Alfie Curtis (28 July 193030 November 2017) was a British actor. He played a number of television and film roles, and was best known for an appearance in ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' (1977).

Life

Curtis was born in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

, London on 28 July 1930. He was an enthusiastic follower of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and supported Arsenal F.C. For a time, Curtis played as a semi-professional footballer and once played in a match against Arsenal.

Career

Curtis was noted for his "rugged" features. He landed a number of acting parts that demanded a rough physical appearance through

Ugly Models Ugly Models is a London-based alternative modelling agency that specialises in character modelling. Owner Marc French says it is about "celebrating everyone's unique beauty". Major clients include Calvin Klein, Levi's, Diesel, Vogue, Elle, a ...

, a London

modelling agency A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agencies work with bi ...

that specialises in artists and models who do not conform to typical standards of idealised beauty. Most of Curtis's appearances were in minor roles in British television series. He played the part of Matt Beckett in the TV

police drama The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

Cribb ''Cribb'' (''Sergeant Cribb'' in North America) is a television police drama, which debuted in 1979 as a 90-minute TV film from Granada Television in the United Kingdom. Later, thirteen 50-minute episodes were produced, which ran from 1980 to ...

'' (1980–81) and Ted in the TV adaptation of

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's '' Lost Empires'' (1986). His cinema roles included an appearance in

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's 1980 film ''

The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...

'' in which he played the part of a

milkman Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...

. He was best known for a small part in the 1977

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

film ''

'', in which he played the role of insane

Dr. Evazan This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...

, a criminal with a heavily scarred face who violently confronts

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The ...

in the Mos Eisley Cantina scene. Curtis' character states ''"I have the death sentence on twelve systems!"'' In the brief bar brawl, Evazan's partner, Ponda Baba, is injured by

Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...

, the first use of a

lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the or ...

in combat in the ''Star Wars'' franchise.

Death

Curtis died on 30 November 2017 at the age of 87 in

Billericay Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin and constitutes a commuter town east of Central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It is ...

, Essex.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Alfie 1930 births 2017 deaths English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors People from Stepney