Bruce Purchase (2 October 1938 – 5 June 2008) was a New Zealand actor known for his roles on

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

. Born in

Thames, New Zealand Thames () ( mi, Pārāwai) is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel ...

, he won a scholarship to study acting in England, training at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Se ...

, and went on to become a founding actor-member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre. He also performed regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His TV credits included ''

Callan Callan is a given name and surname of Irish and Scottish origin. It can derive from Ó Cathaláin, meaning ''descendant of Cathalán''. Callan can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Allin or Mac Callin. Notable people with the name includ ...

'', ''

The First Churchills ''The First Churchills'' is a BBC serial from 1969 about the life of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. It stars John Neville as the duke and Susan Hampshire as the duchess, was writt ...

'', '' Clayhanger'', '' A Picture of Katherine Mansfield'', ''

Doomwatch ''Doomwatch'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC1 between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist ...

'', ''

Fall of Eagles ''Fall of Eagles'' is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of ...

'', ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

'', '' The New Avengers'', '' Doctor Who'' (in the serial ''

The Pirate Planet ''The Pirate Planet'' is the second serial of the 16th season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second seria ...

''), ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...

'', ''

Quatermass Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading the Brit ...

'' and ''

The Tripods ''The Tripods'' is a series of young adult novels written by John Christopher, beginning in 1967. The first two were the basis of a science fiction TV series, produced in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Synopsis The story of ''The Tripods'' ...

''. His films included '' Macbeth'' (1971), ''

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

'' (1971), '' The Optimists of Nine Elms'' (1973), ''

Soft Beds, Hard Battles ''Soft Beds, Hard Battles'' is a 1974 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting, starring Peter Sellers (in several roles), Curt Jurgens, Lila Kedrova and Jenny Hanley. Sellers reunited with the Boulting brothers for this farce, in which the ...

'' (1974), ''

Meetings with Remarkable Men ''Meetings with Remarkable Men, autobiographical in nature, is the second volume of the '' All and Everything'' trilogy written by the Greek- Armenian spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. Gurdjieff started working on the Russian manuscript in 192 ...

'' (1979), ''

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

'' (1984), '' Wallenberg: A Hero's Story'' (1985), ''

Playing Away Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riv ...

'' (1987), '' Lionheart'' (1987) and '' Another Life'' (2001). In 2007, Purchase became seriously ill while touring with a production of ''

The Last Confession ''The Last Confession'' is a stage play by Roger Crane about the election and death of Pope John Paul I. The play follows Giovanni Benelli who recounts, during his last confession, his role in the death of John Paul and how this led him to los ...

''. He died of cancer on 5 June 2008 at his home in

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

.''The Times'' obituary puts the date of death at 8 June.

Filmography

*'' Othello'' (1965) - Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots *'' Macbeth'' (1971) - Caithness *''

'' (1971) - Morton *'' The Optimists of Nine Elms'' (1973) - Policeman *''

'' (1974) - Colonel Meinertzhagen (uncredited) *'' Doctor Who,

'' (1978) - The Captain *''The Quatermass Conclusion'' (1979) - Tommy Roach *''

'' (1979) - Father Maxim *''The Quiz Kid'' (1979) - Wally *''

'' (1984) - Jerzy Loparicz *''Other Halves'' (1984) - Irwin *'' Wallenberg: A Hero's Story'' (1985) - Rabbi Mandel *''

'' (1987) - Fredrick *'' Lionheart'' (1987) - Simon Nerra *'' Freddie as F.R.O.7'' (1992) - Additional Voices (voice) *'' Richard III'' (1995) - City Gentleman *'' The Sea Change'' (1998) - Oldberg *'' Another Life'' (2001) - Sir Henry Curtis-Bennett (final film role)

References

External links

*
''Telegraph'' obituary
* 1938 births 2008 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art New Zealand male television actors New Zealand male stage actors New Zealand expatriates in the United Kingdom Royal Shakespeare Company members People from Thames, New Zealand {{NewZealand-tv-actor-stub