Lewis Ernest Fiander (12 January 1938 – 24 May 2016) was an Australian film, stage, and television actor.
Biography
Fiander was born in Melbourne to Mona Jane (née King) and Walter Lewis Fiander, and educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew. Moving to the UK from his native Australia, initially to appear in the play ''The One Day of the Year'', Fiander appeared in such films as ''
I Start Counting'' (1970), ''
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971), ''
Dr. Phibes Rises Again'' (1972), ''
The Abdication
''The Abdication'' is a 1974 British historical drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Peter Finch and Liv Ullmann. The film's score was composed by Nino Rota. It tells a fictionalized version of the rumored love affair between Chr ...
'' (1974), ''
Who Can Kill a Child?'' (1976), ''
Not Now, Comrade
''Not Now, Comrade'' is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Ray Cooney. It was a follow-up to the similarly named 1973 farce ''Not Now, Darling''. It featured a number of British comedy actors including Leslie Phillips, Windsor Davies, Don Es ...
'' (1976), ''
Sweeney 2
''Sweeney 2'' is a 1978 British action crime drama film. It was made as a sequel to the successful 1977 film ''Sweeney!.'' Both films are an extension of the popular British ITV television series ''The Sweeney'' (1975–78). Some of the action ...
'' (1978), ''
The Doctor and the Devils'' (1985), ''
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
'' (1988) and ''
Paperback Romance
''Lucky Break'' (released in the United States as ''Paperback Romance'') is a 1994 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Ben Lewin, about a woman with polio who breaks her leg and is treated normally for the first time in her life. Actress ...
'' (1994). His first major role on television was
Mr. Darcy
Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice''. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Benn ...
in the BBC's first colour adaptation of ''
Pride and Prejudice'' (1967).
In 1970, Fiander originated the role of John Adams in the London stage production of ''
1776
Events January–February
* January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces.
* Januar ...
'', a role he reprised in Australia. Other stage appearances in West End musicals included the roles of Lord Melbourne and Disraeli in ''I and Albert'', Coward in ''Noel and Gertie'' and Puccini in ''Cafe Puccini''. During the 1970s, he was cast as Professor Tryst in the ''
Doctor Who'' episode "
Nightmare of Eden
''Nightmare of Eden'' is the fourth serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 24 November to 15 December 1979.
The serial is set on th ...
" and after discussion with his friend
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
chose to give the character a hybrid accent as would befit an alien in the future. In 1974, he appeared as
Casimir Dudevant
François Casimir Dudevant (6 July 1795 – 8 March 1871) was the illegitimate son of Baron Jean-François Dudevant (1754–1826), a French military officer, and his mistress Augustine Soulé.
On 10 December 1822, Dudevant married Aurore Dupin, ...
playing opposite
Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is the recipient of such accolades as a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In ...
in the BBC series ''
Notorious Woman
''Notorious Woman'' is a 1974 BBC television serial based on the life of the French author George Sand. It starred Rosemary Harris in the title role. The seven episodes were written by Harry W. Junkin and directed by Waris Hussein.
In the United ...
'' and performed the role of
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...
on a cast-album of the musical ''
Thomas and The King''.
On radio, he played the eponymous lead role in the comedy series
''Patterson''.
He returned to Australia in the early 1980s and continued his acting career.
In 2004 he contributed the voice for airship engineer Kemp in Anthony Lucas's Oscar nominated animation, ''The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello''.
Lewis Fiander's last known film appearance was in the Don Percy short film ''Two Moments in Time''. Lewis' scenes were shot in late September 2015,
the film was completed in 2017, and premiered at the St. Kilda Film Festival in 2018.
[ ]
Fiander died on 24 May 2016.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
Lewis Fiander at AustageLewis Fiander Image Search
1938 births
2016 deaths
Male actors from Melbourne
Australian male film actors
Australian male stage actors
Australian male television actors
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