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George Murcell

George Murcell

Arthur George Murcell (30 October 1925 – 3 December 1998) was a British character actor.

Born in Italy, he made his film debut in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Murcell went on to develop a career playing snarling villains in both film and television. These could either be stupid, brutish henchmen, as in Hell Drivers and Campbell's Kingdom (both 1957), or sophisticated rogues, such as Needle in "You Have Just Been Murdered", an episode of The Avengers.

He specialised in playing foreign characters, including Germans, Russians and South Americans. A number of these roles were in ITC adventure TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Danger Man, The Baron, The Saint, The Champions (Reply Box No.666 episode, 1967) Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Persuaders! and Jason King. His film roles included Sea of Sand (1958), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), Kaleidoscope (1966), The Fixer (1968), A Dandy in Aspic (1968), The Assassination Bureau (1969), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Penny Gold (1973), Special Branch (1974), Inside the Third Reich (1982, as Hermann Göring), Year of the Gun (1991), and Cutthroat Island (1995).

He enjoyed a long stage career, which involved working with Tyrone Guthrie and Peter Brook, and was active in the Royal Shakespeare Company.In the 1970s, he acquired a Victorian church in North London, which he converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre in collaboration with director Adrian Brown. In 1973, he opened it as "St George's Theatre", intending that it present little-seen classical plays.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he continued to work at St George's Theatre as both an actor and a director, often with his wife, Elvi Hale.

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Cutthroat Island

Cutthroat Island

1995

as Mordachai Fingers

Year of the Gun

Year of the Gun

1991

as Pierre Bernier

Pascali's Island

Pascali's Island

1988

as Herr Gesing

Peter the Great

Peter the Great

1986

Inside the Third Reich

Inside the Third Reich

1982

as Herman Goering

Smuggler

Smuggler

1981

as Silas Kemble

The Professionals

The Professionals

1977

as Yashinkov

1990

1990

1977

as Tiny

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

1975

Penelope Pulls It Off

Penelope Pulls It Off

1975

as Owen

Penny Gold

Penny Gold

1973

as Doctor Merrick

Mafia Junction

Mafia Junction

1973

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

1971

as Inspector Vandeleur

The Persuaders!

The Persuaders!

1971

as Zorakin

Jason King

Jason King

1971

The Horsemen

The Horsemen

1971

as Mizrar

A Sound from the Sea

A Sound from the Sea

1970

as George

Manhunt

Manhunt

1970

as Franco

A Walk with Love and Death

A Walk with Love and Death

1969

as The Captain

The Possessed

The Possessed

1969

as Liputin

The Assassination Bureau

The Assassination Bureau

1969

as Zeppelin pilot

The Champions

The Champions

1968

as Nikko

The Champions

The Champions

1968

as El Gaudillo

The Year of the Sex Olympics

The Year of the Sex Olympics

1968

as Grels

A Dandy in Aspic

A Dandy in Aspic

1968

Rogues' Gallery

Rogues' Gallery

1968

as Sir Esmond Bellasize

The Naked Runner

The Naked Runner

1967

You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Twice

1967

as Russian Diplomat (uncredited)

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

1966

as Johnny

The Heroes of Telemark

The Heroes of Telemark

1965

as Sturmfuhrer

Gideon's Way

Gideon's Way

1965

as Kautsky

The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Fall of the Roman Empire

1964

as Victorinus

In Search of the Castaways

In Search of the Castaways

1962

as Ayerton's Assistant

The Saint

The Saint

1962

as Vogler

The Saint

The Saint

1962

as Abdul Graner

Suspense

Suspense

1962

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

1962

as Yermolai Alexeyevich Lopahin

The Pursuers

The Pursuers

1961

as Freddy

Supercar

Supercar

1961

The Avengers

The Avengers

1961

as Needle

Crossroads to Crime

Crossroads to Crime

1960

as Diamond

There Was a Crooked Man

There Was a Crooked Man

1960

as Receptionist at 'The McKillup Arms'

The Angry Silence

The Angry Silence

1960

as Jones

No Hiding Place

No Hiding Place

1959

Don't Panic Chaps!

Don't Panic Chaps!

1959

as Meister

Sea of Sand

Sea of Sand

1958

as Cpl. Simms

Sea Fury

Sea Fury

1958

as Loudon

Blood of the Vampire

Blood of the Vampire

1958

as First Guard

Campbell's Kingdom

Campbell's Kingdom

1957

as Max, a worker

Hell Drivers

Hell Drivers

1957

as Tub

The Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate

1956

as Chief Officer, Newton Beach

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

1956

as Jaggyd

The Merry Christmas

The Merry Christmas

1955

as Mr. Fezziwig

The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood

1955

as Sheriff's Guard