Edward Woodward English actor and singer, Commander of the Order of the British Empire Date of Birth: 01.06.1930 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Edward Woodward

Edward Albert Arthur Woodward (Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, 1.06.1930 - 16.11.2009) was an English actor and singer, a Knight of the Order of the British Empire. He was the only son of Edward Oliver Woodward and Violet Edith Woodward (Smith), who were both workers. Woodward attended Kingstone College after finishing school. From a young age, he had always dreamed of becoming an actor. After World War II, he became a prospective student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, while also performing various roles in amateur plays. He initially planned to study journalism but eventually found a place in the sanitation service, and later, he enrolled in the Royal Academy. During his education, Woodward was torn between a career as an actor and a professional footballer. He played football quite successfully, but a knee injury forced him out of the game for an entire season, and from that point on, Woodward decided to focus on his acting career. After graduating from the Royal Academy, he began performing in various productions, mainly Shakespeare plays, in England and Scotland. Among his stage works, notable productions include the musical comedy 'High Spirits', which won three Tony Awards, and the 1966 comedy 'The Best Laid Plans'. Woodward made his film debut in 1955 in the film adaptation of Delderfield's play 'Where There's a Will'. He then had a series of minor roles before portraying the character Sergeant Neil Howie in the 1973 thriller 'The Wicker Man'. The final scene of this film is still considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema. The team that worked on the 2005 remake of the film offered Woodward a cameo, but the actor declined. In 1980, Woodward played the lead role in the Australian biopic 'Breaker Morant', which was warmly received by critics who praised his performance. In 2007, he played a supporting role in the action-comedy film 'Hot Fuzz'. His last major role was as Reverend Frederick Densham in 'A Congregation of Ghosts', a story about an eccentric vicar who abandons his congregation and preaches to cardboard mannequins. Throughout his rise to success, Woodward made several appearances in television productions. In the 1967 television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's trilogy 'Sword of Honour', directed by Donald McWhinnie and written by Giles Cooper, he played the role of Guy Crouchback, once again showcasing his talent as a top-notch actor. Although the black and white adaptation is less known than the 2001 color version starring Daniel Craig, it still garnered its share of fame. The film also starred Ronald Fraser, Freddie Jones, Vivian Pickles, Nicholas Courtney, and James Villiers. Woodward spent the 1970s primarily on stage and in film, but the situation changed in the 1980s when he was given the lead role of a former British agent in the American television series 'The Equalizer'. The series was quite successful, and Woodward received considerable recognition for his performance. After filming several episodes of the third season, Woodward suffered a heart attack. To explain his absence from the show, his character was wounded in a shootout with a KGB agent. From the 1990s until his death, Woodward mainly appeared on television, often as a guest star in various television series. Edward Woodward passed away at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on November 16, 2009, at the age of 79. Prior to his death, the actor had suffered from various illnesses, including pneumonia.