Terence Sewards

Terence Sewards: 

Here's an actor that hasn't been seen on our screens for for a while. According to imdb, his last appearance was as long ago as 1984. His petulantly boyish looks led to a series of roles of the edgier villain or unstable henchman type, perhaps something in the manner of a Ronald Lacey.      

As a hippy would-be assassin in 'The Persuaders'

His movie credits include 'Where The Bullets Fly' (1966), Hammer horror 'The Mummy's Shroud' (1967), with Oliver Reed and Orson Welles in Michael Winner's star-studded oddity 'I'll Never Forget What's-'Is-Name' (1967), watchable favourites 'Hannibal Brooks' (1969), 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' (1970), and cultish fun 'Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter (1974).  He's also in the grindingly feeble sex-comedy 'The Bawdy Adventures Of Tom Jones' (1976), surely marking a low point for a cast including Trevor Howard, Geraldine McEwan, Terry-Thomas, Murray Melvin, Arthur Lowe and Michael Bates, although Nicky Henson and Joan Collins seem more at home.                    

About to hit the floor after receiving a mortal injury from
'Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter' (1974)

Television appearances include some ever-popular '60s and '70s franchises: 'The Avengers', 'Hadleigh', 'The Persuaders', 'Warship', 'Z-Cars' and 'The Sweeney'. He's also in the acclaimed Dennis Potter BBC Wednesday, Play 'The Beast With Two Backs'. For some reason he seemed to fade away from our screens in the '80s, and although he was describing himself as an actor/writer to Companies House in 1995, there's not much in the way of internet clues as to his later work. Still, let's salute him here.   

Trying to impress upon gentleman thief Giles (Shane Briant) the
consequences of failing to repay his debts, in 'The Sweeney'

Terence Sewards-imdb

Jennifer Daniel

Jennifer Daniel:

† May 23 1936 – Aug 16 2017

In the era of the dolly-bird actress, Jennifer Daniel radiated a seriousness and intensity that set her aside from other attractive blondes of the period. She was often cast in roles in thrillers and horrors that required a lot more reaction to disquieting situations and creeping paranoia than swinging a plastic bag down fun-loving, fancy-free Carnaby Street.

Early television roles included literary fare such as her portrayal of Ophelia in the 1961 ITV version of 'Hamlet' opposite Barry Foster, and as Dolly Varden in the previous year's 'Barnaby Rudge'. Her dignified good looks also found her playing Beauty in 'Beauty and the Beast' and Lady Edith in 'Richard the Lionheart'. As the '60s rolled on, there were more cop shows and ITC action series like the almost forgotten 'Ghost Squad' as well as 'Gideon's Way', 'Adam Adamant Lives!' and 'The Mask of Janus' with her then-husband Dinsdale Landen. She was also the female lead in the Francis Durbridge-penned detective serial, 'A Man Called Harry Brent' of which nothing seems to have survived*.


In the 'Thriller' episode 'Spell of Evil'

The British film industry's mini-boom of the '60s saw her appear in Hammer favourites like 'The Kiss of the Vampire' (1963) and 'The Reptile' (1966) in which she represented the opposite of her sensually dangerous co-star Jacqueline Pearce. As often seems to be the case with Hammer's female stars, a long period in the film wilderness followed, and perhaps persists, despite recent roles in the Juliette Binoche 'Wuthering Heights' (1992) and the film version of Ray Cooney's farce 'Run for Your Wife' (2012) with (shudder) Danny Dyer and Denise van Outen.

As Mrs Lennox, bewildered by Hyacinth in 'Keeping Up Appearances'.

As the '60s gave way to the '70s, a slew of middlebrow and mid-table TV appearances came and went, including: 'Doomwatch', 'Softly, Softly'-spinoff 'Barlow', 'Duchess of Duke Street', the interesting boarding-house drama 'Rooms', and the RF Delderfield's wartime saga 'People Like Us'. Less prestigious were her regular role in the medical soap 'General Hospital' and hectic kid's favourite 'Here Come the Double Deckers!'

More recently she's been seen in the Customs & Excise drama 'The Collectors', 'Keeing Up Appearances' and 'Rumpole of the Bailey'. She still seems to be working and I'm surprised she hasn't been snapped up by the 'Game of Thrones' or 'Downton Abbey' machines for her diamond-edged gravitas. Maybe that will come. 

Jennifer Daniel - imdb

(* update, Feb 2023, these stories are available on DVD. See comments below.)   

Stephen Greif

Stephen Greif:

† Aug 26 1944 – Dec 23 2022

A face made to play villains, sleekly handsome and slightly sinister. He was able to play it for laughs in 'Citizen Smith' with Robert Lindsay, where he portrayed local gangster Harry Fenning, usually involving the line 'Hello Trotsky, I need you to do me a little favour'…
   

He also sticks in the memory as Travis in 'Blakes 7', complete with sci-fi eyepatch and lots of black leather, generally outdoing Avon in the evil stakes.   

Other notable TV roles included parts in 'Edward II', 'The Persuaders', 'The New Avengers'. 'Dirty Money' (with Ian Macshane), 'Doctor Who' and 'The Lives and Loves of a She-Devil'. He also pops up in diverse stuff ranging from in 'Dick Turpin', 'Return of the Saint' and US detective nonsense 'Hart to Hart', to 'Waking the Dead', 'Mistresses', 'Spooks', 'Space Race', 'Holby City', Dennis Potter's 'Midnight Movie', 'Minder', 'EastEnders' and 'The Bill'.

An entertaining episode of  'The Persuaders' with Terry-Thomas

'The New Avengers'

Film roles include 'No Sex Please, We're British' (1974),  'Boogie Woogie' (2009), 'Shoot on Sight' (2008), 'Eichmann' (2008), 'Back in Business' (2007), 'Sixty Six' (2006), 'Casanova' (2006), 'The Upside of Anger' (2005), 'Fakers' (2004) and 'Spartan' (2004).



Stephen Greif - imdb

Malcolm Terris

'Thriller: The Colour of Blood'

Malcolm Terris: 

This sturdy Wearsider has played countless coppers, aldermen, landlords, country squires and bluff northerners... See, for example, Matt Headley in 'When The Boat Comes In'. Also 'Doctor Who', 'The First Great Train Robbery', 'McVicar', 'Reilly Ace Of Spies', and a stint in 'Coronation Street' in the '90s (the storyline involving Curly Watts and the girl who ended up dead in the freezer...).

'When The Boat Comes In'

'Armchair Thriller: High Tide'

'Agatha Christie's Poirot Investigates'

Malcolm Terris - imdb profile