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George Ian Cullen (20 October 1939 – 12 November 2019) was a British actor.
Cullen first became interested in acting when appearing in a pantomime aged four (late 1943). He trained 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 Senat ...
with a scholarship when he was 16.
An early television appearance was as David Balfour in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's 1963 adaptation of
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's ''
Kidnapped
Kidnapped may refer to:
* subject to the crime of kidnapping
Literature
* ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
* ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...
'', set in Scotland in 1751. Balfour is captured while on board a ship, and here he meets Jacobite rebel Alan Breck Stewart with whom he forges an alliance, escaping to the Scottish Highlands while trying to avoid the redcoats. All twelve episodes are believed missing from the archive.
Another notable early television appearance in 1964 when he played Ixta in the four-part ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' story ''
The Aztecs
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
''. He was interviewed for that serial's DVD release in 2002. In 2012, he returned to ''Doctor Who'' to play Nadeyan in the Big Finish audio drama "Dark Eyes".
ICullen had numerous roles in British film and television, including regular roles in ''
Emergency – Ward 10
''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's fi ...
'' during its final year (as Warren Kent – 1966–1967), ''
Z-Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
'' (as Joe Skinner – 1969–1975), ''
When the Boat Comes In
''When the Boat Comes In'' is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 1976 and 1981. The series stars James Bolam as Jack Ford, a First World War veteran who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshiel ...
'' (as Geordie Watson - 1977–1981) and
Channel 5's soap opera ''
Family Affairs
''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...
'' (as Angus Hart – 1997–1999). He has guest starred in numerous television dramas, including ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...
'', ''
Dalziel & Pascoe'' and ''
Sorry!''. In 2011, he starred as Baron Sterling in the award-winning feature film ''
Dawn of the Dragonslayer''.
When joining the cast of ''
Z Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
'' in 1969 he became a household name. By this time this popular series was broadcast in a twice-weekly 25-minute format. His character Joe Skinner stayed for six years and a total of 226 episodes. The occasionally troubled Skinner enjoyed popularity with the viewing public, being promoted and un-promoted along the way to and from Detective. In the character's final ''
Z Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
'' appearance "Distance" (Series 9, Episode 28), Skinner was gunned down in the line of duty. The death of any policeman in real life or fiction was still uncommon in the 1970s and this moment became one of TV's biggest dramatic shocks of the decade.
It was not the only time Cullen played a character with an untimely ending. His character Angus Hart, was the original lead of the Channel 5
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''Family Affairs'', appearing in over 400 episodes. Angus Hart was killed in a shock storyline when the entire Hart family were killed in a boat explosion.
Cullen's stage work was extensive and saw him perform all over the country, with eight West-End productions to his name and two years with the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
. He won rave reviews for his performance as Jay in ''Road to the Sea'' at the Orange Tree Theatre, in 2003. In 2008 he won a Gold Award for his narration of the feature-length documentary The Destiny of Britain (2007).
As well as his acting commitments, Cullen also wrote several television series, films and
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
plays. He found time to run a very successful youth drama group in Surrey (Surrey Heath Young Actors Company) for nearly 30 years. He was assisted in this venture by his wife Yvonne Quenet, who is also an actress and drama teacher. They were married for over 30 years and had three daughters.
Selected TV and filmography
*''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' - Ixta (''
The Aztecs
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
'', 1964)
*''
Z-Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
'' PC/DC Joe Skinner – (226 episodes, 1969–1975)
*''
Voyage of the Damned
''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell.
The story was inspired by actual events conc ...
'' – Radio Officer Steinman (1976)
*''
When the Boat Comes In
''When the Boat Comes In'' is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 1976 and 1981. The series stars James Bolam as Jack Ford, a First World War veteran who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshiel ...
'' – Geordie Watson (4 episodes, 1977–1981)
*''
The Gambling Man
''The Gambling Man'' is a British three-part television serial, or long TV movie, first broadcast in 1995, starring Robson Green, directed by Norman Stone, based on a novel by Catherine Cookson.
Outline
Rory Connor ( Robson Green) is a rent- ...
'' (1995) – Paddy Connor
*''
Family Affairs
''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...
'' – Angus Hart (400+ Episodes, 1997–1999)
*''
Gabriel & Me
''Gabriel and Me'' is a 2001 film starring Iain Glen, Sean Landless and Billy Connolly as the angel Gabriel. It originated from the 1995 British play ''I Luv You Jimmy Spud''. Some outdoor scenes were filmed in North East England including the ...
'' – Ridley (2001)
*''Dawn of the Dragonslayer'' – Baron Sterling (2011)
*''White Oak'' – Johnny (2018)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Ian
1939 births
2019 deaths
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English male film actors
English male television actors
People from The Boldons
Male actors from Tyne and Wear
Actors from County Durham