer' a curious 1970 short film made by HTV  

After drama school and some early stage successes she found herself cast, alongside Euro superstar Capucine, in a Spanish giallo-style psychodrama, 'The Exquisite Cadaver', AKA 'Las Crueles' (1969). Although obscure at the time in the UK, it now seems to be partially eclipsing the traditional horrors as her stand-out performance. It's certainly a stylish piece, with the expected giallo tropes of lurid colours, modish fashion-house photography, mild nudity and outlandishly playful shocks. Matheson is very watchable in it, a screen presence not overshadowed by her more senior co-stars.      

         

'The Exquisite Cadaver' 1969

With the always brilliantly loathsome Ronald Lacey
in the lacklustre 'Crucible Of Terror' (1971) 

She made another little-known gem in 'The Emergence of Anthony Purdy, Esq, Farmer's
Labourer' with the great Freddie Jones, a 1970 exercise in rural conjugal awkwardness in grainy black and white. The same year she appeared on television in a documentary about the RSC featuring her friend, a talented young actress called Helen Mirren. Shortly before this,  she was shortlisted for a lead role in the TV sensation of 1969, 'Take Three Girls'. 

An iconic shot with the late great Peter Cushing
from the opening sequence of 'Twins Of Evil' (1971) 

That didn't happen though, and instead the early '70s saw a string of less-than-stellar film and TV offers. She's in a couple of typical Brit sex comedies, 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner' (1974) and 'Percy's Progress' (1974), and adds some glamour to episodes of 'The Adventurer',  'The Sweeney' and 'The Professionals' before landing a longish stint on the teatime soap 'Crossroads' and a tiny role in a weird costume in 'Blakes 7'. 

 

A 'mutoid' apparently. 'Blakes 7'

From this point she seems to have moved focus to voiceover and continuity announcement work. She was a regular face on my local ITV region, TVS, in the '80s. In fact, she was out of the TV and film loop for 37 years, between 1980 and 2017, with the exception of personal appearances at Hammer fan conventions.

TVS continuity announcer in 1984

Roll on 2017 however, and it seems she's been lured back into the limelight by David Barry, better known as mummy's little soldier Frankie Abbott from 'Please Sir!'. Initially, he created a Fenn Street-meets-Vampires concoction called 'Frankula', followed in 2021 by 'The Lives Of Frankie Abbott'. There's also 'The Haunting of Margam Castle' which, like 'Frankula', features fellow cult horror star Caroline Munro, and 'What Did You Do In The War Mama?' with the similarly celebrated Madeline Smith. An intriguing development that seems likely to get the attention of the Hammer fanbase.

So, a salute then, but watch this space for updates.         

Judy Matheson-imdb

Maureen Sweeney

Maureen Sweeney:

Getting her first camera appearance in 'Holiday On The Buses' (1973) as another of those easy-going dollybirds unfathomably drawn to brilliantined bus driver Stan, Maureen Sweeney went on to establish a solid career lasting well into the 2000s.  

'Holiday On The Buses' (1973)

A string of tough, sassy roles followed, mostly playing villains' wives, barmaids, and blue collar mums in various London-set dramas and comedies. She had a regular stint in the caravan comedy 'Romany Jones' with Arthur Mullard and the irreplaceable Queenie Watts, and later appeared in women's prison melodrama 'Within These Walls' and matronly mobster series 'She's Out'.      

In an episode of 'Dempsey & Makepeace' from 1985 

Perhaps surprisingly, she only pops up once in 'The Sweeney', but can be spotted in programmes as varied as 'The Dick Emery Show', 'Crossroads', 'The Duchess Of Duke Street', 'Only Fools And Horses', Rik Mayall's short-lived comedy 'Believe Nothing', and the teen TV drama 'Running Scared'.    

In the 1986 kids' TV drama 'Running Scared' 

And the Clive Owen mini series 'The Echo' from the BBC in 1998 

Later appearances see her move into the familiar TV territory of 'The Bill' and 'Casualty' with her last role to date seemingly being in 2006. 

Maureen Sweeney-imdb

Paul Angelis

Paul Angelis:

† Jan 18 1943 – Mar 19 2009

This imposing Liverpudlian actor - the older brother of Michael Angelis of 'Liver Birds' fame -  hit our screens a number of times in the '70s and '80s, but had been quietly making his substantial presence known for some time before that. He voiced both Ringo and George, and the Chief Blue Meanie, in the animated Beatles romp 'Yellow Submarine' (1968), for example, and took the randy Scouse git role for the painful but fascinating 'Alf Garnett Saga' (1972) - a grim, barely satirical, document of the sexism and racism of the times. He also appears briefly in the quirky 'Otley' (1968) with Tom Courtenay.     

Playing a comedy heavy with some subtlety and oddly sympathetic menace in
'George & Mildred', while Truffles the Yorkshire terrier piddles on his boots.  

His first regular TV role was as PC Bannerman in the popular cop drama 'Z-Cars', but he swiftly racked up an impressive roll-call of appearances in '70s favourites such as 'Callan', 'Softly Softly', 'The Onedin Line', 'Man About The House', 'Porridge' and 'The Sweeney'. He also appears in some of the more adventurous drama of the period, such as 'Armchair Thriller' and the 'Thirty-Minute Theatre' play 'Under The Age' as Susie, pushing the envelope as a transexual bartender in an edgy piece of TV theatre.   

As Susie in 'Under The Age', a 1972 'Thirty-Minute Theatre'

As TV lost that edge in the '80s, Angelis found roles in the likes of 'Bergerac', 'Boon', 'Tucker's Luck', 'The Gentle Touch' and 'Juliet Bravo', as well as soap opera duties into the '90s with 'Coronation Street', 'EastEnders' and 'Brookside'. While later film work included the Helen Mirren vehicle 'Hussy' (1980) and playing a Bond baddie in 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981).  

With Warren Mitchell in 'The Alf Garnett Saga' (1972) 

In the 1978 'Armchair Thriller' presentation, 'A Dog's Ransom'

The familiar round of latterday TV includes the usual suspects, 'The Bill', 'Casualty' etc, before tapering off in the early 2000s. It seems that he has also written plays and possibly a novel, although I haven't been able to track one down. Still, good stuff all round.  

Paul Angelis-imdb 

Gary Waldhorn

Gary Waldhorn:

† July 3 1943 – Jan 10 2022

A suave, thoughtful-looking actor, probably best known these days as grumpy squire David Horton in 'The Vicar of Dibley', Mr Waldhorn actually made his TV debut in the trendy drama series 'Take Three Girls' in 1969. Although his episode is now lost, he went on to make a solid career in television through the '70s, appearing in 'Softly, Softly', 'The Sweeney', 'Space: 1999', 'The New Avengers', 'Brideshead Revisited', 'The Professionals', 'Minder', 'Robin of Sherwood', 'Rumpole of the Bailey' and 'Lovejoy'. Before 'Dibley' he was a front-room fixture in the '80s sitcom 'Brush Strokes' as Carl Howman's nemesis, Bainbridge. 

In 'Space 1999'

In 'The Professionals'

He's a very well-respected stage player, with links to the RSC and English Touring Theatre, and has graced the West End in performances alongside John Gielgud, Peter Wyngarde, Eleanor Bron and Paul Scofield. Film work has been less forthcoming (or sought for), but he does appear in Vivian Stanshall's legendary 'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End' (1980), which is a good thing in my book. 

In 'Doctor in Charge'

Gary Waldhorn-imdb

David Dixon

 

 

David Dixon: 

Boyish, pixie faced actor best known for the part of feckless alien journalist Ford Prefect in BBC's 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. His first big break came in 'Family at War', ITV's wartime drama from 1970-72, in which he played the cynical son Robert Ashton. 

As Prince Leopold in 'Lillie'

He appeared in a very representative mix of good quality television during the  remainder of the '70s, such as 'The Legend of Robin Hood' as a slimy and effete Prince John, 'Rock Follies', and the Victorian bustle-rustler 'Lillie' about the royal admirers of music hall star Lillie Langtry. The '80s brought 'Hitchhikers' of course, but a lot of prosaic schedule-filler programmes as well, for instance, 'Target', 'Boon', A Touch of Frost' and unavoidably, 'The Bill'. One highlight was the darkly comic John Byrne series 'Tutti Frutti' in which he played the extremely unsympathetic violent ex-boyfriend of Emma Thompson's character, Suzi Kettles.      

'Tutti Frutti'

He has appeared in only a couple of feature films: fleetingly in the Michael Palin comedy, 'The Missionary' (1980) and before that in a leading role in the ghastly-looking 'Escort Girls' (1975) which I'm sure he'd rather forget. [Despite which, here's a link to the trailer, which I must warn you, is NSFW, and offensively sleazy, sexist and racist, although it does feature Alan Hawkshaw's 'The Champ' on the soundtrack. Click here.]  

In the seedy 'Escort Girls' (1975) 

In 'A Touch of Frost'. An episode from 1996 called 'Fun Times For Swingers' 

There's a rather odd fansite for him too. Here's a link.


David Dixon - imdb

Maurice Roëves

Maurice Roëves 

† Mar 19 1937 – July 15 2020

With his dark chiselled features, Maurice Roëves has something of the malevolent Sean Connery about him, perhaps tempered with a touch of veteran footballer Ian St John. And like those two, he is proud to consider himself a Scotsman, albeit one who was accidentally born in Sunderland. 

One of his early accomplishments was taking on the role of Stephen Dedalus in Joseph Strick's film version of 'Ulysses'. Surrounded by prodigious Irish acting talent and thrown into the midst of Joyce's complex writing, he pulls off quite a coup. The film was considered an artistic success, with no attempt made to disguise the actors' wardrobe and Dublin locations of 1966, but showing a determination to stick to the word and spirit of the 1904-set novel. Milo O'Shea's star turn as Leopold Bloom, and the unflinching commitment to the original's earthy language (including the first screen use of the word 'fuck') and extended sexual themes were what made the headlines in the end.             

In the film version of James Joyce's 'Ulysses' (1967) with
veteran Irish actor David Kelly

Other feature film appearances include a lot of war movies: 'Oh! What A Lovely War' (1969), 'When Eight Bells Toll' (1971), 'Young Winston' (1972), 'The Eagle Has Landed' (1976), 'Escape To Victory' (1981), 'Who Dares Wins' (1982), an exception to the war theme was  Roman Polanski's ill-fated 'A Day At The Beach' (1970).  

In the silly world cup/war movie 'Escape To Victory' (1981)  

While all this film work was coming in during the '70s and '80s, Roëves also found himself in demand for television, appearing in 'Jason King', 'The Sweeney', 'Doomwatch', 'Family At War', 'Warship', 'Target', 'Danger UXB', 'The Chinese Detective' and the final Peter Davison 'Doctor Who' story 'The Caves Of Androzani'. He was also a regular storyteller on 'Jackanory' during its heyday between 1971 and 1979.

As a revolutionary in an episode of 'Jason King'
with the unmistakable Peter Wyngarde   

In '70s crime-boss mode in an episode of 'The Sweeney'

    

It seems that around this time his acting talents and televisual good looks were attracting the attention of producers across the Atlantic and parts started to be offered in US shows, such as 'Magnum PI', 'Hunter', 'Remington Steele', long-running US soap opera 'Days Of Our Lives', Civil War drama 'North & South', and later in the '80s adding 'Cheers', 'Jake & The Fatman' and 'Murder She Wrote' to the mix.

Bringing down the St Patrick's Day vibe at the bar in 'Cheers'
with his grim repertoire of rebel songs and massacre ballads    

Meanwhile, back in the UK things were also going along nicely, with roles in steady fare like 'Lytton's Diary', 'Bergerac', 'Rumpole Of The Bailey', and starring in the STV drama 'Bookie'. Possibly the highlight of this period was the densely written, but engaging John Byrne comedy drama 'Tutti Frutti' with Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, and Richard Wilson. 

Channelling some Gene Vincent into the TV drama 
'Tutti Frutti', perhaps via Alvin Stardust

Roëves plays the ageing rocker Vincent Diver with a mix of brooding aggression and sadness that contributes greatly to a memorable slice of '80s TV, particularly as lead man Coltrane gives the impression of punching a little above his weight, theatrically speaking.     

As prison warden Miller in 'Judge Dredd' (1995)

 Since the '90s, Maurice Roëves has straddled the film and TV worlds, working in Hollywood and the UK. Television work includes 'Baywatch' and 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (making him a member of the exclusive club of actors to have been in 'Star Trek' and 'Doctor Who'), alongside some stuff a lot closer to home. UK shows include 'Rab C Nesbitt', 'The New Statesman', 'A Touch Of Frost', 'Waking The Dead', and the BBC's prestigious 'Vanity Fair', as well as some bread-and-butter work on 'EastEnders', 'The Bill', 'Casualty' and 'Skins'. 

Colonel Munro parleys for terms of surrender in 'Last Of The Mohicans' (1992)

Movie work stretches from his impressive portrayal of redcoat Colonel Munro in 'The Last Of The Mohicans' (1992), to 'The Big Man' (1992), 'Judge Dredd' (1995), 'The Acid House' (1998), 'Beautiful Creatures' (2000), 'Hallam Foe' (2007), Welsh horror 'The Dark' (2005), 'The Damned United' (2009), 'Brighton Rock' (2010) and 'Macbeth' (2015).

All in all, quite an impressive career for a distinctive and familiar face yet one to which too few of us could put a name. I hope this small salute can redress that a little.         

Maurice Roeves-imdb


Post script, regarding pronunciation. I found this in an interview online. 

MR: No, it's Row-eaves. There's two dots above the "e", indicates the beginning of the second word. The two dots are called a dialysis* ... The name goes back to Prussian times. It's a Prussian name, I guess. It's like Noël.

* He means diaeresis.