Edward Judd (4 October 1932 – 24 February 2009) was a British
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
.
Biography
Born in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
, he and his English father and Russian mother fled when the Japanese attacked
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
five years later. His career was at its peak in the 1960s, with a series of leading roles in British
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
disaster film
A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/ terrorist attacks or global catastrophes s ...
in which he played an alcoholic reporter during a time when two large nuclear explosions altered the Earth's axis, propelling the Earth towards the sun), ''
First Men in the Moon
''The First Men in the Moon'' is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantasti ...
'' (1964), and ''
Island of Terror
''Island of Terror'' is a 1966 British horror film released by Planet Film Productions. The film was released in the United States by Universal Studios on a double bill with ''The Projected Man'' (1967).
The idea for the film came when the produ ...
'' (1966). As well as starring in these films, he worked as a
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...
actor and performed other character parts on television. His roles in these science fiction films were highly praised by audiences and critics alike. Judd was also known for the 1975 "Think Once, Think Twice, Think Bike" campaign to make motorists aware of the risks faced on the road by motorcyclists.
Judd's success in ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' saw Columbia Pictures sign him to a long term contract. However, according to Val Guest, "he was such a pain in the ass to everybody. He had an enormous opinion of himself and he was his own worst enemy. Columbia just loaned him out here and there and then let him go."Tom Weaver, "Val Guest", ''Double Feature Creature Attack: A Monster Merger of Two More Volumes of Classic Interviews'' McFarland, 2003 pp. 116–117
Judd appeared regularly on TV. In particular, he played the tyrannical uncle, William Russell, in the 1979 TV mini-series ''
Flambards
''Flambards'' is a novel for children or young adults by K. M. Peyton, first published by Oxford University Press in 1967 with illustrations by Victor Ambrus. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) nam ...
''. He also appeared in ''
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'' (1975), ''
The Sweeney
''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Insp ...
'' and '' The Onedin Line'' in supporting roles. Very little is known of his life after the 1970s. He was heard in an episode of the
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
comedy ''Drop Me Here, Darling'', starring
Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...
, in 1983, as well as playing Barrymore in a televised version of ''
The Hound of the Baskervilles
''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...
'' the same year, and the BBC Radio play ''Philadelphia Moonshine'' in 1985. He appeared in the 1988 TV film ''
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...
'' as
Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were wide ...
.
In the early 1970s, he lived in Cottenham Park Road, Wimbledon. During the 1970s and 1980s, Judd (known as Eddie to some friends, as evidenced in
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...
's 2011 autobiography) was a highly respected
voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
artist, used on many commercials recorded in the recording studios in London's Soho.
In the early 90s he lived in the Phoenix Hotel in Wimbledon and was a credit officer for a Canadian investment bank. He lived at a retirement home in
Mitcham
Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It h ...
in his last years.
Personal life
He was married twice; his first wife, who had also appeared in ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire'', was actress Gene Anderson, who died suddenly aged 34 from a cerebral hemorrhage whilst filming Z Cars: The Share Out in May 1965. His second wife was actress Norma Ronald, with whom he had two daughters.Obituar "Edward Judd: actor in sci-fi films, the West End and TV series" ''The Times'', 9 March 2009.
The Small Voice
''The Small Voice'' (released in the United States as ''The Hideout'') is a 1948 British thriller film directed by Fergus McDonell and starring Valerie Hobson, James Donald and Howard Keel (who was credited as Harold Keel). The film is part of ...
'' (1948)
* ''
Once a Jolly Swagman
''Once a Jolly Swagman'' is a 1949 British film starring Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, Bill Owen, Thora Hird and Sid James. It is centred on the sport of motorcycle speedway racing, which was at its peak of popularity at the time. It was releas ...
'' (1949, uncredited)
* ''
The Large Rope
''The Large Rope'' (also known as ''The Long Rope'') is a 1953 British crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown.
Plot
After his release from prison a man returns to his village, where he is a ...
'' (1953, uncredited)
* ''Adventure in the Hopfields'' (1954), - Bill (uncredited)
* '' The Good Die Young'' (1954, - Simpson, Young Boxer (uncredited)
* ''
X the Unknown
''X the Unknown'' is a 1956 British science fiction horror film directed by Leslie Norman and starring Dean Jagger and Edward Chapman. It was made by the Hammer Film Productions company and written by Jimmy Sangster. The film is significant i ...
'' (1956) - 2nd Soldier (uncredited)
* '' The Long Haul'' (1957) - Trucker
* ''
Carry On Sergeant
''Carry On Sergeant'' is a 1958 British comedy film about National Service starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; it is the first in the series of ''Carry On'' films, with 31 entries released from 1958 to 1992. The film was ...
Subway in the Sky
''Subway in the Sky'' is a 1959 British crime film directed by Muriel Box and starring Van Johnson, Hildegard Knef and Albert Lieven. Hildegard Knef, who changed career in the 1960s to become a cabaret singer and songwriter, sings one song in t ...
Sink the Bismarck!
''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book ''The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...
Stolen Hours
''Stolen Hours'' is a 1963 British-American drama film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Susan Hayward as a socialite with a brain tumor who falls in love with her surgeon's colleague. The film also stars Michael Craig, Edward Judd and Dia ...
The Long Ships
''The Long Ships'' or ''Red Orm'' (original Swedish: ''Röde Orm'' meaning ''Red Serpent'' or ''Red Snake'') is an adventure novel by the Swedish writer Frans G. Bengtsson.
The narrative is set in the late 10th century and follows the advent ...
'' (1964) - Sven
* ''
First Men in the Moon
''The First Men in the Moon'' is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantasti ...
'' (1964) - Bedford / Arnold Bedford
* '' Strange Bedfellows'' (1965) - Harry Jones
* ''
Invasion
An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity aggressively enter territory (country subdivision), territory owned by another such entity, gen ...
'' (1966) - Dr. Mike Vernon
* ''
Island of Terror
''Island of Terror'' is a 1966 British horror film released by Planet Film Productions. The film was released in the United States by Universal Studios on a double bill with ''The Projected Man'' (1967).
The idea for the film came when the produ ...
'' (1966) - Dr. David West
* ''
The Vengeance of She
''The Vengeance of She'' is a 1968 British fantasy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring John Richardson (actor), John Richardson, Olga Schoberová, Olinka Berova, Edward Judd, André Morell and Colin Blakely. It bears little in common with th ...
'' (1968) - Philip
* ''
Living Free
''Living Free'' is a 1972 British drama film, written by Millard Kaufman and directed by Jack Couffer. It is starred by Nigel Davenport, Susan Hampshire and Geoffrey Keen. This film is a sequel to ''Born Free'' (1966), which was based on the 1 ...
Because of the Cats
''Because of the Cats'', released theatrically in the UK as ''The Rape'', is a 1973 Dutch-Belgian drama film directed by Fons Rademakers and starring Bryan Marshall, Alexandra Stewart, Sylvia Kristel and Sebastian Graham Jones.
The film's Dut ...
'' (1973) - Mierle
* '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) - Alex (segment 4 "Bargain in Death")
* ''
O Lucky Man!
''O Lucky Man!'' is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film directed by Lindsay Anderson, and starring Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Ander ...
'' (1973) - Oswald
* ''
Assassin
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
'' (1973) - MI5 Control
* ''
Feelings
Feelings are subjective self-contained phenomenal experiences. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; and feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations ...
'' (1976) - Dr. Benson
* ''
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'' (1975) Episode: "Murder Motel" - Charles Burns
* ''
Spanish Fly
The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia.
The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparatio ...
Flambards
''Flambards'' is a novel for children or young adults by K. M. Peyton, first published by Oxford University Press in 1967 with illustrations by Victor Ambrus. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) nam ...
The Hound of the Baskervilles
''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...
'' (1983) - Barrymore
* '' The Kitchen Toto'' (1987) - Dick Luis
* ''
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...