Christopher Malcolm
Canadian actor and producer (1946–2014)
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Christopher Malcolm (19 August 1946 – 15 February 2014) was a Scottish-Canadian[1] actor, director, and producer. He first achieved notoriety for his role as Brad Majors in the original stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
- Canada
- United Kingdom
Christopher Malcolm | |
|---|---|
Malcolm in The Great Riviera Bank Robbery (1979) | |
| Born | 19 August 1946 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | 15 February 2014 (aged 67) London, England |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia |
| Occupations | Actor, director, producer |
| Years active | 1968–2011 |
| Spouse | Judy Malcolm |
| Children | 3, including Morgan Lloyd Malcolm |
Early life and education
Malcolm was born on 19 August 1946 in Aberdeen to William Malcolm, a farmer, and his wife Paddy English.[2] He was brought up in Canada after his family emigrated to British Columbia in the late 1940s, with his family running a farm in Vernon. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he worked and studied theatre, but later dropped out to co-found the Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon.[2] He moved back to the UK at age 19, living with a grandmother in Essex.[2]
Career
Malcolm began his professional career with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966–68). He appeared in at least ten productions and worked with directors including Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn and John Barton. Throughout the 1970s, he worked continuously in theatre and film, appearing in many Royal Court productions including the award-winning musical, The Rocky Horror Show creating the role of Brad Majors.[1] He appeared in films including The Empire Strikes Back (as Zev Senesca, the Alliance pilot who locates and rescues the stranded Luke Skywalker and Han Solo on planet Hoth), Reds, Ragtime, Superman III, Labyrinth, and Highlander.[3]
In 1978, Malcolm began his producing career with Pal Joey, which was successfully transferred to the West End in 1980 and was nominated for Best Musical Revival in the Laurence Olivier Awards. He followed this success with the Best Comedy award in 1981 for Nell Dunn's Steaming, which went on to play for two years at the Comedy Theatre and around the world.[4][5] Other productions in London included Frankie and Johnny, When I Was A Young Girl I Used To Scream And Shout, as well as five Steven Berkoff plays, including Decadence, Greek and Metamorphosis.[2] in 1983 he appeared in Only Fools and Horses as axe murderer Charles Winters. Malcolm also played the role of the café owner in The Comic Strip's 1984 film "A Fistful of Traveller's Cheques".[6]
In 1990, Malcolm co-produced a new production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Piccadilly Theatre, in partnership with Howard Panter of the Ambassador Theatre Group.[7] This Olivier nominated production went on to huge success throughout the UK, enjoying 4 nationwide tours over the next 10 years as well as many productions throughout the world. He oversaw these productions on behalf of The Rocky Horror Company Ltd, a company formed by the producers and the play's author Richard O'Brien to look after this much loved musical.[8] The show finally reached Broadway in 2000 in a Tony Award-nominated production co-produced with Jordan Roth Productions at the Circle in the Square theatre.[9]
Other British productions throughout this time include The Pajama Game, Footloose the Musical, and the award-winning Single Spies written by Alan Bennett which had a very successful year at the Queen's Theatre. He co-produced the world premiere of Flashdance The Musical which premiered at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in 2008, toured the UK and presented at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2010. The final show he produced was 'Oh! What a Lovely War!' at Stratford East which was directed by Terry Johnson and opened in January 2014 to critical acclaim. He had maintained his interest in acting as well, appearing on 11 episodes of Absolutely Fabulous as Saffy's father, Justin, and in the BBC2 film, Daphne as Nelson Doubleday.[10][11]
Personal life
Malcolm lived in London with his wife Judy Lloyd, an actress. They had three children, Nell, Morgan, and Marlon.[2] He was close friends with actors Frances and Andy de la Tour.[2]
Death
His daughter Morgan Lloyd Malcolm reported his death from cancer, aged 67, on 15 February 2014, via Twitter.[12]
Partial stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-79 | The Rocky Horror Show | Brad Majors | Various | [13] | |
| 1973-74 | Design for Living | Henry Carver | Phoenix Theatre, London | [13] | |
| 1981 | Mary, Mary | Bob McKellaway | Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead | [13] | |
| 1986 | Metamorphosis | Mermaid Theatre, London | Producer | [13] | |
| The Rocky Horror Show | Brad Majors | Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon | [13] |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Attendant | ||
| 1969 | The Desperados | Gregg | ||
| 1970 | Figures in a Landscape | Helicopter Observer | ||
| 1971 | Welcome to the Club | Pvt. Henry Hoe | ||
| 1972 | The Adventures of Barry McKenzie | Sean | [2] | |
| 1975 | The Spiral Staircase | Police Officer | ||
| 1977 | The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It | CIA Agent | ||
| 1978 | Force 10 from Navarone | Rogers | ||
| 1979 | The Great Riviera Bank Robbery | Serge | [2] | |
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Zev Senesca (Rogue 2) | [3] | |
| The Dogs of War | Baker | |||
| 1981 | Shock Treatment | Vance Parker | ||
| Ragtime | Police Captain | [7] | ||
| Reds | Holland | [2] | ||
| 1983 | Superman III | Miner | [7] | |
| 1984 | Lassiter | Quaid | ||
| 1985 | King David | Doeg | ||
| Rustlers' Rhapsody | Jud | |||
| Spies Like Us | Jumpmaster | |||
| 1986 | Highlander | Kirk Matunas | [3] | |
| Labyrinth | Robert | [3] | ||
| 1987 | Eat the Rich | Steinbeck | ||
| 1988 | Whoops Apocalypse | Gallagher |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Strange Report | Slaon | 1 episode, "Report 3906: Cover Girls - Last Year's Model" | |
| 1971 | ITV Playhouse | The first officer | 1 episode "The Switch" | |
| Justice | Farrer | 1 episode "People Have Too Many Rights" | ||
| 1972 | The Protectors | Malloy | 1 episode, "Disappearing Trick" | |
| 1973 | Diamonds on Wheels | Jock | TV movie | |
| Harriet's Back in Town | Benjamin Finch | 2 episodes | ||
| 1974 | Disneyland | Jock | 3 episodes, "Diamonds on Wheels" | |
| 1975 | Thriller | Hank | 1 episode, "Won't Write Home Mom – I'm Dead" | |
| Edward the Seventh | American Attaché | 1 episode, "The New World" | ||
| It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow | The Yank | TV movie | ||
| 1976 | Second Verdict | Mullaly | 1 episode, "Lizzie Borden" | |
| 1977 | Raffles | Barney Maguire | 1 episode, "A Trap to "Catch a Cracksman" | |
| 1980 | Play for Today | Matt | 1 episode, "Instant Enlightenment Including VAT" | |
| Oppenheimer | Steve Nelson | 2 episodes | ||
| 1982 | Whoops Apocalypse | Motorcycle Cop | 1 episode, "How To Get Rid of It" | |
| We'll Meet Again | Master Sgt. Mac McGraw | 10 episodes | ||
| Beau Geste | Hank | 5 episodes | ||
| 1983 | The Last Day | American at Airport | Television Movie | |
| Only Fools and Horses | Charles Winters, the Axe Murderer | 1 episode, Friday the 14th | ||
| 1984–1990 | The Comic Strip | Brother-in-law, Cafe Owner | 2 episodes | [14] |
| 1986 | The Daily Woman | Max Callisher | TV movie | |
| The Last Days of Patton | Maj. Ken Morgan (Hospital PAO) | TV movie | ||
| The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story | Ben Gibbs | TV movie | ||
| 1987 | Pulaski | Tony | 1 episode, "The Lone Granger" | |
| 1988 | War and Remembrance | Bunky Thurston | 2 episodes | |
| 1992–94 | Firm Friends | Eddie Vincent | 2 episodes | |
| 1992–2011 | Absolutely Fabulous | Justin | 11 episodes | [7] |
| 1994 | Lovejoy | Texas Greenberg | 1 episode | [7] |
| 1996 | Over Here | Murphy | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Daphne | Nelson Doubleday | [15] |